the dali guide

The DALI Guide

Artistic Licence

The DALI Guide

Version 1.0

The DALI Guide Version 2.0

Copyright © Artistic Licence Engineering Ltd. All rights reserved.

A larger version of this guide is available for download from our websitewww.ArtisticLicence.com

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.


Contents

1) The History of DSI & DALI

2) Why DALI?• Overview of a DALI System• Typical Applications

3) Physical connections• Wiring of a DALI Circuit• Cable Types• DALI Bus PSU – why?• Electrical Signals

4) Data Structures• Packet structure• How it Works• Broadcast / Unicast• Dimming Profile & Levels• Commands

5) Commissioning• What is DALI commissioning• Tools required for DALI commissioning• Flow chart of commissioning• Results of commissioning

6) DALI Fixtures• 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

7) Converting between DMX to DALI• Type of Integration• Speed• Control• Dimming Curve• DMX Start Addresses

8) Converting between DALI to DMX• Rail-DALI-DMX • Ballast Mode• Trigger mode

9) Dimming Curve Comparison

10) Terminology & Specifications


The History of DALI & DSI

In the 1980’s there was a strong requirement to make commercial lighting more controllable so that it can become more energy efficient. Initially this was done with analogue control that allowed fluorescent ballasts to be controlled from a central source. This was the first step in the right direction, however cabling was complicated and therefore not cost effective.

Tridonic were the first company to go digital with their broadcast protocol, DSI, in 1991. DSI was a basic protocol as it transmitted one control value to change the brightness of all the fixtures attached to the line. What made this protocol more attractive, and able to compete with the established analogue option, was the simple wiring.

A DSI circuit only required two wires and the fixtures are connected serially reducing the amount of cabling compared to analogue. In addition the specification of the cable was relatively low tech (compared to DMX) and even the polarity was not an issue. This allowed people with no formal training in DSI to do the installation and achieve a controllable system.

This satisfied the initial requirement of central control that was also cost effective. However, as the protocol was owned by Tridonic other companies were unwilling to use it. Another limitation was the inability for individual control.

In the late 1990’s a controls group, DALI-ag, was set up to design an industry wide digital protocol for the commercial lighting market. The members of this working group were made up of people from companies such as Osram, Tridonic and other leaders in the commercial lighting world.

The requirements were;

1) Low cost and simple wiring

2) Individual Control

3) Feedback from the fixtures

4) Ability to add sensors and other proprietary equipment

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.


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

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 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)

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

BALLASTS

DALI Controller

DALI Bus PSU

DALI

Ballast

A Basic DALI System

BALLASTS

DALI

DALI Bus PSU

BALLASTS

DALI Controller

DALI

Sensor


Physical Connections

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.

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

Serial Type

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.

A Basic DMX System

Max300m

Terminated

DMX Controller

Device 1

Device 2

Device 3

Device 4

Device 31

Device 32

DMX

BALLASTS

DALI

DALI Bus

PSU

DALI Controller

A Typical DALI System

DALI

DALI DEVICE

DALI DEVICE

DALI DEVICE

DALI DEVICE

DALI DEVICE

DALI DEVICE

DALI DEVICE

DALI DEVICE

DALI DEVICE

DALI DEVICE

DALI DEVICE

DALI DEVICE

Cable Types

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 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

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

A DALI System Complete with all the required wiring

BALLASTS

DALI DALI Bus

PSU

DALI Controller

DALI

Earth

Mains

- Ne

utral

Mains

- Liv

e

PSU


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.

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 isn’t 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 don’t need the precision of a decimal number.

Address Command Data

(who) (what) (how much)

Commands

Below is a list of commands that are commonly used and how they can be used.

Type Ballast Mode DetailsDirect Arc Value Broadcast / Groups / Channels Send direct level values

Off Broadcast / Groups / Channels Send the off command

Up Broadcast / Groups / Channels Increase value by 1 until Max Level, honouring the fade time / rate

Down Broadcast / Groups / Channels Decrease value by 1 until Min Level, honouring the fade time / rate

Step Up Broadcast / Groups / Channels Increase value by 1 until Max Level, ignoring the fade time / rate

Step Down Broadcast / Groups / Channels Decrease value by 1 until Min Level, ignoring the fade time / rate

Recall Max Level Broadcast / Groups / Channels Output Max Value

Recall Min Level Broadcast / Groups / Channels Output Min Value

Step Down and Off Broadcast / Groups / Channels Decrease value by 1 /Turn off

On and Step Up Broadcast / Groups / Channels Turn on / Increase by 1

Goto Scene x Broadcast / Groups / Channels Goto Scene Command

Status Channels Is there a Ballast using this Short Address

Ballast Channels Status of the Ballast

Lamp Power On Channels Is the Lamp on?

