Brumberg Lighting Lexicon
Do you have question marks over your head when it comes to some technical terms or do you want precise information on control systems and lighting technology? In the Brumberg Lighting Lexicon, we have explained all the important vocabulary for you briefly and concisely.
With the 1-10 V interface, the control gear is the active component and provides the control current. The open-circuit voltage with an open interface is 10 V. The ballast is then in 100 percent operation, i.e. at maximum lamp power. An electronic resistor as a dimmer influences the control voltage. Consequently, below a control voltage of 1 V, the ballast is in minimum operation. The 1-10 V interface is a pure dimming interface. The control gear is not switched by means of the control signal. Accordingly, switching the supply voltage is always required to switch the lighting on and off. Thus, the on-off function is realized via the load line.
The term beam angle refers to the angle of the light cone opening of an LED light source. It is specified in degrees and defines the exit angle of the luminous flux from the LED spotlight. Depending on the distance of the luminaire from the floor or the illuminated surface, this creates a light cone with a corresponding diameter.
DALI, short for Digital Addressable Lighting Interface, is a manufacturer-independent standard for lighting control in buildings. With this bus-capable system, light and all components of a lighting installation can be addressed, controlled and evaluated individually. Up to 16 groups can be assigned to each operating device on a DALI line to enable synchronous control of the operating devices. In addition, up to 16 scenes (= predefined intensity settings) can be stored per operating device and recalled as required. DALI can be operated as an "island system" with a maximum of 64 operating devices or as a subsystem via DALI gateways in modern building automation systems.
The KNX DALI Gateway is the interface between the KNX installation and the DALI lighting system. It enables the switching and dimming of up to 64 DALI devices in a maximum of 32 groups via the KNX system.The DALI luminaire groups can be switched on and off or dimmed by manual operation on the device in parallel to the KNX even without bus voltage or in an unprogrammed state.
Warmer lighting mood by adjusting the color temperature.Previously, when dimming the LED, it was only possible to reduce the light intensity. The light became weaker, but not "warmer". With dim2warm, the color temperature also changes in the lower dimming range. It can be dimmed from warm white 2800 K / 3000 K to very warm white 1800 K, depending on the type of lamp used.
For stage lighting, the DMX 512 standard was already introduced at the beginning of the 1990s in order to be able to quickly control many participants by means of addressed digital control signals. It is used to control lighting technology such as dimmers, "intelligent" spotlights, moving heads and effect devices. However, the DMX interface is also frequently used in architectural lighting. The high flexibility and speed of this interface as well as the large number of participants on one control line are highly appreciated by users, especially for the implementation of dynamic lighting controls.
ENEC, European Norms Electrical Certification, is the European safety test mark for luminaires and other electrotechnical products such as capacitors, ballasts and starters, converters and transformers. It is awarded by neutral testing and certification institutes in Europe - in Germany by VDE, among others.
The color rendering index or CRI value is a quality characteristic of artificial light compared to natural light. A light source whose light contains all spectral colors, as in sunlight, makes the colors of the illuminated objects look natural - the color rendering is optimal. The color rendering index Ra (reference index in general, Colour Rendering Index, CRI) is an index of a photometric quantity used to describe the quality of color rendering of light sources of the same correlated color temperature (CCT). Sunlight has a CRI of 100.
The radio control is a combination of transmitter and receiver. This makes it possible to control luminaires wirelessly over a distance of approx. 10 m. Another advantage is the simple integration into existing systems, since no additional lines need to be installed in contrast to control via DALI / KNX / 1-10 V.
KNX systems are the worldwide standard in building automation. This is a bus system for building control. This means that all devices use the same transmission method and exchange data via a common bus line. This allows all types of solutions for intelligent home technology to be combined.
LEDs or light-emitting diodes - the abbreviation stands for light-emitting diodes - are electronic semiconductor components that emit light under voltage in the colors red, green, yellow or blue. With the aid of an additional internal luminescent layer, blue LEDs can also produce white light. White light is also produced by color mixing.
