---
title: "DALI config plugin"
canonical: "https://docs.cuesystem.com/space/CVCHELP/555253984/DALI%20config%20plugin"
format: markdown
---
> Macro (toc)
---
Version 2.80
# Introduction
The “DALI Config” plugin is to be used for three main tasks:
1. Create complete configuration for new installation of DALI system
2. Make changes in existing DALI system including configuration of newly added control gears and ballasts.
3. Read configuration of already configured DALI system to get info about existing DALI addressing (- necessary for next CVC programming).
> 📝 The “DALI Config” plugin application is possible to use only if the DALI port of controller is connected to working DALI bus with DALI power source connected to this bus!
The Digital Addressable Lighting Interface (DALI), international standard IEC-60929, allows to control up to 64 ballasts – sometimes called also DALI control gears (with Short Addresses 0-63). The ballasts can be organized in up to 16 Groups (Group addresses 0-15) and in up to 16 scenes (Scene 0-15). Every ballast in the system shall be able to have 1 Short Address, 16 Group addresses and shall react to broadcast commands. Every ballast shall be able to store levels for 16 scenes, FADE RATE, FADE TIME, MIN LEVEL, MAX LEVEL, POWER-ON and SYSTEM FAILURE levels. All these parameters can be set individually for each ballast using the “DALI Config” plugin.
The Short Addresses of all ballasts must be assigned first. All used Short Addresses in one system must be in range 0-63 and must be unique. These Short Addresses are assigned during so called Commissioning process which is based on the generation of 24-bit random numbers (Random addresses). Random addresses are then used for identification of all ballasts in the system to assign or check their Short Address. It can sometimes happen -even it is not much probable- that some manufactures method of random number generation is not “random enough” and so there could appear conflicts as the same Random addresses appears in the system more than once. This conflict can led to situation that some ballasts could not be found. This appears rather rarely but it is normal and could sometimes happen. In such case if the number of ballasts found by the application is not the same as number of installed ballasts, then simply repeat the action. The new Random addresses will be generated and so you could repeat the action until the number of ballasts would be equivalent to real number of ballasts in the installation.
# Preparation
It is good practice prior any attempt to setup new DALI installation to make some basic checks:
1. Check the voltage on DALI bus. It should be in range 9.5 V - 22.5 V, typically 16V (note that some DALI gears require the voltage on the top of the range for their proper function!) Some DALI power sources are equipped with signalization if DALI bus power state is OK. This is always good to be checked as well.
2. Check that all the lights are connected to mains power by switching on the circuit breaker. All the DALI ballasts should go to the “Power-On-Level” (factory setting 100%)
3. Check that DALI port of your controller is properly connected to DALI bus (note that the polarity of DALI wires is not important)
4. start DALI Config plugin: **Right-click the controller with DALI port in CVC Configuration and then select Plugging item from menu**.
5. with running application the DALI LED on controller should remain dark if the DALI bus state is OK. If all OK and the controller is transmitting valid data onto DALI bus then DALI led blick with GREEN light. If the DALI bus power state is not correct (bus disconnected, shorted or failed power source) then the DALI led is RED. When the problem on bus is fixed then the RED light is switched off.
# Starting DALI config
Make sure you went through steps mentioned in section Preparation.
**Right-click the controller with DALI port in CVC Configuration and then select Plugging item from menu**. (Providing that controller with DALI port is online and is connected to properly powered DALI bus!)
The DALI Config is starting with empty page and waits for user to choose the way how the data will be obtained from the connected DALI system.
The user must select if completely new installation is to be configured – then “New Installation” button should be used or existing configuration is to be read (either for next editing or just to obtain configuration info). In this case the “Scan DALI bus” should be used.
The most common situations are:
- **You wish just to read the existing configuration on DALI bus – without doing any change in its settings –**
- Uncheck “Check&Repair” check box
- Uncheck “Find New Ballasts” check box
- Press “Scan DALI bus” button.
- **You wish just to read the existing configuration on DALI bus and Check and Repair the settings of ballasts in which settings some problem was discovered**
- Check “Check&Repair” check box
- Uncheck “Find New Ballasts” check box
- Press “Scan DALI bus” button.
- **You wish just to read the existing configuration on DALI bus. Check and discover new ballasts connected to DALI bus and configure just these newly found ballasts**
- Check “Check&Repair” check box
- Check “Find New Ballasts” check box
- If you wish the newly found hardware to be assigned ShortAddress:
- Automatically - then Check “Auto Addressing” check box
- Manually - then Uncheck “Auto Addressing” check box
- Press “Scan DALI bus” button.
- **Configure new installation **– all addressing info will be deleted and new short addresses will be assigned
- If you wish the newly found hardware to be assigned ShortAddress:
- Automatically - then Check “Auto Addressing” check box
- Manually - then Uncheck “Auto Addressing” check box
- Press “New Installation” button.
Prior executing you will be asked if complete RESET of all data in all ballast should be done – if confirmed then all group, level, scene,…. setting will be set to default values and lights would be switched to their max level.
# Description
#### Scan DALI Bus button
The function performs complete scan of the connected DALI bus. It scans all 64 possible Short Addresses in the system. The found ballasts are displayed in the DALI table on the left side of the page. The function makes no change in any parameter or property set in ballasts unless the check box Check&Repair is set.
In case when the check box Check&Repair is set then the scan operation continues with Short Address collision test and with Search for not configured ballasts. In case if these checks would find some improperly set ballast, the new values are assigned.
#### New Installation button
The button is to be used when new DALI installation is to be configured or the setting of Short Addresses in the whole system is to be renewed.
Prior executing you will be asked if complete RESET of all data from all ballast should be done – if confirmed then all group, level, scene,…. setting would be set to default values and lights would be switched to their max level.