Version Number Channels Replies: Current Version

Device Type Channels Replies with the device type

Actual Level Channels Query Current Level

Max Level Channels Query or Set

Min Level Channels Query or Set

Power On Level Channels Query or Set

System Failure Level Channels Query or Set

Fade Time / Fade Rate Channels Query or Set

Scene Levels Channels Query or Set

Note: DALI commands that are used for discovery and programming are not included in this table


Commissioning

All DALI fixtures need to be commissioned for the first time before they will work correctly. This requires specialised equipment, such as Dali-Scope

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.

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 won’t allow you to assign a short address that‘s already assigned. When selecting a ballast for programming the controller will normally identify it by switching the light on or off.

After commissioning, the ballasts can be assigned to groups and scenes etc. See the DALI fixtures section.

Flowchart of the Commissioning Process

System Connected,Controller disabled

Normal Discovery for Pre-Addressed Devices

Commissioning Discovery sent

New Devices found with Random Addresses

Used addresses stored

New Devices given new short addresses

Verification of AddressAssignments sent

Report on Commissioning

Address: 6

Address: 5

Address: 1

Address: 3

Address: 4

Address: 2


DALI Fixtures

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;

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.

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

Assign to channels, groups, scenes

Below is a typical example of a ballast configuration

Channel 1 @ 50%

Group 15 @ 78%

Scene 4 Go

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.

Short Address: 1

Group 1 x Scene 1 100%

Group 2 Scene 2 56%


Group 4 Scene 4 80%

Group 5 Scene 5 100%



Group 8 Scene 8 0%

Group 9 Scene 9 12%









Converting DMX to DALI

Integration between DMX and DALI equipment requires careful planning as a number of issues must be considered to ensure a successful system. These include the type of integration required, speed differences between the two protocols, type of DALI control, dimming curves and the commissioning of fixtures.

Type of IntegrationThe differences between DALI and DMX means it is not possible to obtain DMX-style control over a DALI ballast cost-effectively. If this level of control is required then a DMX ballast should be considered. However, in most instances, with correct understanding and implementation, good results can be achieved using a DMX to DALI converter.

Speed

DMX runs at a much higher speed than DALI and, even though it transmits more channels, it easily out-runs DALI. When this happens a time lag appears and incoming data will start to be ignored, resulting in a step or ‘bump’ on the dimming curve.

DALI cannot be made to operate quicker so the best alternative is to send fewer commands. This can be done in several ways:

• Fade times can be programmed into ballasts to allow steps of larger increments without this showing on the lamp

• Use Group Commands to control multiple fixtures

• Broadcast Channel Values to all fixtures

• Up to 16 scenes can be programmed into the ballast memory and each scene triggered with a single command

Control

DALI ballasts can be controlled in three ways: Channel Address and Value, Group Value or ‘Go to Scene’ commands either in Unicast or Broadcast.

Best results are achieved by sending the lowest number of commands. Using ‘Go to Scene’ commands allows all ballasts on a circuit to change using only one command. ‘Group Value’ is the next most economical method as it can control several ballasts at once, while the ‘Channel Value’ gives the most control but is the most bandwidth-hungry.

Controlling individual channels can cause problems if a large number of ballasts are being controlled due to the high number of commands that need to be sent. If this method is to be used, careful consideration should be given to the loading of each circuit.

Dimming Curves

The majority of DMX devices operate using a linear dimming curve with the level selected using a decimal value between 0 to 255.

DALI works with a non-linear (exponential) curve. As the graph shows, each method produces a different light output.

It is therefore strongly recommended that DMX and DALI fixtures are not controlled by the same method. For example, a DALI ballast operating next to a DMX controlled house light will fade down at different speeds.

Dimming Curve Comparison

Light

Outpu

t

Decimal Value

• DMX• DALI

1 16 31 46 61 76 91 106 121 136 151 166 181 196 211 226 241 256

Conversion Options

Rail-DMX-DALI will simultaneously convert DMX values into three DALI commands;

• Channels

• Groups

• Scenes

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;

• Global - Sets the first Sub-Device’s 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.


