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Thread: Greetings, and lighting control retrofit (sort of!)

  1. #1
    Automated Home Lurker
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
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    1

    Default Greetings, and lighting control retrofit (sort of!)

    Hi
    I'm an electrician working in rural West Devon, and up to now have had little demand to incorporate home automation in the projects I work on... typically older cottages, farms and small businesses.

    But... I have this one project: It's a major extension of a small older barn conversion, and is oft the case, the specification and design is developing during the build - not ideal, but it is the customers personal project, so it is not being worked as an investment opportunity. Too late on it looks like some more advanced lighting control could be useful in three key areas. Lounge, kitchen diner and outside lighting. Each of these areas has multiple lights, and multiple switches. Fortunately I have designed the wiring such that each light group and each switch has a cable back to 'junction central' - a usefully central service area - allowing for differing control technology to be installed.

    Each switch has a 3&E cable, so I could:

    1: Use standard two-way switching for most functions, with some latching relays for special functions.
    2: Use retractive two way push switches and bipolar latching relays. If the relay drive is elv dc then some diode logic could give some extra functionality - such as dedicated off-switches eg: each kitchen sub-area can have local switches, but with 'master-off' switches at each exit door.
    3: Some sort of intelligent, programmable control, which could take all switch inputs, control all light outputs, provide a programmable function between them, including dimming, multiple switch presses to access extra functions, and linked to network wiring to allow control and programming via local wi-fi devices.

    Option 3 is what I'm here to discuss. Is there a scalable maybe modular system readily available to suit option 3? As an electrician with an electronics background I know I could develop something myself, and if it were my own house I probably would - but for a customer I prefer to use standard production items.

    So, say 25 lighting outputs (all 230 volt, mostly led), 35 inputs, dimming function on some outputs, programmable, network linked, app controllable.

    Prefer to stay with the hardwired switches - don't want to have to change batteries on individual wireless switches, and prefer not to have to run round pairing individual switches to individual boxes. Prefer to keep all electronic hardware centrally located. Must be able to cope with the cable capacitance on long switch runs....

    Is this a case of 'you can't get there from here' or does anyone have some good hardware suggestions. My own initial reading of various product data tends to trip up on one or more of my preferred parameters...

    Thanks in advance

    Dee

  2. #2

  3. #3
    Automated Home Lurker
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Posts
    5

    Default

    Hi Dee,

    I can whole heartedly agree with Loxone option, it'll do everything you want.

    Rob
    http://livingwithloxone.com

  4. #4
    Automated Home Lurker
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
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    Default

    Hi I am a AV Dealer and have been focusing on the lighting systems and blinds. Feel free to give me a shout. Aluco-AV.com

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