Freecom external hard drives Safety User guide

English
Safety manual for external hard drives
Freecom Technologies • Germany
www.freecom.com

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Note:
Keep this guide in a convenient place to access important information about your external device.
Warning !
Freecom cannot be made liable for any damages, loss of data or damage following there
of -whatsoever (including, without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, busi-
ness interruption, loss of business information, or other pecuniary loss) arising out of the
use of or inability to use this Freecom product, even if Freecom has been advised of the
possibility of such damages.

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Contents
Contents
Chapter GB-1: Introduction........................................... 4
Disclaimer of liability for manual contents ......................................................................5
Chapter GB-2: Safe use of external hard drive,
components and accessories......................................... 6
External hard drive......................................................................................................................6
Safe use of your external hard drive aboard an aircraft ..............................................9
Usage restrictions........................................................................................................................9
Chapter GB-3: Maintaining a safe
work environment ....................................................... 10
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 10
Avoidance of exposure to emf emissions....................................................................... 10
Chapter GB-4: Limited warranty ................................. 13
Chapter GB-5: Important information for
your Freecom external hard drive............................... 13
FCC information........................................................................................................................ 13
EU Declaration of conformity.............................................................................................. 15

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Chapter GB-1: Introduction
A. Thank you very much for purchasing this Freecom external hard drive.
All of the safety instructions that are contained in this manual must be read carefully and
must be fully understood before you attempt to use your external hard drive, in order to avoid
potential hazards that could cause bodily injury or property damage, or could damage the
external hard drive.
We hope that you are completely satisfied with your new Freecom external hard drive and
that it gives you long and productive service.
We look forward to providing you with additional Freecom products to serve all of your
computing needs in the future.
B. Two categories of safety instructions are included in this manual:
• Product Warnings (i.e., what must never be done, to assure avoiding those hazards that
could cause bodily injury or property damage).
• User Directions (i.e., what must always be done, to assure the safe use of your external hard
drive).

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Introduction
Safety icons
This manual contains safety instructions that must be observed in order to avoid potential hazards
that could result in personal injuries, damage to your equipment, or loss of data. These safety
cautions have been classified according to the seriousness of the risk, and the icons highlight
these instructions as follows:
Signal Words Meaning
! Danger ! Indicates an imminently hazardous situation which, if not avoided,
will result in death or serious injury.
Warning ! Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided,
could result in death or serious injury.
Caution ! Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, may
result in minor or moderate injury.
Caution Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, may
result in property damage.
Note Provides important information.
Disclaimer of liability for manual contents
Descriptions contained in this instruction manual or in other written materials (including ad-
ditional manuals) furnished to you will be considered as general guidance and will not create
any warranty to you.
IN NO EVENT SHALL FREECOM OR ANYONE INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OR CREATION OF
THIS INSTRUCTION MANUAL OR OTHER INFORMATION PROVIDED TO YOU BE LIABLE FOR ANY
INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, WHETHER BASED ON TORT, CONTRACT, OR
OTHERWISE, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS INSTRUCTION MANUAL OR OTHER
INFORMATION PROVIDED OR THE USE THEREOF.

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Chapter GB-2: Safe use of external hard drive,
components and accessories
External hard drive
! Danger !
Never attempt to disassemble, tamper with or repair the external hard drive.
This will cause fire, electric shock, death, serious physical injury, or permanent
damage.
Always contact an authorized Freecom service provider, for appropriate assist-
ance.
Warning !
1. Never leave the plastic bags that were used for packaging the external hard drive or any of
its components in places where children or infants will have access them, to prevent possible
suffocation.
2. To avoid any risk of short-circuit, fire or other internal damage, never allow any metal object
such as screws, staples or paper clips to fall into the unit. If that should happen, however,
immediately turn off the power and unplug the power cord.
Always contact an authorized Freecom service provider, for appropriate assistance.
3. Never allow any liquids to spill into any part of your external hard drive, and never expose the
external hard drive to rain, water seawater or moisture, in order to avoid any risk of electric
shock, fire or other damage to the unit. However, if any of these eventualities should occur,
unplug the cable, shut off the external hard drive immediately, as the external hard drive may
otherwise sustain permanent damage.
Always contact an authorized Freecom service provider for assistance, before attempting to
use the external hard drive again.