Converting DALI to DMX

Converting DALI to DMX is becoming a conversion people want to do more of which has been slightly unexpected. There are two comman reasons for this;

1) Integration of a DMX fixture.An existing DALI system that is required to have a DMX style fixture included. Imagine an office lighting system that now wants a few RGB fixtures in the foyer to light up a company logo. The client does not want to introduce another controller as it is more equipment to maintain. They would prefer to get the RGB fixtures controlled by the DALI controller.

2) Control over a DMX system.An extensive DALI controller that is used for lighting and building automation. The client wants to control / trigger a DMX lighting effect at certain times of the day.

Rail-DALI-DMX

As DALI is a two way communication protocol most DALI controllers require to see a ballast before it will transmit level commands. This reduces the amount of traffic on a DALI circuit but means that a simple conversion between DALI and DMX can’t happen as the DALI controller won’t transmit values.

Rail-DALI-DMX will simulate either 1, 4, 16, or 64 ballasts so that the controller will transmit level commands. These virtual ballasts will require DALI commissioning as they operate just like normal DALI ballasts.

Rail-DALI-DMX has two modes of operation. It can run in either ballast or trigger mode.

Ballast ModeIn 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

Trigger ModeThis 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

DALIController

DALI BALLASTCOMMAND

BALLAST 1

BALLAST 2

BALLAST 3

BALLAST 4

Rail-PSU-D4

Rail-DALI-DMX

DALIDALI

DMX

DMX/RGB Fixtures

BALLAST 4

BALLAST 1

DMX

PSU

DALI

CHANNEL

GROUPS

SCENES

BALLAST

DALIDALI

DMX

Rail-PSU-D4

Rail-DALI-DMX

DALIController

Two-Play

DMX

DALIChannel

DMXChannel

DALIGroup

DMXChannel

DALI Scene DMXChannel &

Value

0 1 0 X+1 0 Y @ 1

1 2 1 X+2 1 Y @ 2

2 3 2 X+3 2 Y @ 3

3 4 3 X+4 3 Y @ 4

4 5 4 X+5 4 Y @ 5

5 6 5 X+6 5 Y @ 6

6 7 6 X+7 6 Y @ 7

7 8 7 X+8 7 Y @ 8

8 9 8 X+9 8 Y @ 9

9 10 9 X+10 9 Y @ 10

10 11 10 X+11 10 Y @ 11

11 12 11 X+12 11 Y @ 12

... 12 X+13 12 Y @ 13

61 62 13 X+14 13 Y @ 14

62 63 14 X+15 14 Y @ 15

63 64 15 X+16 15 Y @ 16

Simulated Ballast DMX Address Short Address(default)

1 1 02 2 13 3 24 4 35 5 46 6 57 7 68 8 79 9 8

10 10 911 11 10... ... ...63 63 6264 64 63

The table above shows the DMX channel assignment in Trigger ModeThe table below shows the DMX channel assignment in Ballast Mode


Dimming Curve Comparison

The table below shows the difference in value between a linear and exponential dimming curve. Generally DMX uses a linear curve unlike DALI.

DMX Value DALI Value DMX Value DALI Value DMX Value DALI Value DMX Value DALI Value DMX Value DALI Value

