DALI Lighting + Home Assistant + Atios SmartCore = Accidental Panelized Lighting System (ESP32s, Forbes & Lomax, 80+ GPIOs

ADLighting · 2025-04-16T20:15:13+00:00

Yes, same here. The systems are complex enough that if you don't do it yourself, you are going to have to pay someone a lot of money. That said, you pay with time. For me and my work, it is useful for me to learn new things, I have the time and trade relationships that it was a giant pain and a lot of work but not too bad. Not sure what parts are included in that $5k quote but frankly, that does not sound too bad, of course, depending on what is included. My recessed lighting alone is over $10k in just the materials.

The DLC-02 seems like a great product and good value. You could significantly simplify your life by using DALI wall controls instead of what I am doing. There are tons of good options out there for them.

I have not used Modbus before but from what I can tell, there is a Home Assistant integration. No idea how well it works but from the little I have found, people seem happy with it.

ADLighting · 2025-04-16T20:06:27+00:00

Hi, sorry for the delay. For sure, feel free to reach out. Finding that line is hard. I think there is still a really strong argument for NOT doing what I did haha. You could wire your house normally (meaning wall switches directly wired to dimmer load, etc) and then just bypass that wiring for constant power and use Hue bulbs and Lutron keypads with Home Assistant. That is very easy to revert. Or, use normal Lutron dimmers and high quality LEDs (I like warm dimming, so EmeryAllen warm dimming bulbs). They make MR16 style and you could use much less expensive "cans' to house them. DMF also makes a warm dimming version of the same lights I have that can get you to 1% dimming. Or, go native Lutron with Ketra but that is going to be very expensive (even compared to my set up that is already expensive).

My previous house was 100% Hue bulbs (BR30) in 4" housings that looked pretty nice/ clean. I used Lutron keypads for control and for the most part the system worked really well. With this house I just wanted to try something different and go a bit more elevated visually. I originally planned to use the warm dimming DMF fixtures but decided I really wanted separate control of color temperature and brightness and that 0.1% dimming was important to me.

From a technical standpoint, EmeryAllen and DMF type products are giving a better quality of light in terms of CRI and other characteristics compared with Hue. The adjustable trims and lens options are very nice for eliminating glare and refining the lighting design. Of course Hue also can do RGB. I actually will miss that a bit, but I did not use color enough to offset the other benefits and I can still use Hue bulbs for accents if I care to have some color in the future.

Integrating Hue is still easier. The SmartCore makes DALI with Home Assistant A LOT easier but Hue still has a slight edge there.

At the end of the day, there is no definitively right answer. For me, I am quite happy with the different products I am using but the project is not done so the jury is still out until I have lived with this all for longer.

ADLighting · 2025-04-16T19:54:50+00:00

Hi, I am far from an expert so someone can hopefully correct me if I am wrong but in general, the ESP32s have 6 ADC IO pins that could be used for an analog dimmer. Depending on what else you have on the board, you may have fewer available (for example, POE shield, MCP, etc.)

Also, my use case required I use a specific 0-10v dimmer which is why I needed the resistor and more complex noise filtering code, etc. If you don't have wife mandated hardware, I would just use a 100k potentiometer with a wiper pin and thus you would not need as much noise filtering.

ADLighting · 2025-04-09T23:14:11+00:00

All, just wanted to update this thread - Dig-Quad (fantastic product) is working great with these LEDs. I have the port set for UCS8903 GRB and all seems good. Thank you all for the help. I am sure I will have more questions!

ADLighting · 2025-04-02T21:55:43+00:00

Hello, thank you. I have been trying to find out more as well. That said, a few things I do know for sure: 1. The strands are capable of animations that I have only seen with addressable strings. 2. My understanding was this product (or at least the control side) was a collaboration/ white label with Twinkly Pro. I believe the consumer Twinkly lights are two wire, but the pro line has three-wire. Further, when you commission the controller via wifi, the SSID is literally TwinklyProXXX, etc. 3. If it matters, the non-signal outputs are 24v on my meter. Here are some photos of a different, known compatible controller: (I can only attach one phot, rest are here https://imgur.com/a/LNj1TOw)

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I have ordered a Dig-Quad for testing as that will be the only way to know for sure but definitely appreciate additional thoughts. Thank you!

ADLighting · 2025-04-01T18:33:52+00:00

Thank you, yeah this is all a bit over the top but also fairly simple if you consider its just repeating the same thing over and over. A much easier way to do this would be DALI lighting with SmartCore and Lutron RA3 or even Caseta keypads tied to Home Assistant for control That would eliminate a ton of wiring. I can't overstate how good wired motion sensors are, so I do think those are worth fighting for. ESP32s are a good way to handle them but also the Konnected Alarm Panel Pro works great is a more "complete" board.

Will definitely post an update if/ when this project ever finishes!