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Safe use of external hard drive, components and accessories
4. If the external hard drive has been dropped, or if you ever detect the emission of smoke,
unusual odour or excessive heat, always unplug the cable and shut off the external hard drive
immediately, as there is a risk that this will cause fire, possibly resulting in death or serious
physical injury.
Always contact an authorized Freecom service provider, for appropriate assistance.
5. Never attempt to disassemble, adjust or repair the external hard drive, as safety hazards will result.
Always contact an authorized Freecom service provider, if any repair or adjustment is required.
6. Never open any covers except those that are expressly designed to be opened by the user,
in order to prevent the risk of fire possibly resulting in death or serious physical injury, or the
malfunction of the external hard drive.
7. Today’s performance external hard drives generate heat under normal operating conditions,
as a function of system activity.
Avoid extended contact between the external hard drive base/palm rest and your bare skin.
Under certain operating conditions such prolonged contact between the external hard drive
base/palm rest and your bare skin will result in skin irritation.
Caution !
1. Never store a external hard drive in a locked and unventilated vehicle, (where excessive
internal temperatures may be encountered). Never place a external hard drive on top of (or
adjacent to) a heating device, and never expose it to direct sunlight, to prevent external hard
drive malfunction or damage to the components.
2. Never attempt to use the external hard drive on a precarious or unstable surface, as the unit
may fall causing physical injury or damage to the unit.
3. Never attempt to use the external hard drive in a location that is subject to excessive vibra-
tion, as the unit may cause physical injury, or result in internal damage to the unit or the loss
of stored data.
4. Never attempt to pull the cable out with excessive force, as the unit may fall causing malfunc-
tion, physical injury or damage to the unit.
5. Always handle the external hard drive with care to prevent the possible loss of stored data.

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Note
1. Never use the unit in an environment where temperature and humidity is less than or exceeds
the limitations written in the users manual of your own external hard drive, to prevent mal-
function.
2. Never use organic solvents (e.g., benzene or thinner) to clean the external hard drive, as they
will cause the surfaces to deteriorate, deform or discolour.
3. Never place heavy objects on top of the external hard drive and never allow heavy objects to
drop onto the external hard drive, to protect it from damage.
4. If the external hard drive has been exposed to cold temperatures, always allow it to warm to
room temperature before turning it on. This will prevent the occurrence of harmful condensa-
tion within the unit. (This is a particularly important concern when the unit is being used in
cold climates).
5. Always avoid using the external hard drive in dusty environments, since dust particles can
affect the reliability of the external hard drive. Always contact an authorized Freecom service
provider, if your external hard drive has become contaminated with dust or dirt particles.

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Safe use of external hard drive, components and accessories
Safe use of your external hard drive aboard an aircraft
Warning !
Always request and obtain the prior consent and approval of an authorized airline representa-
tive before using your external hard drive aboard an aircraft. Failure to obtain the prior consent
and approval from the airline may result in your unwittingly interfering with aviation equipment
onboard, leading to an accident and thereby resulting in the possibility of death or serious
physical injury.
Usage restrictions
Never incorporate this Freecom external hard drive into a system that will be used to control the
following critical equipment:
a. Equipment directly linked to the protection of human life, including:
• Medical monitoring equipment, life support systems and equipment used in hospital
operating rooms.
• Exhaust systems used for venting poisonous gases and smoke.
• Equipment used to perform life-saving functions mandated by law, (e.g., as required for
fire-fighting under the Canadian Fire Services Act).
• Other equipment comparable to that in the examples cited above.
b. Equipment directly linked to the protection of human safety or affecting the performance of
a vital public safety function, such as:
• Traffic control equipment for air, railroad, highway and marine transportation.
• Equipment used in atomic power plants.
• Other equipment comparable to that in the examples cited above.
• The control of such critical equipment requires the use of specially designed devices that
employ redundant, fail-safe circuitry.
• This external hard drive has not been designed for those types of uses.

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Chapter GB-3: Maintaining a safe work environment
Introduction
• Freecom external hard drives have been designed to be compact, light-weight and extremely
portable, so that they can be easily carried and used almost anywhere.
Proper use of a Freecom external hard drive does not pose any health hazards. When used in
accordance with the safety instructions in this manual they also offer an alternative to external
hard drive users who wish to avoid exposure to the additional sources of electromagnetic
field (EMF) emission that may be present in PCs.
• Thesafetyinstructionsinthismanualshouldthereforealwaysbefollowed,toavoid theadverse
consequences that could otherwise result from the misuse of Freecom external hard drive
under sub-optimum field conditions.
Avoidance of exposure to EMF emissions
Note
1. Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) Emissions (50 Hz (Europe) or 60 Hz (US))
Since Freecom external hard drives are low-voltage direct current (DC) devices, this external
hard drive emits no EMF (electromagnetic field) energy in the ELF range when it is being
powered by its USB bus power.
2. Radio Frequency (RF) Emissions
a. External hard drives generate digital timing pulses at frequencies within the RF range, and
consequently may emit minute levels of stray EMF emissions in the RF range.

