Technical information

481www.fagerhult.com • www.fagerhult.co.uk
Dimming
DMX control
DMX512 is a standard protocol developed for controlling lighting
and dimmers from a lighting board in theatre environments. As it
has a high transmission speed, it places certain demands on instal-
lation and the choice of cables and connectors.
DMX control has now found applications in other environments
due to developments in light sources and requirements for coloured
lighting in outdoor applications etc. DMX, RGB and LED are often
considered equivalent. Put simply, DMX uses a control unit to con-
trol all the loads.
DMX compared with DALI
Comparing DMX with DALI reveals more dierences than similari-
ties. The development of DALI focused on energy-ecient fluores-
cent tube lighting in public environments where people stay and
work. The impact of DALI has been enormous despite this limitation,
but its simplicity was the decisive factor. Multiple control units can
control all or parts of the loads.
DALI/DMX comparison
Control protocols DALI DMX
Speed Slow Fast
Number of addresses 64 512
Multiple devices with the same address No
1)
Yes
Automatic addressing Yes No
2)
Centralised control No Yes
Decentralised control Yes No
Cable length 300 m 300 m
Cable requirement No Yes, Cat-5
End-of-line resistor No Yes
1)
Converters for 1-10 V are common.
2)
RDM luminaires can be addressed using software.
Control unit
Luminaire Luminaire Luminaire
DMX is a centralised control system.
Control unit
Control unit
Control unit
Luminaire Luminaire
Luminaire Luminaire
DALI is a decentralised control system.
DMX is under development
DMX is also available in a recently updated
version, RDM, that enables loads to be ad-
dressed using DMX cable and software. This
requires the loads and the software to be
correctly selected. The most common method
of DMX addressing uses DIP switches on each device.
Installations
DMX is highly suitable for use in fixed
installations using standard network cables
normally used for computers. DMX cables
and connectors used to be made for theatre
applications, with far too many variations
and an unnecessarily robust design. Fagerhult prefers to use Cat-5
connectors and we recommend cables of the same standard.
Basic rules for installation
When installing it is important to follow the recommendations for a
reliable system.
Use Cat-5 or better network cables.•
Always connect cables from device to device.•
Never create branches or closed loops.•
Never finish with an unused cable loop.•
Loads greater than 20 in number need to be distributed using a •
multiplexer (distribution device).
Daisy chain
The technical expression ‘daisy chain’ describes a method of con-
necting devices in series (although in fact all devices are connected
in parallel). This applies in particular to DMX. To simplify installation,
and make it easier to connect further devices, Fagerhult use two
connectors in some luminaires, such as the Pleiad LED wallwasher.
Large installations also require the loop to be balanced using an
end-of-line resistor in the luminaire furthest from the control unit.
If in doubt, contact Fagerhult for information on how to proceed
with a system.
DMX-components
Control panels
Philips Colour Chaser Touch Control panel incl. PSU 86240
Philips ToBeTouched RGB RGB control panel 86241
Philips ToBeTouched White Colour-temperature-change control panel 86242
Power supply unit
PSU Power supply for ToBeTouched panels.
1 per panel 86243
Cat-5 network cable
Network cable 3 m 91080
Network cable 10 m 91081
ToBeTouched RGB.Colour Chaser Touch. ToBeTouched White.
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