Fulham Partners with Control Network Solutions to Deliver Smart Lighting Solutions

Fulham Co. Inc., a supplier of lighting components and electronics for commercial and specialty applications, has partnered with Control Network Solutions (CNS), to deliver a smart lighting solution based on the Digital Addressable Lighting Interface (DALI) intelligent lighting communications standard. Fulham’s line of WorkHorse LED programmable dimming DALI drivers are designed to interoperate with CNS’s elitedali smart lighting control and management system to provide an extensible lighting system that is easy to install, commission and control.

Combining Fulham’s programmable WorkHorse LED drivers with CNS’s elitedali management system applies an Internet of Things (IoT) approach to lighting control. The combination of Fulham’s drivers and CNS’s DALI software provides total control over LED fixtures, including reducing input current to adjust the lumen display, managing lights to optimize useful life, adjust lighting to ensure they dim at a constant level, and even adjusting power output to accommodate different light sources. For example, with LED efficiency improving at a rate of 7 to 9 percent every six months, using the same input power for newly installed light fixtures can result in uneven lighting with new fixtures appearing as much as 20 percent brighter. Intelligent LED drivers controlled by a DALI management system adjusts the power for even illumination.

“Fulham believes the future of lighting is in programmable drivers, and DALI is the industry’s only interoperable lighting control standard today,” says Russ Sharer, vice president of Global Marketing for Fulham. “CNS takes it the next step by making the system easier to install, commission and operate.”

The Fulham/CNS smart solution for DALI controlled lighting provides flicker-free dimming down to 10 percent with real-time access to all lighting device value data. The output current can be set in increments of 1mA, and the driver can be programmed without power. Fulham’s WorkHorse intelligent dimming drivers are available in 40- and 60-watt units in various sizes and all use Fulham’s SmartSet one-touch programming.

“We’ve worked with many driver and ballast companies, yet Fulham’s products seem to integrate faster and easier than any other products currently available,” says Mike Welch, CEO of Control Network Solutions. “They’re truly DALI “plug and play.’ They also have a great vision for the value that smart IoT-based control systems and intelligent drivers can offer customers.”

The CNS elitedali solution is based on Tridium’s Niagara software framework for building IoT, smart and web-enabled software applications. It enables any suitable Niagara building controls platform to discover, commission and control directly networks of intelligent light fixtures that conform to the DALI (IEC 62386) open standard. Value intelligent light fixture data, such as the operating status of the drivers, including hours of operation, average or peak temperature, power consumption, emergency light readiness, and more are seamlessly accessible via Niagara for local or remote monitoring, management and analytics. For facilities managers, such solutions can dramatically reduce the down time and number of site support visits.

Fulham is offering CNS partners globally direct access to their DALI-compatible driver products through Fulham’s global network of distributors. Fulham also works with a network of luminaire manufacturers that incorporate the company’s DALI drivers.

“Together these new market disruptive partnerships enable us to collectively deliver world-class IoT smart lighting solutions to customers globally,” adds Sharer.