DALI RGBW dimmer/controller DT8

DALI RGBW controller, DT8

DALI, DT8 dimmer and controller for RGBW adjustable LED lights. With this dimmer you can dim our RGBW adjustable lights, such as RGBW led strips. The dimmer adjusts the colour temperature continuously from warm to cold white (e.g. 2500-6500K).

A 1 group dimmer should be chosen when you want to control one lighting group out of 16 DALI groups. 

The dimmer has a modern 8 buttons panel from which you can control the light level and light colour, as well as store and recall 2 memory settings.

DALI RGBW controller features

• Power supply DALI bus, no extra power supply required
• Light color adjustment, infinitely variable RGBW.
• Enables to select and control 1 DALI groups from total 16 DALI groups
• Enables to select and control 2 DALI scenes from total 16 DALI scenes
• Compatible with universal 55mm frames, such as SCHNEIDER, Berker, GIRA, JUNG, MERTEN

What is DALI?

DALI dimming is a lighting control system that uses a digital protocol to communicate between the lighting controller and the lights themselves. This allows precise control of the brightness and colour of individual lights or groups of lights, as well as the storage and recall of pre-programmed lighting situations. DALI dimming systems typically consist of a DALI controller that sends commands and DALI-compatible lights that can receive and respond to those commands.

DALI works best when it is designed and built from the ground up. This is because it needs two control wires running between the devices.

Key features of DALI

• It's a free protocol! Anyone can use it.
• DALI2 certification requires devices made by different companies to work together. LedStore only uses certified products.
• DALI is fairly easy to implement. You can install the power and control wires side by side, as there is no need to protect them. So 5 wires go everywhere: L, N, ground and 2 control wires (5×1,5 MMJ).
• The wires can be installed any way you like, as long as the wires are within 100 m of the DALI BUS controller. The distance can be even more if repeaters are used. The maximum recommended length of the DALI network is 300 metres.
• Because DALI uses digital signals for communication instead of analog signals, the devices will have the same dimming values. This makes the control groups very functional and accurate.
• The system's addressing system (DALI address) ensures that each device or group can be controlled individually.
• One DALI master can control up to 64 DALI ECD devices
• One DALI master can control up to 64 DALI ECG devices
• One DALI master can control up to 16 groups
• One DALI master can control up to 16 scenes

DALI terms

DALI is challenging for a beginner to understand. What do all the terms mean? Here are the terms in brief

DALI master

A DALI master is a control centre or heart that usually also contains the power supply for the DALI bus. The DALI master is the brain of the system that controls all the devices. The master can be programmed and operated in different ways, depending on the master.

• USB to the computer and the master is connected and the DALI software is installed on the computer.
• IOT version where the master is controlled by a mobile phone/tablet wirelessly on the same Wifi network

DALI bus

If the DALI Master is the heart of the system, the DALI bus is the artery. It carries all commands digitally between all devices. The bus is a 2 pole cable that is connected to EACH DALI DEVICE!. The maximum length of the bus is usually 300 meters. The bus can be extended with repeaters/power supplies or by adding DALI masters.

DALI bus power supply

This is usually included in the DALI master. Its function is to maintain the bus voltage, the bus carries 100-300mA of 16V voltage which carries information. 

ECG

ECG stands for Electronic Contor Gear, i.e. any device that supplies voltage to lights, etc. So these include DALI transformers and DALI relays. One DALI master can control up to 64 (OUTPUT) ECG devices.

ECD

ECG stands for Electronic Contor device, i.e. a device that commands devices such as DALI buttons and DALI sensors. One DALI master can control up to 64 (INPUT) ECD devices.

Group

In DALI, devices can be added to groups. There can be a maximum of 16 groups in one DALI Master. These have values from 0 to 15. The purpose of a group is to reduce the number of DALI signals in the network and to facilitate operation. When a group receives a command, for example dim, then all ECG devices that are in that group will dim. The devices in the group therefore behave identically. If you want the devices in the group to be at different levels, it's a scene.

Scene

In DALI, scenes can be programmed/stored on buttons. There can be a maximum of 16 scenes in one DALI Master. These have values between 0 and 15. The purpose of a scene is to create different lighting modes.

For example, a living room spotlight at 50% power and an LED strip at 80% power with a single command. This makes everyday use easier.

Benefits of DALI dimming

Dimmable DALI is an efficient and flexible lighting control technology that offers many advantages over traditional analogue dimming systems. Its accuracy, energy efficiency, scalability and ability to integrate with other building automation systems make it well suited to a wide range of applications in commercial, industrial and residential buildings. Here are the benefits of DALI dimming:

• Accuracy: DALI dimming allows precise control of the brightness and colour of individual lights or groups of lights, which can be particularly useful in commercial, industrial and residential buildings. This allows for greater control and flexibility in lighting design.
• Energy efficiency:DALI dimming can help reduce energy consumption and lower operating costs by allowing the brightness and colour of lights to be precisely controlled.
• Scalability: DALI dimming systems can be easily expanded to control a large number of lights, making them well suited to large commercial or industrial projects.
• Integration: DALI dimming systems can be easily integrated with other building automation systems, such as HVAC and security systems, allowing for better control and automation of building lighting.
• Flexibility: DALI dimming allows a wide range of options for controlling lights, from simple on/off switching to more advanced control options such as setting and resetting pre-programmed lighting conditions.
• A common standard: It ensures that devices from different manufacturers always work in the same way when connected together. You can also replace existing parts with newer and better ones whenever they become available.
• Easy to install: With DALI fibre optic technology, you don't need to split lights into zones or keep track of wiring. The DALI system has two wires connected. These wires control all the devices. Installers don't need to keep track of everything, because they don't need to know how the lights will eventually be installed.
• Easy to change: You can make changes to settings quickly. After a while, you might want to change the lights and get something nicer. The centralized software allows you to change lighting profiles easily.