The Domus CHAM-DIM-DALI-4C is a four-channel DALI dimming interface for1236V DC constant-voltage LED, handling 4 8Aand dimming down to 0.1%.1806034mm.

Our record understates what this device can do, in the two fields thatmatter most.

The record shows roughly 8% of the real maximum load. On a control interface that isthe figure that decides whether it can drive the installation at all a designer workingfrom the record would specify several of these where one would do.

It dims to 0.1%, and that is unusual

• Minimum dimming value 0.1%; maximum 100%, as factory defaults.
• Most LED control gear bottoms out between 1% and 10%, at which point the lighteither sits visibly on or drops out. 0.1% is a genuinely low floor.
• It matters where a very low level is the point a hotel corridor overnight, acinema, a bedroom scene, a gallery protecting light-sensitive work.
• The floor is only as good as the driver and the strip beneath it. All three have tosupport the level. Tell us the whole chain and we will check it.
• This figure appears in no product field it is on the datasheet only.

Four channels, and what each configuration uses

• Single colour one channel per zone, so up to four zones.
• Tunable white two channels.
• RGB three channels.
• RGBW four channels: colour plus a dedicated white.
• RGBW is worth understanding: a dedicated white channel gives a proper white, wheremixing red, green and blue to make white gives a colour cast. If the installation will spend most of itslife on white, choose RGBW.

It is an interface, not a driver despite the category

• The chain is three parts: a constant-voltage driver converting mainsto 1236V DC; this interface, which takes the DALI signal and switches thechannels; and the LED strip.
• The driver and the strip are both separate purchases.
• It also works in PUSH DIM mode a plain retractive wall switch dims it,without any DALI system at all. That is a real advantage: the same part serves a commissioned buildingand a simple installation.
• Auto or manual addressing, which matters at commissioning: auto-addressing a floorof fittings is a great deal faster than assigning each one by hand.

The rest of the specification

• DALI signal voltage typically 16V, maximum 22.5V; DALI current 2mA. Useful when calculating how many devices a DALI bus segment can carry a bus has a finite currentbudget.
• Working temperature 20C to +50C.
• 1806034mm it needs a dry,accessible position. Do not bury it behind sealed joinery; it is an electronic part.
• Our record also flags this interface as colour-changing. That is defensible on afour-channel RGBW device unlike the single-channel version in the same family, where the same flagsits on a product whose own name says single colour.

Where it works

• RGB and RGBW strip installations in buildings with a DALI system.
• Installations with no DALI system at all via PUSH DIM from a retractive switch.
• Up to four single-colour zones from one unit.
• Where a very low dimmed level matters 0.1% floor.
• Not a driver a constant-voltage driver is still required upstream.
• Dry, accessible position; do not bury it.

Specifying it

CHAM-DIM-DALI-4C four-channel DALI / PUSH DIM interface.1806034mm.1236V DC constant voltage.Load 4 8A, 4 (96288W) our record’s96W and 1224V both understate the device.Four channels single colour (up to four zones), tunable white, RGB or RGBW. Dimming 0.1% to 100% (factory default). DALI signal typically 16V, maximum22.5V, 2mA. Auto or manual addressing. Working temperature20C to +50C.

A constant-voltage LED driver is required upstream and is not included, and the LEDstrip is separate again. Warranty 3 years.

Supplied and supported by Lights For You.

Questions

How much load can it actually handle?

Far more than our record suggests. The datasheet gives 4 8A and 4 (96288W) up to about 1,152W across four channels where the record shows 96W, roughly 8% of the real maximum. A designer working from the record would specify several of these where one would do. Tell us the strip and the run lengths and we will size it properly.

Is it 1224 V or 1236 V?

1236V DC, from the datasheet. Our record says 1224V, which is narrower than the device actually supports. That matters if you are running a 36V system you would rule this interface out on the record and be wrong to.

Is this a driver?

No, despite the category it sits in. It is an interface: it takes the DALI signal and switches the channels, sitting between a constant-voltage driver and the LED strip. The chain is three parts a driver converting mains to 1236V DC, this interface, and the strip and the driver and strip are both separate purchases.

Do I need a DALI system to use it?

No, and that is a genuine advantage. It also works in PUSH DIM mode, where a plain retractive wall switch dims it without any DALI system at all. So the same part serves a commissioned building and a simple installation, which means you are not locked into a control system by the hardware choice.

What does dimming to 0.1% give me?

A very low floor. Most LED control gear bottoms out between 1% and 10%, at which point the light either sits visibly on or drops out altogether. 0.1% matters where a very low level is the point a hotel corridor overnight, a cinema, a bedroom scene, a gallery protecting light-sensitive work. Bear in mind the floor is only as good as the driver and strip beneath it: all three have to support the level, so tell us the whole chain and we will check it.

What is the difference between RGB and RGBW?

A dedicated white channel. RGB makes white by mixing red, green and blue, which gives a colour cast; RGBW adds a fourth channel with a proper white LED. If the installation will spend most of its life on white which most do choose RGBW. This interface has four channels, so it handles either.

How many can I put on one DALI bus?

Depends on the bus budget, and the datasheet gives you what you need to work it out: DALI current 2mA per device, with the signal typically 16V and a maximum of 22.5V. A DALI bus segment has a finite current budget, so that 2mA figure is what limits the device count. Tell us the layout and we will check it against the segment.