DALI communication protocol

DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface) is a digital communication protocol designed to control lighting systems intelligently. It enables a controller to communicate individually with each luminaire or connected device via a single two-wire bus.

DALI is an open, bidirectional protocol; it is a digital language used worldwide to control lighting components such as LED drivers. It enables the transfer of information and dimming commands, fault data and diagnostics between different devices.  

DALI-2 is the latest version of DALI. It offers improved interoperability between products from different suppliers thanks to mandatory certification and provides additional features, such as energy consumption data; but, above all, it now includes control devices that were not included in the original DALI.

What is it for?

With DALI, you can:

  • Switch lights on and off.
  • Adjust the light intensity (dimming).
  • Create groups of lights.
  • Save and activate lighting scenes.
  • Control the RGB colour and colour temperature (on compatible lights).
  • Monitor the condition of each piece of equipment and detect faults.
  • Reconfigure the installation without having to alter the wiring.

How does it work?

  • It uses a 2-wire communication bus, independent of the mains power supply.
  • Each device has a unique address (up to 64 devices per DALI line).
  • A DALI controller sends digital commands to the connected devices (LED drivers, sensors, push-button switches, touchscreens, etc.).

Components of a DALI system

  • DALI controller (the system’s brain).
  • DALI-compatible LED drivers.
  • Presence or light sensors.
  • DALI push-buttons or touchscreens.
  • DALI bus power supply (already built into many controllers).

Advantages

  • Individual control of each light fitting.
  • Flexible installation that is easy to expand.
  • Energy savings through automation.
  • Integration with presence and natural light sensors.
  • Option to create scenes and schedules.
  • DALI bus power supply (already built into many controllers).

Applications

  • Offices.
  • Hotels.
  • Hospitals.
  • Shopping centres.
  • Industrial buildings.
  • High-end smart homes.
  • Vial.

DALI controllers

XCTR01

XCTR02

XCTR03

Specifications

XCTR01 XCTR02 XCTR03
DIMENSIONS 144x90x59 160x91x62 110x53x65
POWER SUPPLY VOLTAGE 100-305V 110/240V 100-240VAC
NETWORK FREQUENCY 47/63hZ 50/60Hz 50-60 HZ
OPERATING TEMPERATURE -20 + 45ºc -20 + 45ºc -20ºC a 50ºC
NUMBER OF DALI BUSES 2x64 3x64 1
CONNECTION USB/ETHERNET WEB/ETHERNET USB
ASSEMBLY 35mm DIN rail 35mm DIN rail 35mm DIN rail
IP 20 20 IP20
INTERFACE PROGRAMACIÓN USB/ETHERNET WEB/ETHERNET USB
BUILT-IN BUS GENERATOR si si SI
MAX BUS CURRENT 2x240mA 3x200mA 250mA
SUPPORT DALI2 207-208-301-302-303-304 207-208-301-302-303-304 301-302-303-304
INTEGRATION MODBUS BACnet -
FUNCTIONS
DIRECTIONS 128 192 64
GROUPS 2x16 32 independent 32
INPUT DEVICE 2x16 3X16 12
SCENES 2x16 16x32 16
TIMELY ACTIVATIONS 256 256 256
RELAY OUTPUTS 4 -
DAYLIGHT
RGBW
HCL

Advantages

  • It regulates the intensity of the light output.
  • It allows you to switch lights on and off by setting routines and creating different scenes for every time of day and every location, without having to adjust these settings manually.
  • Power consumption monitoring per light fitting (depending on the model).
  • Control of the brightness and even switching the lights on and off depending on the amount of natural light coming through the window at any given time.
  • It allows integration with higher-level building management systems (depending on the model).
  • These functions provided by the DALI system are essential not only for creating an environment tailored to your needs at any time of day, but also for doing so automatically and even making it easier to control the lights when no one is on the premises.

Dali ACCESSORIES

XCTR04

  • DALI-2 DISPLAY / 7 inches / White
  • Integration via LAN or WLAN
  • 25¡4-56V.
  • 178 x 111 x 8 mm.
  • Requires an external power supply.
The 7-inch colour capacitive touchscreen, with 24-bit colour depth, enables the configuration, control and management of a DALI system.
Thanks to its numerous widgets, it offers a high level of customisation. Supported functions include switching groups on and off and adjusting them, activating scenes, managing RGB colour, and controlling colour temperature, amongst others.
It features DALI and WLAN (Wi-Fi) as communication interfaces.
It also features built-in sensors capable of measuring temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure and air quality, amongst other environmental parameters.

XCTR05

  • BUS DALI TRACK DIN 100-240V
  • Max. 250 mA.
  • 4W.
  • 2 DALI lines.
The “MiBoxer DL-POW1 16V DC 250 mA DALI BUS Power Supply” is a device that provides a DALI BUS power supply, allowing you to connect two lines of dimmable devices using the DALI control protocol. With this device, you can connect as many devices as you wish. It is used for long BUS communication lines where there are many controlled devices and an additional BUS power supply is required to control them all.
This device is required for the DALI Master Controller with Touchscreen or for any DALI device where you wish to control multiple devices from a single point.

XCTR12

  • DALI PROGRAMMING AND COMMISSIONING
Consultancy, supply, installation and programming of the DALI control system in accordance with the project specifications.