Introduction to the zencontrol hardware

The full range of zencontrol hardware is continually expanding and as such you should familiarise yourself with the full product list on the zencontrol website.

This article will focus on the controllers and the most common supporting devices.

Power supplies

zc-psu

The main DALI power supply that you'll come across in wired (as opposed to wireless) zencontrol installations is the zc-psu (product page). It's DIN mounted and outputs 250mA at ~16v DC.

zc-psu-70

On wireless and some 'stand-alone' installations, the other PSU that you'll encounter is the zc-psu-70 (product page). It's field-mounted and outputs 70mA at ~16v. As it outputs a lower current than the larger supply above, the zc-psu-70 is typically used to power small islands of DALI devices, either standalone or wirelessly connected to a broaded.

Controllers

zc-controller-pro (Application controller with DALI Ethernet Gateway)

The zencontrol Application Controller (product page) provides supervision and control and acts as a gateway for a single DALI bus. It's DIN mounted and is typically installed side-by-side with the zc-psu for that line.

There are two buttons and 3 LEDs on the unit itself. The behaviour of these LEDs and buttons is explained in the instruction leaflet.

zc-controller-pro-3 (Application Controller Pro 3)

An extended version of the above Application Controller With DALI Ethernet Gateway, the AC3 (product page) is comprised of three internal Application Controllers and a network switch. It's DIN mounted and is typically installed side-by-side with the zc-psu units for each of the three lines.

It has two ethernet ports, one to the three internal controllers and one additional to facilitate linking with other devices. Each component Application controller has its own network stack and hence IP address.

The AC Pro has RS485 terminals for connection with external systems such as DMX.

zc-lcm and zc-lcm-lite (Lighting Control Module)

The LCM is a field-mounted plug-in 10-way marshaling box with integrated application controller and DALI Ethernet gateway. It provides a convenient way to connect multiple DALI devices to a single controller, simplifying the installation process and reducing the amount of cabling required.

The LCM supports three circuits and has a DALI relay on each output for controlling non-DALI fixtures. It also presents 2 SELV relays and 10 SELV switch inputs.

There are two variants, the Lite and the full-featured, with the lite reduced functionality at a lower price point. A full breakdown of the variants can be found on the LCM's product page.

zc-room (Room Controller)

The Room Controller (product page) comes in the same field-mounted marshaling box form factor as the zc-lcm but with the additional ability to automatically group the ECGs and ECDs which are plugged in to each of its channels to simplify commissioning.

The room controller comes in three variants, for which a full breakdown can be found on the product page.

Electronic Control Gear / Devices

zc-pir-5m and zc-pir-8m (DALI PIR sensors)

The 5m and 8m DALI PIRs (product page) are powered from the DALI line. Each one presents both a light sensor and occupancy sensor instance.

zc-switch (DALI switch interface)

The multi-functional DALI switch interface (product page) is powered from the DALI line. Each input/output can be configured to be a Push-button instance, Absolute Input instance or LED indicator (or logical output).

The center pole is common, shared between inputs A and B.

zc-relay (DALI relay)

The zc-relay (product page) is a DIN-mounted DALI relay for switching basic loads which wouldn't otherwise have individual DALI control. It can be used to switch larger loads by switching the control signal to a contactor, or as a voltage-free input to an external system.