0–10V, DALI and other lighting control

system protocols compared

What is a protocol?

A protocol is a language that devices in a system use to communicate and share data. Lighting
control systems can’t function without one.

0–10V and 1–10V dimming

What you would use it for

Dimming LED or fluorescent lights.

How it works

0–10V

A 0–10V dimming driver sends a low DC voltage signal to the fluorescent ballast or LED driver.
The lighting changes as the voltage is varied.

So, at zero volts the light will dim to 0% and turn off. At 10 volts the system is operating at
100% and the light will be fully on.

1–10V

It works in a similar fashion to 0-10v dimming, but the voltage is ‘sinked’ by the driver and will
only go as low as 10% before the power to the circuit needs to be physically switched off. This
method provides a very smooth dimming curve which is especially useful for colour changing
LEDs.

What you should know

 0–10V and 1–10V are:

o analogue—the lighting changes according to controlled variations in voltage
o hardwired—each device needs its own wiring, which makes installation quite
tricky if the lighting control system is large and complex
o unidirectional—data goes only one way, from the dimming driver to the LED
driver or fluorescent ballast. Because there’s no signal coming back from the
lights, there’s no data on which to measure their performance, as with digital
systems
 A 0–10V system can accommodate around 10 luminaires per controller.

DALI (digital addressable lighting interface)

What you would use it for

Lighting control for LED, fluorescent, halogen or incandescent lights.

How it works
A DALI ballast receives voltage through one pair of wires, while another pair relays a digital
signal from the controller devices (e.g. a dimmer) to the luminaires.

In a DALI network, each ballast and relay switch is assigned a unique address to which
commands can be sent. This allows the system to be controlled from web-based software
installed on a PC.

What you should know

 DALI is:
o digital—meaning the system can dim lights to much more precise levels of
brightness
o bidirectional—the two-way communication between the DALI ballast and
luminaires means the system can diagnose issues and relay feedback and data to
the user interface (i.e. PC software)
o open—because it isn’t a proprietary technology, it’s available from many
different suppliers worldwide and can be used alongside devices from other
manufacturers
 The DALI protocol is useful if luminaires need to respond to more than one input device
(such as a wall switch and a daylight sensor).
 As with 0–10V dimming, DALI requires a lighting control cable, but the cable can be run
between many fittings. In fact, one DALI network can accommodate up to 64 DALI
ballasts.
 DALI allows lighting controls to operate as stand-alone systems or be integrated into
larger building management systems.

DSI (digital serial interface)

What you would use it for

Dimming LED, fluorescent, halogen or incandescent lights.

How it works

Like 0–10V dimming, DSI enables hard-wired groups of luminaires to dim collectively. But
where 0–10V uses a varying voltage to tell the lights how to dim (the amount of current is
roughly equal to the intensity of the light—e.g. 1V = 10%, 5V = 50% and so on), a DSI driver
sends digital data to define precise levels of brightness.

Although DSI ballasts can lower the light level to ‘zero’, the light is still drawing current and so,
technically speaking, isn’t switched off.

What you should know

 DSI is:
o incompatible with DALI, despite being its predecessor
o proprietary to one brand (Tridonic), and so can only be used with devices made
by that manufacturer

Other protocols
 An open standard for wireless technology which uses digital radio signals
for lighting and other building automation.

ZIGBEE An alternative to Bluetooth, it uses the IEEE 802.15.4 wireless standard for
wireless personal area networks (WPANs) and operates on 2.4 GHz, 900
MHz and 868 MHz frequencies. These frequencies can be very congested,
however, which can interfere with signals or cause them to drop.
A digital control protocol used in building automation. As well as enabling
KNX networked lighting systems, it can also be used for home entertainment
systems, energy management and security alarms.
A digital protocol used to control theatrical stage lighting. The DMX signal
DMX512 is generated by a lighting control system and requires dedicated cabling
between the controller and driver.

Wired vs. wireless lighting control—what’s the difference?

WIRED WIRELESS
All devices are hardwired to the building’s Only the central processor is hardwired to the
electrical system building’s electrical system
Devices physically connected by low-voltage Devices are wireless and battery-powered and
wiring communicate over radio frequencies
Centralised to one location, such as a lighting Devices have their own controllers and receive
control module or lighting control panel commands via a central processor
BENEFITS
Easy to install, which means:

 less disruption
Reliable, as there is no signal interference  reduced labour costs
 fast turnaround for refurbishment
projects

Mains-powered, so no need to replace batteries Designed to be user-friendly

Ideal for new-build premises Simple to add more devices
Perfect for situations where it’s impossible or
impracticable to run cables, such as in listed or
historic buildings
SUSTAVI UPRAVLJANJA RASVJETE

Kada se govori o sustavima upravljanja rasvjete, govori se o svim

sustavima koji nadilaze funkcije uključivanja i isključivanja. Upravo ti
sustavi omogućuju regulaciju i kontrolu rasvjete prema željama i
potrebama korisnika, pazeći pri tome na zakonom propisane norme.
Neke od funkcija sustava upravljanja su detekcija pokreta,
prigušivanje ovisno o količini dnevne svjetlosti te programiranje
svjetlosnih scenarija. Prema ovim funkcijama jasno je vidljivo da
sustavi upravljanja nalaze svoju primjenu unutar zgrada ali i vani.
Sustavi upravljanja rasvjete kombiniraju se ovisno o zahtjevima i
mogućnostima klijenta,[6].
3.1. Sustav upravljanja 1-10 V

1-10 V je jedan od najstarijih načina upravljanja rasvjetom a druga

generacija ovog upravljanja, poznatija kao 0-10 V, koristi se i dan
danas.
Za svoj rad, sustav 1-10 V zahtijeva istosmjerni izvor energije.
Kontrolni signal takvog izvora kreće se između jedan i deset volti što
omogućuje prigušivanje svjetla u rasponu od deset do sto posto kao
što je vidljivo na slici 3.1. Upravo tu se javlja problem gdje za
vrijednost od 0 V ovakav sustav ne raspoznaje je li rasvjeta isključena
ili i dalje radi. U ovome slučaju ne pomaže niti kratki spoj stoga se
zahtijeva dodatna sklopka koja bi osigurala isključenje sustava.

Slika 3.1 Izlazne vrijednosti 1-10 V sustava upravljanja temeljene na

ulaznom signalu napona

Razlika sustava 0-10 V od 1-10 V je taj što 0-10 V većinom dolazi s

kontrolerima koji osiguravaju isključenje rasvjete korištenjem sklopke
ili naponskog releja.
U ovom slučaju minimalna razina prigušivanja nije više deset posto
nego 5,7 %. Česta je pojava da svjetlosni izvori koji su priključeni na
istu grupu spoja ne pružaju jednaku izlaznu vrijednost struje zbog
pada napona. Polaritet spoja je vrlo bitan, te se zahtijeva kompleksno
ožičavanje kao na slici 3.2,[7],[8],[9].
Analogno 1-10V
Analogno dimmanje plusevi:-Omogućava dimanje
Analogno dimmanje minusi:-Ne postoji način gašenja, mora postojati
dodatna sklopka
-“Dimmer” se dimenzionira prema broju prigušnica
-Bitan je polaritet, teže ožičavanje
-Pojava da nisu sve svjetiljke u istoj grupi na jednakoj jačini zbog pada
napona
Usporedba signala