#### Check&Repair check box check box
If checked then the operation of “Scan DALI bus” would perform also check for Short Address collisions and Search for ballasts with missing Short Address. In case if these checks would find some improperly set ballast, the new values are assigned.
#### Auto Addressing check box
If checked and whenever the new Short Address is to be assigned then its value is set automatically.
If Auto Addressing is not checked then the user would be asked to choose new value by himself. The light which is to get new short address will stay blicking (with approx 1s period) while waiting for user selection.
#### Min.Level, Max.Level, Off (ALL BALLASTS, BALLAST, GROUP)
These buttons allow to check basic functionality of All connected ballast, Single ballast and single group by sending commands for: Recall Min Level, Recall Max Level and Off.
Note that ALL BALLASTS commands are sent to all ballasts in the system by using Boradcast address and so the buttons are operational even in state when the system is not configured and even if short addresses are not assigned!
#### SCENE Recall
This button allows Recall selected scene
# Changing parameters
When action started with “Scan DALI Bus” or “New Installation” is finished and ballasts are found on the DALI bus, then ballast editing box appears. The DALI ballast table on the left side is filled with found ballasts.
Check the number of ballasts found now. If all is OK, then it is possible to edit the ballast parameters. To choose the ballast click appropriate line in the table and the ballast parameters should appear in ballast editing box.
Note that by clicking the table column name you can sort records ascending/descending either by Short Addresses or by Device type.
The Ballast editing box appearance could differ according to Device Type of the ballast which is to be edited.
# Device Type 0-7 editing box
#### Description of ballast editing box
All changeable parameters of the edited ballast are displayed in WHITE fields – you can change any of them by clicking this field - then appropriate box for selecting new value would appear and you can select the new value for this parameter - see section **Parameter setting** bellow.
The check boxes GROUPS 0-15 can be used for setting the ballast membership to groups.
Note that changed values are not valid immediately. The changed values are fist displayed in RED color until the button Write is used. Then the parameter are written to ballast and then these params are displayed in BLACK again.
## Buttons
#### Read
Reads immediately all actual values of parameters from the ballast and updates all the data in page according to actual state
#### Write
Writes all values to the ballast.
#### Test
The button causes the selected ballast to start switch between Max. Level and Min. Level with approx. 1 second period. The light level toggling would last until the button is pressed again or any other action is selected.
#### Change Address
This button allows to set different value for the Short Address. Pay attention to avoid possible collision. The application is always displaying warning if collision appears. Note in this place that in some cases the collision could not be simply repaired unless “New Installation” is used! When new selection of Short Address is confirmed then it is written immediately to the ballast! See section **Changing Short Address** bellow
#### Max. Level, Min. Level, Off
These buttons set the ballast light to required state immediately.
## Check boxes
#### Groups
When checked then the ballast is set to as member of selected Group.
# Parameter setting
When ballast parameters are changed then prior to the Write button is used, the page could look like this. The parameters prepared to be changed are in RED. After using the Write button then the parameters are written into ballast and became BLACK again.
## Level parameters
Selecting any “level” type of parameter by clicking its value in WHITE field the Level setting box would appear. For example when selecting Scene level of ballast with Short Address 1 it would look like this:
Using the slider the new value can be set. Note that not all levels in range 00.00% to 100.00% can be set by DALI exactly as the actual level is set in 255 levels (0-254) using logarithmic scale. In such case the nearest possible DALI arc level is taken as target level.
By Scene level there is also button for selecting if this ballast would be enabled or disabled for this particular Scene.
## Fadetime parameter
This parameter is valid for SetLevel command. It can be set to predefined values from list.
## Faderate parameter
This parameter is valid for Level changing commands like Up, Down, etc. It can be set to predefined values from list.
# Changing Short Address
#### Change address button
When selecting button “Change Address” the Short Address setting box would appear:
Meaning of all parts is the same as in the section above except button Delete ShortAddr.
#### OK
Serves for confirmation of selected value an new Short Address is written immediately to the ballast.
#### Cancel
Cancels the operation.
#### Delete ShortAddr
Deletes current Short Address and ballast remains as ballast with no assigned Short Address. Such ballast could be assigned again by using either New Installation or Scan DALI bus with Check&rRepare option.
# Assigning Short Address for new ballast
When AutoAdressing is not checked and new ballast is found then user is asked to select the new Short Address.
The dropdown listbox allows to set new value for Short Address. In case that collided address has been selected then the application would display Warning.
Pay attention to avoid possible collision. In some cases the collision could not be simply repaired unless “New Installation” is used!
## Buttons
#### OK
Serves for confirmation of selected value an new Short Address is written immediately to the ballast.
#### Cancel
Cancels the operation.
#### Auto Addressing
Pressing this button allows to switch on the option AutoAddressing
# Device Type 8 editing box
The appearance of Ballast editing box for DeviceType 8 is very similar to the one of Device Types 0-7. The main difference is that all level parameters settings are to store also color value.
## Level parameters
The level parameters allow to set Level and also the ColorValue.
The possibilities to specify the required Color Value depend on Color Types supported by specific Ballast. The supported Color Types are visible in the Color and Level editing box by solid color of all controls which are supported. On other side the controls for ColorTypes which are not supported appear as shaded and transparent.
Bellow is example of Ballast Device Type 8 supporting:
- RGBWAF color type - limited to RGB
- XY coordinates color type
- Tc color temperature in Kelvin color type
- PrimN color type - limited to 3channels
The just sellected Color type is displayed in RED frame
On the next picture below there is example of Ballast Device Type 8 supporting just RGBWAF color type limited to RGB channels. No other color types are available for this ballast.
For setting Scenes there on the Color and Level editing box appers also button for Enabling or Disabling ballast for this particular Scene:
