German controls maker B.E.G. has released DACO PRO, a lighting control system that runs several independent lighting groups off a single DALI line, aimed at buildings where the room layout doesn’t stay put: sports halls, multipurpose rooms and event spaces. Trade title Electrical Connection carried the announcement.
According to that report, the system uses multicast control paired with DALI-2 sensors from B.E.G.’s BMS product family, letting zones be linked and driven by occupancy and daylight without extra cabling or a separate control box sitting in the switchboard.
One line, several groups
The pitch is the partition wall. Where a hall is split by movable dividers, DACO PRO can hold each side as its own zone with its own occupancy and daylight response. Pull the partitions out and the groups can synchronise and run the room as one space.
That’s the bit worth paying attention to on a fitout. Historically, a hall that gets carved up and reopened three times a week either lives with lighting that ignores the partitions, or somebody keeps coming back to re-group the fittings. Doing it on one bus, from one config, is a different job to pulling more control cable through a ceiling that’s already lined.
The system also carries human-centric lighting, orientation lighting and guided light functions, so output can be tuned to the room’s use rather than sitting flat all day.
Set up from a phone, not a laptop
B.E.G. says installers configure sensors, control groups and functions through a smartphone app, without the kind of programming that normally sends a job back to a specialist commissioning contractor. Fast DALI grouping can be done with a smart infrared device, and four integrated push-button inputs are built in for local switching, with support for extra DALI push-buttons and relays if the site needs them.
The other detail in the announcement that matters more than it sounds: luminaires can be swapped without affecting the existing configuration. Anyone who has replaced a failed fitting on an addressed system and then spent the rest of the afternoon getting the address and group back in order knows what that’s worth on a maintenance call.
What it means on the tools
For a sparkie quoting a community hall, school gym or function centre, the sales argument to the client isn’t the feature list. It’s that the control layout can follow the room when the room changes, and that a lamp change later doesn’t turn into a recommissioning visit.
The caveats are the usual ones with DALI. The sensors have to actually be DALI-2 devices if you want them behaving as advertised alongside the controller, and mixing older kit already on the bus is where these jobs come unstuck. Worth confirming what’s on site before you price the swap-out.
And whatever the control side looks like, the luminaires and the supply feeding them are fixed wiring. That’s licensed electrical work in every state and territory in Australia, with no DIY carve-out anywhere, so the building manager keen to “just move a few lights” before the next event needs to book a licensed electrician rather than do it themselves. Licensing and training questions go to your state electrical safety regulator or an industry body such as NECA.
The announcement doesn’t include Australian pricing or availability, so the thing to watch is what local distribution looks like and whether the app-based grouping holds up on a site with a hundred addressed fittings rather than a demo bench.
Frequently asked questions
Can I install or reconfigure DACO PRO lighting myself?
No. The luminaires and the supply feeding them are fixed wiring, which is licensed electrical work in every state and territory in Australia with no DIY carve-out, so a licensed electrician has to do the work.
Is B.E.G.’s DACO PRO available in Australia yet?
The manufacturer’s announcement, reported by Electrical Connection, doesn’t include Australian pricing or availability, so local distribution isn’t confirmed.
What kind of buildings is DACO PRO designed for?
B.E.G. is targeting spaces where the layout changes, such as sports halls, multipurpose rooms and event spaces split by movable partitions.
Sourced from Electrical Connection. Original article.
