Introducing DMXtoDALI Quad

Artistic Licence is showing its latest DMX512-to-DALI conversion product, DMXtoDALI quad. Integration between the protocols has never been easier, the company says. With support for DALI DT8 (color), DMXtoDALI quad is specified for the new generation of DALI products coming to market.

The popular DIN rail solution, Rail-DMX-DALI, was launched several years ago to serve customers needing to add DALI fixtures to DMX based lighting control systems. With the continued growth of the crossover market, Rail-DMX-DALI is still very much in demand. However, the recent introduction of DALI DT8 (color control) means that this product is not compatible with the very latest DALI technology. Artistic Licence redesigned Rail-DMX-DALI to incorporate the new standard and to implement major product upgrades that greatly improve the performance and user experience. The result, the company says, is DMXtoDALI quad.

DMXtoDALI quad (hereafter "DMXtoDALI") retains the core functionality of its predecessor: it converts DMX512 to four circuits of DALI, allowing up to 256 devices to be connected. However, the feature set and user interface have been significantly enhanced. The operation of DMXtoDALI is also much faster, implementing interleaved DALI transmission.

Most significantly, DMXtoDALI features DT8 color support for Color Temperature and RGBWAF. This is in addition to conventional DT0 (intensity) control. DMXtoDALI provides simultaneous control via all four addressing modes (Broadcast, Group, Device, and Scene).

Converting DMX to DALI involves some complex mapping between DMX channels and DALI addresses. Fortunately, the product does all the hard work, presenting the user with a choice of nine pre-defined personalities to cover commonly encountered scenarios. The personalities are selected using RDM. The Artistic Licence free software package, DMX-Workshop, is well-suited for this purpose.

DMXtoDALI quad is highly configurable, enabling it to be tailored for specific installation requirements. The DMX start address of each DALI circuit can be changed so a patch can be used. If DALI luminaires are to be used alongside DMX lamps, a dimming curve correction can be implemented to improve the visual effect.

Other configuration options include the ability to disable buffering (a trick that can be useful for fast-moving effects), and a "quiet mode" that suppresses automatic discovery of commissioned DALI devices (to allow interoperability with multiple DALI masters).

The front panel of DMXtoDALI features status LEDs that give useful instant feedback. In particular, the DALI circuit LEDs will not illuminate if the DALI bus power is missing. The DMX512 light gives confidence that input data is being received, and the power indicator flashes when an RDM locate command is sent (this feature enables easy identification of the DALI devices on each circuit).

We have been beefing up the electrical protection on many of our products, and DMXtoDALI is no exception. The DMX input can withstand accidental continuous connection to 425 VAC and will recover when the fault is removed.

Product designer and Artistic CEO, Wayne Howell, comments: "The demand for DMX-DALI interconversion technology shows no signs of slowing up, but the introduction of DT8 places new demands on products designed for this arena. DMXtoDALI is a timely arrival and appears well placed to capture this market, particularly as it benefits from the years of insight gained from its popular predecessor, Rail-DMX-DALI."

Features at a glance
* DMX512 to DALI conversion (four circuits)
* Supports DT0 (Intensity) and DT8 (Color Temperature and RGBWAF)
* Broadcast, Group, Device and Scene addressing modes (DT0)
* Broadcast, Group and Scene addressing modes (DT8)
* Personality selection (nine modes) via RDM
* Set DMX start address for product or individual circuits via RDM
* Automatic device discovery (quiet mode selectable)
* RDM sensors report number of commissioned DALI devices
* Dimming curve selection
* Buffering for smoother conversion (on/off selectable)
* Significant speed improvement using interleaved DALI transmit
* Mains electrocution protection on DMX input
* Multiple LED indicators on front panel
* DIN rail or surface mount