Power consumption (also power or wattage) describes the electrical power consumed by a light source or ballast in watts (W).
Luminous flux is the radiant flux emitted by a light source. This is measured in the internationally standardized luminous flux unit lumen and indicates how bright the light source is. The luminous flux indicates how much light is generated per unit of time. In general, the higher the lumen value, the more light the light source emits per unit of time.
Abofferung on the wall / ceiling, in which a LED-flexplatine can be inserted for indirect lighting.
Particularly robust LED flex boards with polyurethane coating for extreme conditions in outdoor applications. You can find more information here.
Flex belt for the most demanding interior applications. Product portfolio tailored to high-quality applications. You can find more information here.
Potting compounds protect and insulate printed circuit boards and electronic components from the hazards of harsh and difficult environmental conditions. The advantages of polyurethane potting compounds: They are ideal for sensitive components and offer good flexibility even at low temperatures. The resins encapsulate the entire application, forming a complete barrier against environmental influences. Potting compounds perform better than protective coatings under extreme conditions.
Some operating devices for light sources such as fluorescent lamps or LEDs have a push dimming interface. This is the simplest form of lighting interface. A closing pushbutton is used to key the phase of the mains connection of the ballast to its control input. Short pressing of the pushbutton means on or off, long pressing of the pushbutton means dimming up or down.
A significant advantage compared to the 1-10 V interface is that only two wires are required in the wall. In existing installations with previously only switchable lighting, this usually corresponds to the existing situation.
RGB, the composition of the resulting color is done with three light sources of the primary colors red, green and blue.
RGBW, like RGB but with an additional white light source. Often used when luminaires are used for both decorative and purpose lighting, e.g. at different times of day.
The international protection classes were introduced to provide clear information on the influences against which a product is protected. They describe the extent to which foreign bodies and moisture can penetrate the inside of the device. The protection class of products is expressed in IP codes. Abbreviated by the code letters IP (for International Protection or also Ingress Protection), the "protection against ingress" is determined using numbers as code numbers. The first code number indicates the protection against solid foreign bodies or contact. The second describes the protection against water. The best-known IP codes include IP20 and IP44, for example. The higher the number, the higher the protection.
Construction and operating mode determine the protection class of luminaires. The scope of protective measures against electric shock is described by three protection classes according to DIN VDE 0711:
Protection class I: Luminaires for connection to the line-side protective conductor. The symbol is attached to the connection point.
Protection class II: Luminaires with additional or reinforced insulation. They do not have a protective conductor connection.
Protection class III: Luminaires for operation with protective extra-low voltage.
Flex ribbons for the perfect start in the field of LED flex boards. You can find more information here.
Describes the distance between the individual LEDs. The smaller the pitch, the more homogeneous the light image appears.
SMD means "surface mounted device". It is one of the most common types of LED in industrial lighting and is now often used in residential lighting as well. They do not need to be wired, but only soldered to the board to be used.
QualityFlex for special applications, such as dim2warm, TunableWhite, Food and other lighting situations that require a special solution. Among them also extra thin LED flex boards. For more information click here.
White-white (tunable white), control of the color temperature of white light. Usually used to mimic the color temperature change of daylight.
The Internet of Things is having an increasing influence on home automation in the smart home. The aim is to connect almost all household appliances into a network through which they can communicate, exchange data and be controlled. This requires a technology that spans an independent network via radio, administers itself and can be used by the smart home for home automation. ZigBee is such a radio standard. It connects different devices with each other over short distances - the radio range is between 10 and 20 meters, depending on the power and the structural environment, and up to 100 meters under ideal conditions.
In contrast to better-known standards such as WLAN or Bluetooth, ZigBee is characterized by energy efficiency, simplicity of use and high flexibility.
A strain relief is a mechanical protection device for flexible electrical cables and hoses.
Strain reliefs are often metal or plastic clamps that protect flexible electrical connection cables (stranded wires) from being torn out. The cables are clamped for this purpose. Cable glands can also have a strain relief function.
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