Broadcast control simplifies maintenance
The KNX DALI L4 bc 16 A lighting controller from Elsner Elektronik controls four DALI channels by broadcast command and can switch off each channel via a relay. Staircase light switching, scenes and colour control in the RGB(W) and HSV colour spectrum are just some of the possibilities of the KNX actuator.
The lighting controller KNX DALI L4 bc 16 A is a communication interface between the building bus standard KNX and the lighting control standard DALI. The actuator has four channels, each for up to 64 DALI devices. The devices of a channel receive a broadcast command, this means that they are all dimmed or switched together. This type of control is particularly suitable for buildings and halls where luminaires are switched in rows or groups, but also for small DALI systems. In both cases, broadcast control proves to be advantageous because maintenance of defective luminaires can be carried out without DALI knowledge. Individual luminaires can be replaced without having to be re-addressed.
A further advantage of the lighting controller is the “current-off” function. Each channel has its own switching relay. While there is only standby on DALI level, the KNX DALI L4 bc 16 A offers the possibility to switch off a channel completely. If several channels are switched on simultaneously, the lighting controller delays switching by fractions of a second, which limits the switch-on current for the DALI ballasts. This delay time is adjustable.
Luminaires can be switched by KNX DALI L4 bc 16 A as staircase lights, which means with a timer and, if desired, with a switch-off pre-warning. A flashing then indicates that the light is about to go off. Night mode can also be set, in which the channel changes to a reduced brightness.
The dimming brightness of each channel can be defined by a separate curve. The percentage of the KNX command can thus be adapted to the installed DALI luminaires, defining 100%, 1% and two further points. The lighting controller calculates the curve in between accordingly. In addition to brightness, the colour temperature can be controlled, also known as “Tunable White”. The light colour can be defined in the colour spectrum RGB, RGBW or HSV.
Different lighting moods can be stored in 8 scenes. The KNX DALI L4 bc 16 A returns the status to the KNX system so that the execution of the commands can be monitored and the current status of the lights is known.
The push-buttons and control LEDs on the rail-mounted device are practical for system setup: each channel can be switched directly and the relay status is visible.
