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This guide has been written to explain the mysteries of DALI and DSI to those that are familiar to DMX. Even though DMX, DALI and DSI are all digital protocols there are some fundamental differences between them that can cause confusion when DALI is first looked at. It has been written in conjunction with the training days Artistic Licence Engineering have offered to the industry. As the Architectural, Entertainment & Commercial Lighting industries continue to merge a knowledge gap has appeared for those who work in these sectors. The guide will start at the beginning of DSI and DALI. It will explain the evolution of the two protocols, how it works and how to use it. It will also cover DMX / DALI conversion and detail the common pit falls and how to overcome them. At the back of this guide there is an overview of terms and expressions used in DALI.
Whilst the information contained in this guide is provided in good faith and is believed to be correct no responsibility for its accuracy is accepted by the author nor Artistic Licence Engineering Ltd. The rights and ownership of all Trademarks is acknowledged.
A larger version of this guide is available for download from our website
www.ArtisticLicence.com
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Contents
1) 2) The History of DSI & DALI Why DALI?
3)
4)
Wiring of a DALI Circuit Cable Types DALI Bus PSU why? Electrical Signals Data Structures
5)
Packet structure How it Works Broadcast / Unicast Dimming Profile & Levels Commands Commissioning
6)
What is DALI commissioning Tools required for DALI commissioning Flow chart of commissioning Results of commissioning DALI Fixtures
7)
What you can do with a ballast Assign to channels, groups, scenes Max & Min Level Power On Level System Failure Level Fade Time Fade Rate Query Commands Converting between DMX to DALI
8)
Type of Integration Speed Control Dimming Curve DMX Start Addresses Converting between DALI to DMX
9) 10)
Rail-DALI-DMX Ballast Mode Trigger mode Dimming Curve Comparison Terminology & Specifications
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In 2001 DALI was released and widely adopted. Since then the popularity has increased and it can now be found controlling most fluorescent ballasts in commercial lighting. Over the last 5 years DALI has started to be used in more that just commercial lighting. So much so it is now becoming common place to have DMX and DALI systems integrated for centralised control. Visit www.DALI-ag.org for more details regarding the DALI working group. As DSI and DALI are very similar this guide will concentrate mainly on the DALI protocol. The physical system can be considered the same while the data differs as DSI can only transmit broadcast values.
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Why DALI?
DALI was created to gain central control over lighting ballasts within commercial buildings. This requirement has morphed over the last few years as lighting is now required to be more engaging with its surroundings along with being eco responsible. DALI meets all of these requirements perfectly and so is one of the strongest protocols used in lighting today. DALI stands for Digital Addressable Lighting Interface. Overview of a DALI system There are four main components required for a DALI circuit; 1) A DALI controller (or gateway) 2) A DALI Bus Power Supply 3) Some kind of DALI ballasts of fixtures 4) Cabling The system to the right can be considered one circuit of DALI. (A circuit is the DALI equivalent to a DMX universe). A DALI circuit can have up to 64 DALI devices A DALI Bus PSU must always be present on each DALI circuit Each ballast has a short address (0 to 63) It is recommended there are no duplicate short addresses Each ballast can be assigned to any of the 16 groups Each ballast can have 16 scenes programmed into its memory A sensor can be considered a device
DALI Controller
DALI
BALLASTS
DALI
Ballast
Note: There are other components that can be added onto a DALI circuit, such as sensors, but these have not been included in this manual. There are many available and the way they interact with the system is different for each manufacturer. Typical applications
DALI Controller
DALI
DALI can be used in any environment that requires central control over lighting fixtures. The most common applications are; Commercial Office Lighting House lighting in Theatres Public Building Lighting (such as hospitals, airports etc)
Sensor
BALLASTS
BALLASTS
There are a number of limitations to DALI that restrict the applications it can be used in; Slow speed Relatively low number of devices on a circuit Type of DALI equipment on the market
DALI
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Physical Connections
A Basic DMX System A Typical DALI System
BALLASTS
Wiring of a DALI circuit The rules governing DALI wiring are relaxed compared to DMX, as fixture arrangements within a commercial lighting environment can be more complicated. DALI will allow many different kind of wiring schemes (within reason) as long as common sense is used. For traceability it is always recommend that a logical approach is taken. Below are two example of wiring approaches that can be used Star Connections
DALI DEVICE DALI DEVICE DALI DEVICE DALI DEVICE
DMX
When comparing the physical connections DALI differs completely to DMX. DMX is done on a strict daisy chain system while DALI is a simple bus that can go in different directions and split into different branches. DSI has the same physical connections as DALI.
