ConstaLine® Case study - 60kW RGB+W LED linear lighting

60KW Multicolour RGBW LED lighting , digitally driven by DALI

In 2016 we designed and installed technology for interesting linear lighting project RGB+W for AVION commercial centre in Bratislava. Back in those days, available technology, site preparation and investor requirements to use DALI (because of BMS systems) to controll dynamic RGBW lighting of large mall created a solution which somehow did fit within investor requirements, but from energy or complexity point of view wasnt very wise. Back in those days we allready had a more wise solution in mind, which today we can proudly present you our unique solution  : solution so unique, wise, costs and energy efficient that we pattented it (Patent pending)  Solution, which is so revolutionary, we had to give it its unique name ConstaLine ®.

First of all, lets focus on our case and solution in 2016, which even today is normally used, we fill focus on its drawbacks, costs, solutions, and mainly statistics.

Project was delivered with bent Linear RGB+W lighting installed in plasterboard structures on walls, in total of :
To provide 5-years warranty, all parts had to be dimensioned corrctly : for example power supply can not be used for more than 70% to maintain perfect and long term reliability.  

LED+Power supply stats

  • Total installed length of LED strips ( 18.7W RGB+W (W=4000K/CRI 90+)  2344m
  • Total el. power of all LED strips ( (1m = W:10W, R:2.9W, G:2.9W, B:2.9W)   43 833W
  • Total el. power of all power supplies : 125*480W (3-phase)   60 000W

Control+Installation stats

  • Total no. of DALI controllers (4x5A) 262pcs, total no. of DALI addresses : 1048
  • T otal no. of Power and Distribution boxes with all technic 64pcs
  • No. of 3f circuit breaker boxes 64pcs

Main challange

Main issue was causing us required DALI system (we prefered DMX or other, but no DALI for MultiColour dynamic scenes) Even DALI system is very robust and good system, widely used for commercial applications, it casued that whole system must have been well overdimensioned (after power or signal loss, all devices and channels tend to go to 100%, and only after their communication is succesfully establish with DALI system, they are changed..this can take about 1-2minute in case there is no physical issue (cable disconnected, etc). This behaviour is good for safety or daylight lighting, but not for RGBW dynamic lighting, and it is causing alot devices, thick cables, large power supplies, etc to withstand this situation. At that time, DALI DT-8 was not available (it could help us a little)

Except that, shape of plasterboard objects did require very frequent bending of ALU profile with optics to enhance mixing and light intensity reach, so ALU profile could not be massive - it must have been very thin to allow tight bends. this is in opposite to requirement not to heat up above 45°C in case of DALI cable disconnected (we signed full 5-years warranty for 24/7 working conditions)We designed the system to withstand 20minutes DALI cable disconnection (full 18W/m power) but suitable solution for bending profiles in corners, yet suitable for 24/7 with 5-years warranty of working condition of smaller power (predefined scenes with few colour combinations only).
Instead of 25-28KW (scenes with predefined colours and effects) we had to install 60KW of technic in case of cable disconnection or other fail states.
If we would use only those 28KW of power supply, these power supplies will be blown off immediately after first power down/cable disconnection, because of overcurrent requirements.

Offcourse, this overdimensioning we had to implement in every other system parts, not just power supply : so circuit breaker boxes, cables crossection, DALI controllers, connectors, etc. ....solution for 60KW is definitely much more bulky than solution for 28KW lighting.

White colour of RGBW DALI lighting on walls in commercial centre

After whole project was installed, and delivered to client, it shows up (as mostly happens) that from 20 predefined scenes, most of the year is only 2scenes used, and there is NEVER requirement to light up all 4channels to 100%, so it would be nice and wise to fix this scenario.