0 0% 51 0.4% 102 1.6% 153 6.3% 204 26%

1 0.1% 52 0.4% 103 1.6% 154 6.5% 205 26%

2 0.1% 53 0.4% 104 1.7% 155 6.7% 206 27%

3 0.1% 54 0.4% 105 1.7% 156 6.9% 207 28%

4 0.1% 55 0.4% 106 1.8% 157 7.1% 208 28%

5 0.1% 56 0.4% 107 1.8% 158 7.3% 209 29%

6 0.1% 57 0.5% 108 1.9% 159 7.5% 210 39%

7 0.1% 58 0.5% 109 1.9% 160 7.7% 211 31%

8 0.1% 59 0.5% 110 2.0% 161 7.9% 212 32%

9 0.1% 60 0.5% 111 2.0% 162 8.1% 213 33%

10 0.1% 61 0.5% 112 2.1% 163 8.3% 214 34%

11 0.1% 62 0.5% 113 2.1% 164 8.6% 215 34%

12 0.1% 63 0.5% 114 2.2% 165 8.8% 216 35%

13 0.1% 64 0.6% 115 2.2% 166 9.0% 217 36%

14 0.1% 65 0.6% 116 2.3% 167 9.3% 218 37%

15 0.1% 66 0.6% 117 2.4% 168 9.6% 219 38%

16 0.2% 67 0.6% 118 2.4% 169 9.8% 220 40%

17 0.2% 68 0.6% 119 2.5% 170 10% 221 41%

18 0.2% 69 0.6% 120 2.6% 171 10% 222 42%

19 0.2% 70 0.7% 121 2.6% 172 11% 223 43%

20 0.2% 71 0.7% 122 2.7% 173 11% 224 44%

21 0.2% 72 0.7% 123 2.8% 174 11% 225 45%

22 0.2% 73 0.7% 124 2.9% 175 12% 226 47%

23 0.2% 74 0.7% 125 3.0% 176 12% 227 48%

24 0.2% 75 0.8% 126 3.0% 177 12% 228 49%

25 0.2% 76 0.9% 127 3.1% 178 13% 229 51%

26 0.2% 77 0.9% 128 3.2% 179 13% 230 52%

27 0.2% 78 0.9% 129 3.3% 180 13% 231 53%

28 0.2% 79 0.9% 130 3.4% 181 14% 232 55%

29 0.2% 80 0.9% 131 3.5% 182 14% 233 56%

30 0.2% 81 1.0% 132 3.6% 183 14% 234 58%

31 0.2% 82 1.0% 133 3.7% 184 15% 235 60%

32 0.2% 83 1.0% 134 3.8% 185 15% 236 61%

33 0.2% 84 1.0% 135 3.9% 186 16% 237 63%

34 0.2% 85 1.1% 136 4.0% 187 16% 238 65%

35 0.3% 86 1.1% 137 4.1% 188 16% 239 66%

36 0.3% 87 1.1% 138 4.2% 189 17% 240 68%

37 0.3% 88 1.1% 139 4.3% 190 17% 241 70%

38 0.3% 89 1.2% 140 4.4% 191 18% 242 72%

39 0.3% 90 1.2% 141 4.6% 192 18% 243 74%

40 0.3% 91 1.2% 142 4.7% 193 19% 244 76%

41 0.3% 92 1.3% 143 4.8% 194 19% 245 78%

42 0.3% 93 1.3% 144 5.0% 195 20% 246 80%

43 0.3% 94 1.3% 145 5.1% 196 21% 247 83%

44 0.3% 95 1.4% 146 5.2% 197 21% 248 85%

45 0.3% 96 1.4% 147 5.4% 198 22% 249 87%

46 0.3% 97 1.4% 148 5.5% 199 22% 250 90%

47 0.4% 98 1.5% 149 5.7% 200 23% 251 92%

48 0.4% 99 1.5% 150 5.8% 201 24% 252 95%

49 0.4% 100 1.6% 151 6.0% 202 24% 253 97%

50 0.4% 101 1.6% 152 6.3% 203 25% 254 100%

255 100%

Artistic Licence Engineering LtdArtistic Licence Integration Ltd 24 Forward DriveChristchurch AvenueHarrow, MiddlesexLondonHA3 8NTUnited Kingdom

Telephone +44 (0) 20 8863 4525Fax +44 (0) 20 8426 0551Email: [email protected]: www.ArtisticLicence.com

Artistic Licence AsiaRoom 1903Fu Fai Commercial Centre27 Hillier StreetSheung WanHong Kong

Telephone +852 2850 8808Fax +852 2850 8825 Email: [email protected]: www.ArtisticLicence.com

Due to our policy of continuing product improvement specifications are subject to change without notice

Terms

DSI Digital Signal InterfaceDALI Digital Addressable Lighting InterfaceDMX512 Lighting Protocol used in Entertainment style applicationsShort Address The indentification number of a DALI ballast, must be

unique on the network and between 0 and 63Groups A collection of ballasts that can respond to the same

commandScene A level held in memory that can be recalled with a ‘Scene’

commandDALI circuit A single DALI line. It must comprise of a DALI controller, a

DALI Bus PSU and some ballastsBus The wire that data travels downCommissioning The phase that sets up DALI ballasts for the first time to

enable them to be used in a DALI circuitDALI Bus PSU 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

Gateway A device that allows data transmission between different systems

Device A DALI unit that is usually a ballast or a sensor. It will require one short address

Ballast A driver for a light source that communicates using DALI

DALI Specification

Configuration:-

• 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

• Maximum number of ballasts - 64

• Polarity - None

• Serial Communication• Baud Rate: 1200 baud

• Serial Data: 8 bits, 1 start bit, 4 stop bits

• (based on Manchester-coded)

• PSU• Nominal voltage - 16V

• Maximum voltage drop allowed - 2V

• Maximum supplied current - 250mA

the dali guide

Documents