DMX Controller
Device 1
DALI Controller
Device 2
DALI
Device 3
Max 300m
DALI DEVICE
DALI DEVICE
Serial Type
DALI DEVICE DALI DEVICE DALI DEVICE
Device 31
Device 32
DALI DEVICE DALI DEVICE DALI DEVICE
Terminated
Cable Types Two way DALI is a bidirectional communication, it makes no difference to the cabling. Polarity Another part of the DALI specification was for polarity free installation. This makes installation easier as the control cables do not need any kind of identification as the two cores can be put into any terminal. On the majority of equipment the terminals are usually identified with the same text. In the DALI specification there is no formal cable spec as the slow speed of data transmission allows greater flexibility in cable choice. It is recommended to limit the total distance to 300m. It also recommneds that the following cable diameters should be observed; 0.5mm2 - Upto 100 0.75mm2 - Between 100 to 150m 1.5mm2 - 150m to 300m The only formal rule is that the voltage drop must not exceed 2V anywhere on the system. This can be easily avoided by using thicker cable when cable length increases. To minimise voltage drop on the cable the DALI Bus PSU can be installed at the middle of the system so the cable is split into two equal lengths.
DALI
Device 4
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DALI Bus PSU why? Electrically DMX works by the transmitter providing a voltage on the line so that a receiver sees the logic levels 0 and 1. The transmitter toggles the voltage at high speed to get data communication. All serial protocols work in this way however in DALI the transmitter does not have to provide the voltage and it is common that an external DALI Bus PSU is required. The DALI specification requires that the DALI PSU should provide a voltage of 16V and is current limited at 250mA. To achieve the logic levels of 0 and 1 the transmitting device (controller or fixture) will short the DALI lines together creating a logic low level 0. When it is not shorted the logic level will be high 1. This is one of the reasons why the PSU needs to be limited to 250mA. The main reasons why DALI is arranged in this manner are; 1) Allows greater flexibility in the wiring of the system as the PSU can be at the centre of the circuit to minimise voltage drop. It might not be possible to put the controller at the centre
A DALI System Complete with all the required wiring Earth Mains - Neutral Mains - Live
BALLASTS
DALI Controller
PSU
DALI
2) The arrangement can reduce voltage drop 3) Sensors can be powered from the DALI line. Without the power supply there will not be any communication as the DALI fixtures will interpret this as a fault condition and go into a fault state. Electrical Signals To achieve the flexibility in the wiring specification the voltage used for communication has to be higher than other protocols to compensate for the voltage drop that might occur. The DALI specification states; High Logic Value shall be 16V (9.5V to 22.5V DC) Low Logic Value shall be 0V (-4.5V to +4.5V DC) A 2V difference is allowed between PSU and end of cable The nominal voltage is 16V
DALI
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Data Structure
DALI is a serial protocol that is based on Manchester Coding. As previously mentioned it is a very slow protocol that has a baud rate of 1200 bits per second. DMX has a baud rate of 250 Kbits per second. Packet Structure A DALI controller can send different commands to a fixture and therefore needs a different method to DMX to achieve this. Below is a simplified packet that DALI uses.
Address (who) Command (what) Data (how much)
Commands Below is a list of commands that are commonly used and how they can be used.
