Intelligent, all-in-one lighting control

With the DLC-02 and DLC-02KN, MEAN WELL has now released the first market-ready lighting control units that comply with the DALI-2 protocol. DALI-2, the new version of the DALI standard, aims to remove ambiguities in the existing standard and ensure better interoperability between devices from different manufacturers.

Schukat electronic explains how MEAN WELL’s DALI-2 compliant DLC-02 lighting controller is constructed and shows how it can be used as an all-in-one system to efficiently operate lighting systems from different manufacturers.

► The DALI system consists of three parts‍‍‍: a bus power supply, control unit, and control gear. Control units include input devices and application controllers. The DLC-02 application controller complies with the latest DALI-2 controller standard and contains two independent DALI power supplies (each supplying 250mA current) that can be used as bus power supplies in the DALI system. With the DLC-02, only the input device and the control gear are required to complete a DALI system.

► Input devices such as sensors and control panels receive information from the operating environment, convert it into DALI commands, and forward these via the DALI bus. Once the application controller has received the commands on the DALI bus, the corresponding control command for the respective control gear is executed – such as scene-setting, modifying colour temperature, changing lighting intensity or, via the integrated relays in the DLC-02, controlling ventilation, roller shutters, or other electrical devices. DALI divides the types of control gear according to different application functions and areas.

► DLC-02 has been fully certified by the DiiA (Digital Illumination Interface Alliance). Important: as a rule, compatibility between individual DALI devices from different manufacturers should present no problem as long as the components comply with the requirements of the DALI standards. The DLC-02 series therefore represents an excellent choice either for upgrading an existing system or installing a new one.

► All input devices and control gear on the DALI bus can be addressed on the network via USB connection or TCP/IP with the DLC software available free on the MEAN WELL homepage at www.meanwell.com. Each lighting area can be assigned to an existing group or a new group, as the user prefers, and the logical relationship between control panel, sensor, lighting control, and control gear can be established. At the same time, the built-in relays of the DLC-02 can be assigned, for example, to control a roller-shutter switch.

A customer from the luxury watch segment has chosen MEAN WELL’s DLC-02 lighting control system for lighting their shop. When integrating the lighting control illustrated below, it was important to ensure that alternating colours with varying effects could be implemented in two separate areas. Specifically, the different areas involved a sales area and a lounge area with an RGBW wall. The sales area with fifty LED tracklights and the lounge area with thirty LED tracklights and four individual luminaires were each divided into three groups. Each group was assigned different scenes, such as a day and night mode, and effect functions when dimming up and down. Ten different colour schemes were assigned to the RGBW wall, allowing the light colour to be adjusted to suit the goods currently on sale.

Schukat electronic supplies MEAN WELL lighting controls direct from stock. MEAN WELL has over 35 years’ experience in the development and manufacture of products for a wide range of applications in lighting control and building automation. For more than twenty years, MEAN WELL has relied on its authorised KNX distributor Schukat electronic for fast and easy distribution.

Schukat's technical sales team will be happy to advise you for any questions you may have concerning lighting controls, from basic to advanced.