Tunable white light is a luminaire which can provide different colour temperatures, from cool white light to warm white light. This can be used together with a Scene Controller for aesthetic effect, or it can be used with a time-based controller to gradually change the colour temperature throughout the day for physiological benefits i.e. Circadian Rhythms.

Firmware

All Wireless Radio Devices can send DT8 Messages. They may need a software update depending on their manufacturing date. This can be updated during luminaire testing in the factory or on site using the commissioning software.

Note - E3M (Emergency Monitor) does not have a DALI output and cannot control DT8.

Means of Control

Having created tunable white devices with DT8 drivers as above, a means of controlling the colour is required. Two methods are currently offered.

Scene Control

Wireless Radio supplies a number of devices to set and recall scenes, and to manually dim scenes. These include mains and battery powered wall-plates and key fobs. A Scene is a set of light levels for different types of luminaire. In addition to the light output, the colour can be set for each Scene, for each type of luminaire

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Circadian Rhythm

Wireless Radio ACCESS POINTs can be set to broadcast a series of colour messages, so that ALL DT8 luminaires in the building imperceptibly change to mimic the sun’s colour temperatures throughout the day. The well-being benefits of Circadian Rhythms has been widely studied and published and so is not discussed in this document.

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Commissioning

Stage 1. Enable DT8

Luminaires with DT8 capabilities as described above should be allocated a Profile in which DT8 is flagged as being available and enabled. In the profile screen using Component View:

• Ensure that the Basic/Advanced button shows Advanced by clicking on it if necessary

• Click on the Driver icon

• Scroll the options area on the left hand side to the bottom if necessary

• Tick DT8 Available and DT8 Enabled

Stage 2. Modify Scenes

Having enabled DT8 in the luminaires’ profile, an additional box will appear against each DT8 Profile for each Scene, when editing Scenes as below. The colour temperature is entered in Kelvin values. These range from 2,700 K (very warm white light) to 6,500 K (very cool white light).

Stage 3. Enable Circadian Rhythm in ACCESS POINTs

ACCESS POINTs have three pre-programmed Circadian Rhythms:

• Timed Event Profile 2

  • Demo/test mode where colour cycles every 10 minutes

• Timed Event Profile 3

  • 3000 K overnight

  • Fading from 3000 to 4000 between 8.00 am and midday

  • Increasing to 4500 K between 1.00 pm and 2.00 pm

  • Fading back to 3000 K between 4.00 pm and 6.00 pm

• Timed Event Profile 4

  • As above, but the same cycle is also repeated between 8.00 pm and 6.00 am for night shift workers.

The Event Profile is set in the ACCESS POINT using the online Dashboard ACCESS POINT screen below. At the time of writing, the user will need super-admin privileges to see this option. Without these privileges, please contact us and ask for the Profile to be enabled in the ACCESS POINT.

Additional profiles with different colour values and timings can be created by Glamox Staff. Please contact us and provide a written schedule of times of day and required colour temperatures.

Interaction of Scene Controllers with ACCESS POINTs and Timed Events

Colour Control messages sent from ACCESS POINTs (Circadian Rhythms) only affect colour. They will not alter the brightness of the lights nor switch them on or off.

The devices will accept the last command received. If a Scene Controller (e.g. a Key Fob) is used to recall a scene with specific colour temperatures then the scene will be recalled, but the next message from the ACCESS POINT will override the colour temperature, bringing it back in line with the selected Circadian Rhythm.