LED Technology
All green lights ahead W
TE Connectivity’s Z10 lighting solution is providing customers with enhanced flexibility
hen Owen VandeVelde, product manager, started at EiKO Global, LLC — an LED fixture and lamp manufacturer — in 2017,
he had one thing at the forefront of his mind: lighting controls. However, this was easier said than done. VandeVelde spent close to three years tracking down a way to simplify the process of adding controls to EiKO LED fixtures. While many available solutions were workable, they came with a hefty price tag and were not guaranteed to be the best solution for their customers’ applications. Over time, VandeVelde connected with McWong International, an industry leader in lighting controls and pioneer in Bluetooth mesh control solutions, on the product development side. He began moving EiKO’s style of controls from line voltage to low voltage current, as it reduces complexity and cost while increasing safety. He then worked with multiple design teams to find the best way to integrate the control devices into EikO’s fixtures. Through this collaboration, VandeVelde thought they had found a clear path forward: A pre-installed receptacle on every fixture.
“This would allow us to sell the product, regardless of whether or not the customer purchased controls, and then later come back and add a sensor or control device,” said VandeVelde. Working with an engineering team, EiKO developed a low-cost solution to meet their needs. “The solution allowed us to offer a fixture with a high level of flexibility. Customers could either install the control later, or easily swap it out.”
Unfortunately, this approach incurred major costs, plus companies had to reinvent the wheel in sourcing components, design, etc. So VandeVelde went back to the drawing board, where the team landed on Zhaga Book 18 connectors, and subsequently, TE Connectivity (TE). Zhaga Book 18, however, also presented a hurdle, as it’s meant to function digitally rather than with an analog control device.
14 May 2022
While Europe is well underway with implementing digital and D4i standards as well as digital control devices, these will not be readily available for several years in America. EiKO needed the repeatability of Zhaga Book 18, but compatibility with low voltage applications. “We invited TE to create something that is the
equivalent of Zhaga Book 18 connectors but dedicated to zero to 10 volt control
devices fixtures,’” said VandeVelde. “We presented the vision of how it could be executed and the range of fixtures that EiKO would commit to executing it on.”
Implementing the vision of Z10 Since the introduction of Z10-enabled receptacles from TE, EiKO has been on a very aggressive path, implementing the Z10 receptacles across half a dozen of their fixture lines, with more coming each day. “We’ve adapted our proprietary controls system and repackaged it to fit a Z10 base and dome provided by TE; we’ve developed
Components in Electronics
several basic sensors and a photocell based on Z10,” said VandeVelde. “This was only possible through TE signing onto the vision, and their willingness to make a commitment to it.”
“As a lighting manufacturer, we’ve got to get to a point where our customers can add controls at any point in time,” said VandeVelde. “This is what’s going to drive energy efficiency to the next level. Z10 makes it as simple as possible.”
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) also recognizes the benefits of Z10 and is looking at incorporating a zero to 10-enabled solution into its standard. ANSI members – mainly lighting manufacturers and control companies - see the value of this standardized low-voltage solution because most fixtures nationwide operate between zero to 10 volts.
“The ANSI committee recognizes our plug-and-play solution that can easily be incorporated into its fixtures as a luminaire manufacturer and the control companies can develop different sensors that plug into it,” said Alex Hunt III, lighting product manager at TE. “Many of the smart city
trends can be traced back to these types of controls that can be adapted for a zero to 10-enabled platform, and provide that functionality well beyond just energy, but also safety, and security.”
Setting a new standard “Standardization eases the process of industry-wide adoption of the Z10 solution, and it gives an immediate, reliable reputation,” said VandeVelde. Hunt added: “Standards give instant credibility, showing that the product has already been evaluated, approved and that it meets the form, fit and functionality of the product for which it was designed. You can design solutions within that standard without having to retest or reevaluate.” Sarah Eastman, VP of marketing at EiKO, said: “We can’t deliver product fast enough. Our customers are thrilled with this easy to use, interchangeable, controls solution. The more products we integrate the more customers are requesting additional products to support. As soon as the industry takes hold, this will change the controls market.”
www.te.com/global-en
www.cieonline.co.uk
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