Type
Direct Arc Value Off Up Down Step Up Step Down Recall Max Level Recall Min Level Step Down and Off On and Step Up
Ballast Mode
Broadcast / Groups / Channels Broadcast / Groups / Channels Broadcast / Groups / Channels Broadcast / Groups / Channels Broadcast / Groups / Channels Broadcast / Groups / Channels Broadcast / Groups / Channels Broadcast / Groups / Channels Broadcast / Groups / Channels Broadcast / Groups / Channels Broadcast / Groups / Channels Channels Channels Channels Channels Channels Channels Channels Channels Channels Channels Channels Channels
Details
Send direct level values Send the off command Increase value by 1 until Max Level, honouring the fade time / rate Decrease value by 1 until Min Level, honouring the fade time / rate Increase value by 1 until Max Level, ignoring the fade time / rate Decrease value by 1 until Min Level, ignoring the fade time / rate Output Max Value Output Min Value Decrease value by 1 /Turn off Turn on / Increase by 1 Goto Scene Command Is there a Ballast using this Short Address Status of the Ballast Is the Lamp on? Replies: Current Version Replies with the device type Query Current Level Query or Set Query or Set Query or Set Query or Set Query or Set Query or Set
A DALI controller will send a packet for every change it needs to make. The first part of the packet is the short address of the fixture, unless it is broadcasting its message. The second part is the type of command and finally the third part is the value that isnt always needed. This allows the controller to send a vast number of different commands, such as level, discovery and queries, to a device using the same structure. How it works When controlling levels there are four commonly used commands. These are; Channel Commands Individual control over the 64 separate ballasts (Values: 0% to 100%) E.G. Channel 32 @ 100% Group Commands Each ballast can be assigned to any of the 16 groups. It can be assigned to more than one group E.G. Group 10 @ 95% Scene Recalls Every ballast can store up to 16 scenes that can be controlled via a single command E.G. Scene 2 Go Broadcast A broadcast message can be sent to all fixtures to respond to the given value E.G. Broadcast 50% Only one command can be sent per packet so, in order to refresh all 64 ballasts with different values, 64 separate commands must be sent. This can take up to a second. Yes DALI is a slow protocol but it was designed to turn office lights on and off. Not to do a DMX style fade. Broadcast / Unicast Several of the DALI commands (on the page opposite) can be sent to individual channels or broadcast to the entire circuit. An example of this is Direct Arc Level. It can be sent to either a single channel, a group or broadcast to all channels. Dimming Profile & Levels Light output Levels are usually referred to as percentages because fluorescent lamps usually have a low resolution fade profile and dont need the precision of a decimal number.
Goto Scene x Status Ballast Lamp Power On Version Number Device Type Actual Level Max Level Min Level Power On Level System Failure Level Fade Time / Fade Rate Scene Levels
Note: DALI commands that are used for discovery and programming are not included in this table
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Commissioning
All DALI fixtures need to be commissioned for the first time before they will work correctly. This requires specialised equipment, such as DaliScope What is DALI commissioning Every DALI fixture must have a unique short address. This is to allow two way communication. New DALI ballasts come with no short address pre-programmed. If they did there would be conflicts on the network as two or more ballasts would respond to the controller. A mechanism was created to do an initial discovery on a DALI circuit so that the ballasts were discoverable. Each ballast is given a random number generator that allows a ballast to be discoverable via a unique number. After the commissioning tool performed initial discovery it would then assign individual short addresses to each ballast sequentially. At the end of the process the ballasts could then be re-programmed to get them in a logical order if required. If new ballasts are added to an existing network the process is the same. The DALI programmer will ignore the existing ballasts apart from making a note of short addresses that are used. When the programmer starts to program the short addresses, of the newly discovered ballasts, the addresses already in use are not used. The commissioning process is separate to the configuration of the ballasts and only needs to be done once. Tools required for DALI commissioning Similarly to RDM a specialised programmer is required to commission DALI ballasts. There are not many on the market as commissioning is usually done by a commissioning company. However as DALI becomes more widely used more programmers are becoming available. Dali-Scope A small handheld DALI commissioning tool designed by Artistic Licence Engineering. It is capable of performing; an auto discovery, commissioning, programming, channel, group and scene assignments, test and analysis functions. Tridonic USB DALI Interface / Programmer Provides all the functions required for DALI commissioning and programming. It also has a detailed Data Monitor that can be useful to track down issues with DALI controllers. Requires a PC There are other tools available, often from the ballast manufacturer.
Report on Commissioning
Results of Commissioning As the commissioning phase has no way of knowing where the ballasts are located in the network they will most likely have a random order. This can be easily changed by using the commissioning tool to reassign short addresses if a logical order is required. This is done by simply reprogramming the short addresses. Most programmers wont allow you to assign a short address thats already assigned. When selecting a ballast for programming the controller will normally identify it by switching the light on or off.
Address: 6
Address: 5
Address: 1
Address: 3
Address: 4
Address: 2
After commissioning, the ballasts can be assigned to groups and scenes etc. See the DALI fixtures section.
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DALI Fixtures
As DALI is a bi-directional protocol there are more features available that can be used to control the ballasts. Here are the main ones; Max / Min Level A ballast can have a Maximum and Minimum value assigned. No matter what value is sent to the ballast it will not go above or below these values Power On Level The level the ballast goes to when first powered on and until it receives a level command System Failure Level If a failure state ocurs within the ballast or a loss of a DALI bus is detected the system failure level is used to set the brightness of the ballast. It is recommend that this is always set to 100%. An error state is most commonly no DALI Bus PSU being present. Fade Time As the DALI protocol is not suitable for fast and smootth dimming, unlike DMX, a fade time was included into the specification. This allowed the fade time to be specified within the ballast. For example the ballast can be set to a fade time of 5 seconds. When a new level command is received the ballast will take 5 seconds to get to the new level Fade Rate This is an alternative to fade time. It defines the number of steps to take to fade. Query Commands A big part of DALI is that the controller can get information back from the ballast. This is useful as it will allow the controller to sense fail state modes and get running information to help with power monitoring.
What you can do with a ballast? So far we know how to connect a DALI ballast, how to talk to it and how to commission it for the first time. However none of that covers how it can be used. Unlike DMX fixtures DALI ballasts have different control mechanisms allowing greater flexibility. Short Address This is the same as a DMX Start Address. Each device must have a unique Short Address as it is used for individual communication and programming. The DALI controller can send a command such as; Channel 1 @ 50% Groups As DALI is a slow protocol the DALI working group developed a mechansim to allow control over multiple ballasts using a single command. Each ballast can be assigned to any of the 16 groups and multiple groups if required. The controller can then send a single group command to change all the ballasts assigned to that group. Group 15 @ 78% Scenes To make control even easier, scenes were introducted into DALI ballasts. This allowed each ballast to have up to 16 scenes programmed into the memory. This would be typically used in a large environment where scene control commands would be sent out at different times of the day. During the initial install phase each ballast would be programmed to the required level for that area for each scene memory. For example, a ballast near the window can be dimmer than one at the back of the room. The controller can then send a Scene command without needing to know what levels should be used Scene 4 Go
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Conversion Options
Rail-DMX-DALI will simultaneously convert DMX values into three DALI commands;
Channels and Groups can be transmitted in either a Unicast or Broadcast mode. The DMX value is sent to the fixtures that are being controlled.
Channel Broadcast - One DMX channel = All channels on a single output Channel Unicast - One DMX channel = One DALI channel on one output (i.e. 1 for 1) Group Broadcast - One DMX channel = A single group on all four outputs Group Unicast - One DMX channel = Single group control on one individual output
These modes are selectable via a DIP switch (please refer to the Mapping Tables for more information) Scenes are always converted using the same method. First Scene DMX Channel = Broadcast Scene command on all outputs 2 to 5 Scene DMX Channel = Send Scene commands to individual outputs The Scene command that is transmitted is dependent on the DMX value. For example a DMX value between 1 to 15 will result in the command Goto Scene 1 to be transmitted. The Scene conversion table can be found in the Mapping Tables section Rail-DMX-DALI offers the option disabling any combination of conversion methods. This can be useful for smaller systems where the number of DMX channels available is low or to make the system less complicated. Dimming Curve: To translate between a DMX to DALI dimming curve set DIP switch 5 to be ON. For the look up table of this conversion please refer to the Dimming Curve Translation section. DMX Start Addresses Rail-DMX-DALI can use either 25, 73, 277 or 325 DMX channels. Due to the high number of channels required Rail-DMX-DALI allows individual addresses to be changed. This is done using RDM (Remote Device Management). Factory default values are set so that the conversion channels are mapped sequential in order of channels, groups and scenes. If DMX patching is required each conversion channel can be set individually and independent of other channels. This allows multiple conversion channels to be controlled using a single DMX channel. There are three types of start addressing changes;
Light Output
DMX DALI
Global - Sets the first Sub-Devices start address and all proceeding Sub-Devices are readdressed sequentially. This will override any previous changes. Main Conversion Channel - This will set the first start address of that control method (channels, groups or scenes) and all following channels will be readdressed sequentially. To disable a conversion method set this start address to 512. Individual Conversion Channel - Each address can be changed independently of other channels.
1 16 31 46 61 76 91 106 121 136 151 166 181 196 211 226 241 256 Decimal Value
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Trigger Mode This mode is used to trigger a DMX controller allowing integration between existing DALI installations and DMX systems. Rail-DALI-DMX is a typical DMX controller but is usually only connected to one device. It converts all channel, group and scene commands to DMX. Each DMX channel is assigned to either a channel, group or scene
DALI Controller
CHANNEL BALLAST
DMX
DALI
GROUPS SCENES
DALI Channel 0 1 2 3
DALI
Rail-PSU-D4 Two-Play
DALI
Rail-DALI-DMX
DMX
DMX Channel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
DALI Group 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
DMX Channel X+1 X+2 X+3 X+4 X+5 X+6 X+7 X+8 X+9 X+10 X+11 X+12 X+13 X+14 X+15 X+16
DALI Scene
DMX Channel & Value Y@1 Y@2 Y@3 Y@4 Y@5 Y@6 Y@7 Y@8 Y@9 Y @ 10 Y @ 11 Y @ 12 Y @ 13 Y @ 14 Y @ 15 Y @ 16
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Ballast Mode In this mode Rail-DALI-DMX gives each virtual ballast a DMX channel and the value corresponds to the virtual level in DALI. It will respond to all the DALI commands such as step up, step down, max / min levels etc etc
DMX/RGB Fixtures DALI Controller
BALLAS T1
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ... 61
62 63 64
13 14 15
DALI
BALLAS
T1
62 63
Rail-PSU-D4
DALI BALLAST COMMAND
BALLAST 2
The table above shows the DMX channel assignment in Trigger Mode The table below shows the DMX channel assignment in Ballast Mode DMX Simulated Ballast 1 DMX Address 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ... 63 64 Short Address (default) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ... 62 63
BALLAST 3
DALI PSU
BALLAS T4
2 3 4 5
Rail-DALI-DMX
DMX
BALLAS
T4
6 7 8 9 10 11 ... 63 64
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Terms
DALI Specification
Configuration:-
DSI DALI DMX512 Short Address Groups Scene DALI circuit Bus Commissioning DALI Bus PSU
Digital Signal Interface Digital Addressable Lighting Interface Lighting Protocol used in Entertainment style applications The indentification number of a DALI ballast, must be unique on the network and between 0 and 63 A collection of ballasts that can respond to the same command A level held in memory that can be recalled with a Scene command A single DALI line. It must comprise of a DALI controller, a DALI Bus PSU and some ballasts The wire that data travels down The phase that sets up DALI ballasts for the first time to enable them to be used in a DALI circuit A PSU that must be present for DALI communication. These are often separate to the controller. Ideally they should be centrally located on a DALI bus A device that allows data transmission between different systems A DALI unit that is usually a ballast or a sensor. It will require one short address A driver for a light source that communicates using DALI
Short Addresses Group Assignments Light Scene Levels Fading Times / Rates Power On Level Emergency Lighting Levels
Specification:-
Cable Distance
0.5mm2 - upto 100m 0.75mm2 - between 100m to 150m 1.5mm2 - 150m to 300m Two-wire system
PSU
Nominal voltage - 16V Maximum voltage drop allowed - 2V Maximum supplied current - 250mA
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Due to our policy of continuing product improvement specifications are subject to change without notice