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Maintaining a safe work environment
As a result, all desk-top and external hard drives are required to comply with the US Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) Standards digital devices, the Canadian Interference-
Causing Equipment Regulations and the European Community Standards.
(Digital devices are authorized for use in residential environments and are not permitted
to intentionally emit RF energy.
Nevertheless, they are permitted to unintentionally emit low levels of RF energy, as a result
of the generation of digital timing pulses by their clock oscillator circuits).
b. The allowable levels of RF energy that may be emitted by external hard drives are severely
limitedintheirintensitybytheexistingFCCRegulations(47CFRSection 15.109(a)),Canadian
ICE Regulations and European Community Standard N55022, to prevent interference with
reception on nearby radio and T.V. receivers.
Freecom external hard drives have therefore been equipped with internal shielding, to
significantly reduce the stray emission of RF energy.
Nevertheless,airlinesmayprohibittheuseofallexternalharddrives(and anyotherportable
electronic devices that could emit stray RF energy) during takeoffs and landings, because
of possible interference with the reception of signals by airborne electronic navigation
devices.
c. FCC regulations, ICES, and European Standards digital devices severely limit the levels of
RF energy that may be emitted by a external hard drive.
The resulting emissions therefore also fall well within the allowable limits that have been adopted
by OSHA in 29 CFR 1910.97, and that have been adopted by the promulgators of all other know
regulations and standards that relate to the emission of EMF energy in the RF range.
Consequently, the minute levels of EMF energy in the RF range that are emitted by Freecom
external hard drives comply with all existing regulations and standards, and pose no known
health hazards to human beings.

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Chapter GB-4: Limited warranty
Freecom does not warrant that operation of this product will be uninterrupted or error free. You
must read and follow all set-up and usage instructions contained in this instruction manual and
in any other manuals that have been provided with this external hard drive. If you fail to do so,
this device will not function properly and you may lose data or suffer other damage.
EVEN IF YOU DO SO, HOWEVER, FREECOM MAKES NO GUARANTEE OR WARRANTY THAT THIS
PRODUCT WILL FUNCTION PROPERLY IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES. IN NO EVENT WILL FREECOM BE
LIABLE TO YOU OR TO ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY DAMAGES IN EXCESS OF THE PURCHASE PRICE
OF THE PRODUCT, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.

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Important information for your freecom external hard drive
Chapter GB-5: Important information for your freecom
external hard drive
FCC Information
Product Name: Freecom external hard drive
Model number: FHD-xx, Classic xx HD, Media Player xx, FND xx, FMD xx
FCC Notice „Declaration of Conformity Information“
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a digital device, pursuant
to part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against
harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate
radiofrequencyenergyand,ifnotinstalledandusedinaccordancewiththeinstructions,maycause
harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference
will not occur inaparticular installation. If this equipmentdoes cause harmfulinterference toradio
or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is
connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

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OnlyperipheralscomplyingwiththeFCClimitsmaybeattachedtothisequipment.
Operation with non-compliant peripherals or periph erals not recommended by
Freecom is likely to result in interference to radio and TV reception. Shielded
cables must be used between the external devices, USB port, and microphone
jack. Changes or modifications made to this equipment, not expressly approved
by Freecom or parties authorized by Freecom could void the user’s authority to
operate the equipment.
FCC conditions
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful interference.
2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause
undesired operation.
Contact:
Freecom GmbH
Zeughofstraße 1
10997 Berlin
Germany

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Important information for your freecom external hard drive
EU declaration of conformity
Freecom declares, that the product: FHD-xx, Classic xx HD, Media Player xx, FND xx, FMD xx
conforms to the following Standards:
Supplementary information:
“The product complies with the requirements of the Low Voltage Directive 73/23/EEC and the
EMC Directive 89/336/ EEC and/or the R&TTE Directive 1999/05/EEC.” This product is carrying
the CE-Mark in accordance with the related European Directives. Responsible for CE-Marking is
Freecom GmbH, Zeughofstraße 1, 10977 Berlin, Germany.
Following information is only for EU-member states:
The use of the symbol indicates that this product may not be treated as household
waste. By ensuring this product is disposed of correctly, you will help prevent
potential negative consequences for the environment and human health, which
could otherwise be caused by inappropriate waste handling of this product. For
more detailed information about recycling of this product, please contact your
local city office, your household waste disposal service or the shop where you
purchased the product.