Not all companies follow the DALI route. For instance, new Voltimum UK & Ireland Manufacturing Partner Thorn Lighting promotes DSI as its first choice to customers requiring luminaires that are compatible with lighting control systems:
DSI is Thorn Lighting's sister company - TridonicAtco's - protocol for digital communication between lighting control devices. It stands for Digital Serial Interface and it is a precise, interference-free, well proven technology. Millions of units are in use, and many other lighting control suppliers also use DSI as their standard. The digital DSI signal is used to communicate between DSI control modules and digital dimmable DSI ballasts.
The dimming commands consist of 8-bit information, which corresponds to a precise dimmed value. These eight bit codes are used instead of the old analogue 1-10V technology so that all the disadvantages of analogue systems are overcome.
DSI overcomes a DALI limitation:
One major advantage of DSI is that it can control around 200 devices whilst DALI is limited to 64 addresses, and then you need a bus controller to link to another 64, and so on. This is a situation that came about as DALI grew out of room control. DSI is usually more cost-effective on a project than DALI - typically around £10-£15 a fitting - but this difference is being reduced.
DALI is a standard industry protocol put forward by the leading ballast manufacturers to unify matters and guarantee compatibility. It comprises 19 bits of data that allow up to 64 luminaires to be individually addressed as well as provide status information. If required, Thorn Lighting offers TridonicAtco's DALI offer as its new one4all ballast, combining DALI, DSI, switchDIM and SMART control features in the same digital dimmable unit.
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