Comparison to X-10 , DALI & other communication buses | PLC modem configurability |

 


Systel's PLC Communication Method vs. DALI

Comparison between DALI and Systel PLC Communication Method using PLC-Link™ Protocol
Comparison Parameter
DALI
Systel's PLC-link™
Physical layer
Two control wires
Power line carrier
Requires rewiring in retrofit
Yes
No
Communication method
Bi phase
Direct Series Spread Spectrum
Two way
Yes
Yes
Implementation
A stand-alone light control
system or a “room” level
component of a building system
Floor or wide area network of a BMS or as a stand-alone network for Light control, HVAC, Security, Fire protection and other environmental applications, as well as, for residential network control system for same applications.
Bandwidth
N/A
100 - 200 kHz carrier frequency
Bit rate
1200 bit/sec
2000-4000 bit/sec
Message length
16 bits
32 bits
Addressable ballasts
individually
64
256
Addressable zones
16
4096
Light scene storage
16 scenes per controller
16 scenes per zone
Broadcast addressing
Yes
Yes
Lighting curve
Logarithmic
Can be defined by customer
RF communication for remote control
By external add-on
Inherent in the controller
together with the PLC
Sensors connected to:
If connected to Main DALI Controller, require long dedicated wiring
Sensors connected to the nearest Local Control Unit (Wall Control) or to the nearest ballast that comprises Local Control Unit capabilities. This option also saves the installation of the Wall control
Bi directional protocol
Yes
Yes
Communication Protocol type
DALI
PLC-Link™ Systel property -
anti-collision type
Error Code Correction (ERCC) NA
N/A
Yes
Bit Error Rate @ S/N= 6 dB before ERCC
N/A
10-10 (for 64 ballast per circuit)
Erroneous commands
probability at S/N = 6 after ERCC
N/A
2*10-18
Local ID
8 bits
11 bits
Message transmission time
39.2 msec
16 msec
Execution time (search of 32
ballasts)
10 Sec
16ms x 32 = 0.5 Sec
Query capability
Limited by protocol and ballast design
Unlimited. All information is
available in IDC for transmission
Lighting Control System
configuration
The ballasts are controlled by
Master Unit only.
All addressable units are able to
be controlled by any of the
Local Control Units installed at
any convenient place and by RF
remote control as well.
Installation Pay Back time
(approx.)
> 5 years
2 years

From the above table one can see that:

  • Systel PLC does not need rewiring in retrofit. DALI does.
    DALI installation is therefore expensive.
  • DALI is at a "room" system level because of its addressability limitation.
    Systel PLC is practically unlimited addressing wise, and it is therefore at the system level.
  • Systel PLC set of commands emulates the DALI set of commands, thus DALI programming is transportable into Systel PLC
  • Systel PLC has ERCC and therefore the communication has controlled command error rates




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