Few numbers to show up :
Scene 1: All White (R=0,G=0,B=0, W=70%): Immediate power = 15 708W
Scene 2: All Green (R=0,G=100%,B=0, W=0): Immediate power = 6 283W
Scene 3: All Purple (R=70%,G=0%,B=70%, W=0%): Immediate power = 8 796W

As anybody can see, installed power of 60KW is never to be used , easyly for any of RGB colours a 9KW would be sufficient, and for white spectrum 15,7kW would be just fine.
If we did whole solution with our CONSTALINE products, power consumption of only 15KW would deliver 3-4x higher Light intensity.
How this is possible?....see chart bellow. (If we would deliver the same amount of light, we could use only 8-10KW easyly.


Colour set on DALI controllers

Immediate consumption from existing 60KW system

Immediate consumption fromCONSTALINE 20KW solution

Red only

6283 W

15 700 W

Blue only

6283 W

15 700 W

Green only

6283 W

15 700 W

White only

15700 W

15 700 W

Purple (Red+Blue)

12566 W

15 700 W

Power down, DALI cable disconnected, DALI restart, other DALI system fail states...

43 833 W

15 700 W


Thanks to our great experience and will create wise solutions and products, to eliminate system installation costs, and installation complexity, energy efficiency, etc we were able to develop a few years later special and unique solution to eliminate all these probelms to minimum, called : CONSTALINE®.

 MASTER Constaline logo

  1. LED strip MASTER in new family CONSTALINE® is revolutionary solution for multichannel LED lighting solutions (CCT adjustable, RGB, RGB+W, RGB+WW, R+W etc.).
  2. Only from CONSTALINE solution you will get ALWAYS same amount of light if 1channel used, or any other combination of all channels (power of each channels doesnt add up)
  3. Brightness of each channel doesnt add up , providing even and safe visual experience to whatever colour combination is used.
  4. Much thinner ALU profiles are required, and you dont need to caunt with full thermal stress to your system.
  5. Worry free even for situations, where you dont have each channel under 100% controll (power thus heat doesnt add up)
  6. Much lower number of cables, circuit breakers, popwer supplies, connectors, etc, thus much lower installation costs
  7. Thanks to only CONSTALINE® you can reach energy certficates much more easyly
  8. And site preparation complexity is much lower, thus more easz for building owners/architects/projectants

Graph showing how standard LED strips works and addup their power, and how CONSTALINE keeps the power constant all the time

How would then a statistics for AVION OC look like with ConstaLine® while keeping the same optical parameters?

- 73% reduction in number and power of power supply
- 73% less installation boxes
- 73% less circuit breaker boxes and their values (cold start current)
- 15% less connectors
- 15% less and thinner DC cables
- 73% less 3f power cables
- 73% installation costs connected with powerline and DC line installation

Installed power would then be only 20kW instead of massive 60kW.

And that is huge reduction by 2/3both costs and complexity!

It really works that way : Using quality product developed specially to the project, and maybe even more expensive product will lead to lower final costs, plus making the project more straightforward, less complex, etc. Total cost of ownership is immediately lower.

ConstaLine ® is ideal for all situations with :
- multichannel or multicolour lighting is needed, where system will deliver even light output to single colour or whatever combination is used (RGB, RGB+W, CCT adj. ,etc)
- mechanicall constraints - much more subtile ALU profiles are needed to be used 
- Situaton, where colour mixing and control of every combination you dont have 100% under controll(user can by accident use all channels to 100%, or DALI-after signall loss/restart all devices go to 100%, etc....)
- situations, where Adding heat from every channel could be an issue (saunas, LED lines recessed in thermall insulation, above fireplaces, etc.)
- situations, where visual experience or Constant Power is prefered (in regards of used channel combinations / colour)

Portfolio

MASTER LED product CONSTALINE 28RGBW singlôe segment

ConstaLine® can be used for :
- facade lighting, contours, bridges, commercial centre decorative lighting etc.
- sculpture or "object lighting", where large ALU profile with good heat dissipation is not possible, yet large visual power is needed (statues, air or glass installations)
- biodynamic (CCT adjustable), RGB or RGB+W interior lighting, where really dimensioning all components to full power is really not needed.
- sauna lighting
- Linear light production (RGB, RGB+W, BIO/CCT adjustable)

..... and many more situations

Want to know more?

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