Addressing types

A DALI system can address a maximum of 64 operating devices, although the gateway itself does not count as an operating device. Up to six different addressing types allow the group-orientated and individually addressed control of DALI lights by means of KNX telegrams. Depending on the configuration, up to 32 independent groups are available for group addressing. For alternative control, they can be supplemented with 64 individually addressable device channels, if necessary.

Scenes are influenced by the global addressing type and by the general configuration of the groups and single devices. Therefore, the global and general parameters must be set first before the scene configuration takes place!

• Master control:
  With master control, all the connected DALI components are controlled by a broadcast command. This means that there is no need to commission DALI, meaning that lighting systems with few functions can be started up quickly and easily (simplified configuration without DALI commissioning). With central addressing, some functions are not available (no error status, no automatic device replacement).

No automatic device replacement is possible in manual mode because there is no DALI addressing by group and short addresses with a central control. If one or more DALI operating devices are replaced, ETS commissioning (programming of the application program) must be repeated so that all DALI runtime parameters are transferred to the operating devices.

• Group control 1...16:
  During DALI commissioning, the max. 64 DALI operating devices are assigned to any number of different groups of the gateway. For this any number of DALI operating devices can be assigned to each group (1...16). On the DALI side, addressing takes place using group addresses, which the gateway configures invisibly for the user and manages on its own. During DALI commissioning, the operating devices concerned are automatically programmed accordingly. Through the use of group addresses (multicast), the reaction time of the DALI subscribers in this type of addressing is short - particularly in large-scale systems.
  In the project design example, each of the luminaires shown has a DALI operating device. Four lights are in the same group. The lights combined in this way can be controlled jointly using the KNX.

• Group control 1...32:
  With this addressing type too, the max. 64 DALI operating devices are assigned to different groups of the gateway during the DALI commissioning. For this, any number of DALI operating devices can be assigned to groups 1...16. On the DALI side, addressing takes place using group addresses, meaning that the reaction time of the DALI subscribers in groups 1...16 is short.
  In contrast, only up to five DALI operating devices can be assigned to groups 17...32. Since there are no DALI group addresses for these groups, DALI addressing takes place using the device short addresses, which means that the operating devices are addressed, and thus contacted, individually. In particular, in large systems with multiple devices addressed by a short address, the reaction time is slower than with group addressing, because addressing takes place separately and in sequence.
  In the project design example, each of the luminaires shown has a DALI operating device. In the right-hand and middle areas of the room are two groups, each with four lights. Here, use of groups 1...16 is advisable. In another area of the room, a total of four lights is integrated into two further groups. Each of these groups contains two lights. Here, use of groups 17...32 is advisable, in particular if the lower groups are to comprise multiple operating devices (e.g. in other rooms).
  If this addressing type is used, the exemplary integration of two operating devices each in up to 32 groups allows addressing of 64 devices by group control.

The device short addresses are always assigned in the parameter configuration of the single devices and can thus be influenced. Short addresses must be unique. This means that addresses may not appear multiple times in a DALI system. The application program checks the editing of short addresses and ensures their uniqueness.

• Group control 1...16 and device control 1...64:
  In this addressing type, the operating devices in groups 1...16 are controlled using DALI group addresses, as described above for group control. In addition, other DALI operating devices can be addressed individually as single devices. The addressing of these devices takes place individually using the device short addresses.
  In the project design example, each of the luminaires shown has a DALI operating device. In the right-hand and middle areas of the room are two groups. Here, use of groups 1...16 is advisable. In another area of the room, two more lights are installed, each of which is to be controlled separately. Here, use of single addressing is advisable.

DALI operating devices can either be integrated only in single device addressing, or alternatively, in group addressing. It is not possible to control an operating device with both addressing types. Operating devices integrated in group control can no longer be addressed as a single device. The reverse case applies in the same manner.

In particular, in large systems with multiple individual subscribers, the reaction time is slower than with pure group control, as addressing takes place individually and in sequence. If several DALI operating devices are to react identically to KNX commands (simultaneous switch-on or switch-off, identical brightness specifications), group addressing or alternatively scene control of these devices is preferable if possible.

• Group control 1...32 and device control 1...64:
  This addressing type behaves in exactly the same way as the "Group control 1...16 and device control 1...64" addressing, with the difference that groups 17...32 are also available. Here too, groups 17...32 can be assigned only to up to five DALI operating devices. In this case too, as there are no DALI group addresses, DALI addressing takes place using the device short addresses, meaning that the operating devices are addressed, and thus contacted, individually.

• Device control 1...64:
  This addressing type only allows control of up to 64 single devices. Group addressing is not possible. As with the other addressing types with device control, the addressing of the devices takes place individually using the device short addresses.
  It is advisable to use this addressing type if all operating devices are to be controlled individually, for example, and group control is therefore not appropriate.

Multiple assignment of DALI operating devices to different groups

For special cases, it is possible to assign operating devices for group control to more than just one group. In the standard case, assignment of a DALI operating device is only possible in one device. This makes the device assignment clear, and the unique assignment means that there are no group overlaps and, as a result, no influencing of status values. If necessary, multiple group assignment can be enabled as an alternative. For this purpose, the checkbox "Allow multiple group assignment" must be selected in the commissioning dialogue of the DCA (this checkbox is deselected by default). This means that it is then possible to assign DALI operating devices to more than just one group during online commissioning.

Multiple assignment of DALI operating devices to different single devices of the project design (device control) is not possible.

DALI operating devices can always be assigned to any group. However, we do not recommend assigning the operating devices to multiple groups on the DALI side. It is better to split the devices up into separate, non-overlapping groups and to create a link on the KNX side using the group addressing in the ETS.

DALI operating devices assigned to multiple groups always set themselves to the most recent status set using one of the assigned groups. In this case, feedback of the switching status, brightness value, colour temperature or colour of a group cannot always be clear. The following examples explain this behaviour:
Example 1: Group 1 is set to 10% brightness. After this, group 2 is dimmed to the 20% brightness value. The lights of Group 2 assume the most recently recalled brightness value: 20%. The feedback of Group 1 remains at 10%, although some of the operating devices belonging to the group were set to 20% brightness.
Example 2: Group 1 is switched on and sets itself to the brightness value 100%. The status of group 2 is still internally set to 0% brightness (OFF) in the gateway. Now Group 2 is made brighter. The lights of Group 2 adopt the dimming behaviour (becoming brighter from minimum brightness), although these lights have already been switched on by Group 1.

If DALI operating devices are assigned to multiple groups and these groups have been assigned to a shared scene, all operating devices will adjust to the brightness, colour temperature or colour value specified by the group with the highest number. Example: An electronic ballast was assigned to Groups 1 and 2. Both groups are assigned to Scene 1. When the scene is recalled, Group 1 is to set itself to 10% and Group 2 to 20% brightness. When Scene 1 is recalled, the electronic ballast is set to 20% brightness, because group 2 has the higher group number.