Night shut-off: Dynadimmer vs. networked luminaires with OLC

In Switzerland, night shutdowns are practiced in many smaller communities. This usually involves interrupting the power to the luminaires, i.e. the phases for operating the luminaires are switched off centrally, e.g. via ripple control. This is not easy to do with non-networked LED luminaires and programmed dimming profiles (dynadimmers), because the programming would be messed up and energy consumption could even increase as a result. The solution: networked LED lights that can be controlled remotely.

Networked LED luminaires are controlled by an Interact City outdoor luminaire controller (OLC). This is usually mounted on the top of the luminaire. Dimming profiles are parameterized via the cellular network and software from the office. The luminaires can also be switched off at night via HN phase without technical restrictions. Operation via GN phase and adjustment of the dimming profile to 0% is recommended in order to be able to make changes quickly. Thus, this operating mode offers the widest range of possibilities.

Luminaires with integrated Dynadimmer have a dimming profile stored. The luminaires dim independently by artificially midnight is determined between switching on and off and then dimmed with the defined dimming profile.

The problem:
The dynadimmer built into the driver requires voltage throughout the night. If the light is switched off, so that two operating times per night, can "artificially midnight" no longer be determined. As a result, the dynadimmer falls out of rhythm and is not used or is used in the wrong way. Thus, a luminaire with dynadimmer must not be operated with the half-night (HN) phase.

The solution:
The dimming profile can be manually reprogrammed to 0% for each luminaire. This requires voltage at the luminaire throughout the night. The dimming profile must be adjusted with the ensprechenden programming device on site. It should be noted that the switching times are still based on "artificial" midnight. These deviate thereby from the exact time - in particular in the summer (around up to 60min).