Light is one of the key factors affecting the comfort and safety of work, especially in industrial plants Automation of lighting reduces energy consumption and thus allows us to lower the operating costs of the building. In industry, lighting is an important area that generates high energy consumption costs. However, it’s possible to change it by using lighting control systems. We’ve compare the two most popular ones – 1-10V and DALI.
Susceptibility to interference
The 1-10V system is based on an analogue signal that changes according to the controlled voltage changes. At the same time, however, it is very susceptible to interference which is difficult to compensate for. This is due to the lack of a return signal and any data that could be used to measure the performance. In the case of the DALI system, we are dealing with a digital signal of specific values. This technology makes the system less susceptible to interference, which means it is more efficient and less probable to fail than the 1-10V system.
Integration with other systems
Improvements and new possibilities appear relatively often in the lighting industry, so the control system should be adaptable to possible expansions, integration, and communication with other systems. The system based on the DALI protocol can work with building management systems such as BMS and KNX and is suitable for further development of the building automation functionality, thus providing remote access to the lighting infrastructure regardless of the changes.
Installation time
When modernizing and installing a new lighting control system in industrial buildings, it is important that the work is carried out as quickly as possible due to the fact that it is often impossible to suspend the plant. The DALI system is characterized by high resistance to interference, which means that it allows for the control cables and power supply to be laid in one five-wire cable. This solution clearly affects the time of installation and reduces investment costs at the same time. An additional advantage of the DALI is the fact that it is not necessary to maintain proper polarity. The cables that control the luminaires are connected directly to the DALI bus. The 1-10V system requires more attention from the installer when installing the system.
Flexibility of automation management
The DALI system is an open architecture system, which means that it is possible and easy to connect to it any new devices, including luminaires, sensors or lighting panels. The network may consist of many individually addressed devices. The DALI magistral line operates with a maximum of 64 individually addressed devices assigned to 16 defined groups. Therefore, it is possible to control every luminaire individually, and each of them may be included in many groups at the same time. What’s more, the luminaires can work at different light intensities at the same time; the brightness level can be adjusted even more precisely because of the digital signal used in the system.
Location of failure source
None of the lighting control systems can be defined as completely trouble-free. However, it is possible to choose the one that is less risky to fail, and if any flaws occur, they should be easy to identify and quick to repair. The DALI system uses two-way communication: the network both receives and sends signals, providing information about any defects using the appropriate web devices. In contrast, the 1-10V system only sends data one way, leaving no data for performance measurement and error verification.
The DALI system is currently the most intelligent control system dedicated to lighting control. When compared to the analogue interface, it is more multifunctional, it easily communicates with other systems, informs about possible problems and failures, and also sends a better signal and is less susceptible to interference.
Application example in a high bay warehouse
The drawing shows the high bay storage warehouse. The lower part of the warehouse has been lit with natural light through skylights. In this situation, we recommend the use of presence and light sensors. When motion is detected, the fixtures illuminate to the set value and adjust the light intensity relative to daylight. After leaving the detectionfield, the sensors disable the luminaires and go into standby mode. In the upper part of the warehouse, where there is only artificial light, presence sensors have been used. After detecting movement in the alley, the sensors illuminate the luminaires to the set value and maintain the level of illumination for a certain time. After the set time haselapsed, luminaires can reduce their power to any value, eg 10%, 20%, 30% of light, and keep this level in loopmode or switch off the luminaire completely. After the re-emergence of traffic in the alley, the whole process starts from the beginning. Using this solution, we can save an additional 50% on electricity consumption. However, in order to estimate real savings, each project requires an individual approach.
Application Example in Production Hall
The drawing shows the production hall with access to external light (skylights). The hall has been divided into sections thanks to the individual addressing of the luminaires. Each section has been equipped with a light sensor. Thanks to this solution, the regulation of lighting intensity relative to daylight takes place independently for each group. The use of input units allows switching on and off lighting, each group of fittings independently. Holding down the button for a few seconds causes the fittings to be dimmed to the set value by hand. Both presented solutions allow the system to be expanded with additional devices, ie pushbuttons, microwave sensors, LCD panels, etc., and even devices for monitoring energy consumption and access to the system via a web browser. The system also enables integration with BMS using the BACnet protocol. It is assumed that by using only daylight we are able to reduce costs by an additional 30%.
Comparison of lighting control systems 1-10 vs DALI
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