EN 60983:1996

Overview

EN 60983:1996 (adopted as SIST EN 60983:2001) is a European CLC/CENELEC standard for miniature incandescent lamps intended for use in road vehicles where lamps are not covered by vehicle lighting legislation and are therefore excluded from EN 60809. The standard defines the essential technical and performance characteristics required to ensure interchangeability, safety and acceptable service life for small filament lamps used in automotive applications.

Key topics

The standard addresses the following technical areas (high-level - no specific numerical values included here):

• Scope and applicability - types of miniature incandescent lamps for road-vehicle use that fall outside legislated lamp categories.
• Dimensional requirements - defining sizes, shapes and mounting interfaces to ensure mechanical compatibility.
• Electrical requirements - rated voltages, current behavior and permissible electrical characteristics.
• Luminous requirements - light output, distribution and photometric expectations relevant to use and marking.
• Performance requirements - durability tests including lamp life, resistance to mechanical stresses and torsion strength for filament lamp bases and mounts.
• Marking and identification - labelling conventions to enable correct selection and replacement.

Applications

EN 60983 is used to:

• Standardize miniature incandescent lamps used in interior, signal or ancillary vehicle lighting that are not subject to specific vehicle lighting legislation.
• Provide manufacturers and suppliers with a common specification for design, manufacturing and quality control.
• Guide test labs and quality assurance teams when verifying conformity for dimensional, electrical, luminous and durability characteristics.
• Support aftermarket suppliers and repair workshops in selecting correct lamp replacements that meet standardized performance expectations.

Who uses this standard

• Lamp and bulb manufacturers designing miniature incandescent lamps for automotive markets.
• Automotive component suppliers and OEMs specifying non-legislated lamps in vehicles.
• Testing and certification laboratories performing dimensional, electrical and life-cycle tests.
• Aftermarket retailers, distributors and maintenance workshops ensuring replacement lamps conform to standardized requirements.
• Standards bodies and compliance engineers referencing harmonized specifications.

Related standards

• EN 60809 - relates to incandescent lamps covered by vehicle lighting legislation (mentioned in EN 60983 scope).
• ICS classification: 29.140.20 (Incandescent lamps) - useful for cross-referencing catalogues and standards databases.

Keywords: EN 60983, miniature lamps, incandescent lamps, road vehicles, lamp life, torsion strength, dimensional requirements, electrical requirements, luminous requirements, automotive lighting standard.