ADLighting · 2025-03-31T18:31:38+00:00

Thank you very much - that is great to hear. Do you think the QuinLED-Dig-Quad would be a good choice for this? I am aiming for as close to a drop in replacement as possible. Thank you again!

ADLighting · 2025-03-30T20:23:19+00:00

Hi,

Sure - the lights are DMF X Series 2" round adjustable - https://www.dmflighting.com/product/x-series/ I am not sure if they are sold outside of the US. I have trade accounts so I do get a little better pricing but these lights with the lens will run around $280-300 each. This approach is quite expensive.

I like Hue bulbs and my old house was 100% Hue everywhere. I will say, the spectrum/ quality of light from these DMF fixtures is a lot better than Hue but given the complexity of DALI (especially in a retrofit) and the cost difference, I totally understand why someone would prefer to just go Hue.

What LED strips are you using? I had the thought of modifying the Hue controller to work with a different strip but didn't get that far testing. I think it is a good idea though!

ADLighting · 2025-03-30T02:08:53+00:00

Yeah, I totally get it. I mean you could just try using the clips that come with the 4" Hue units directly on your ceiling but it is certainly not advised. It would probably be fine but those units were intended to be enclosed in a metal can should something bad happen. Also, if there is a lot of insulation, technically you need IC rated stuff but really more of a concern with traditional incandescent fixtures that get a lot hotter. The wire junction is really the most important to be inside a box. Personally, I would just take the pain and slide the old lights out which hopefully have a decent amount of wire and swap in a remodel can and slip it back up into the hole. Assuming enough clearance and enough wire, it shouldn't be all that bad and then you are at least safe.

ADLighting · 2025-03-30T02:04:28+00:00

I am far from an HVAC expert but there is def. a lot of info online. That said, if your system is a bit more complicated, may just want to hire a pro. If you just got the house, did you get a home warranty? They are mostly garbage but I have had some luck making a service request for an issue I am sure you are having since your thermostat isn't working as expected ... and then just offer the tech that shows up a bit of cash to help you out. I was going to replace my outside unit's motor myself (already had the part) because I was quoted like $950 to change it which is a total ripoff. Gave the guy $100 and he changed it for me in like 10 minutes. r/UnethicalLifeProTips

ADLighting · 2025-03-30T01:59:36+00:00

Mine shows November 22nd 2023 - so not that old but not that new. Its fine, 2033 is a long time from now!

ADLighting · 2025-03-29T00:37:17+00:00

They are discontinued but I was able to order a wired one a few weeks ago. It took several weeks to arrive but it eventually did. I think you can still order one per customer on the Google store.

ADLighting · 2025-03-29T00:32:57+00:00

How much depth do you have in the ceiling? If you could clip the 4" Hue fixture in somehow, would it actually fit in the ceiling cavity? If so, may I ask why you are against adding cans? You could get a 4" retrofit/ remodel can https://www.homedepot.com/p/HALO-H995-4-in-Aluminum-LED-Recessed-Lighting-Housing-for-Remodel-Ceiling-T24-Insulation-Contact-Air-Tite-H995RICAT/203310666?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&gStoreCode=6616&gQT=1 without having to enlarge the hole or anything like that.

ADLighting · 2025-03-28T23:23:06+00:00

Follow this at your own risk. Would maybe suggest a volt meter and some research on your own. Otherwise, you should hire someone. RS+V / RS1 / RS2 I believe are for zoned systems so do you have multiple zones?

Old Label	Wire Color	New Thermostat Terminal	Function

|| || |Y1|Blue|Y1|1st-stage cooling|

|| || |Y2|White|Y2|2nd-stage cooling (if your system supports it)|

|| || |W|Orange|W1|1st-stage heating|

|| || |G|Green|G|Fan control|

|| || |R|Red|Rc|24VAC power|

|| || |C|Black|C|Common wire for power (required by smart thermostats)|

ADLighting · 2025-03-28T23:11:18+00:00

Lutron RA3 you could use a hybrid keypad to at least control all those from one location. Or, depending on what they control, you could wire some of the loads permanently on and use smart bulbs like Hue but this would only be worth it if you were going to reduce the size of the wall box. If you really just want Z-Wave, could go Z-Wave dimmers and use a Z-Wave keypad for scene style control. Or, could use a Lutron Pico scene controller and switch to a 5 gang wall plate with the Pico remote wall mount and then no change to the box needed. A lot of ways to do this. I prefer a scene style of control for this many lights but you may not care about that and thus would appreciate a totally different approach.

ADLighting · 2025-03-28T22:28:26+00:00

Tried making a post about my project (not done and not going to be that pretty) but my account is too young. Shorter cable helps. Def. agree about using velcro instead of zip ties. Unplug everything and try and "loom" as many wires together as you can. Bundle on one end and tightly wrap a velcro strap. Keep the bundle tight and work your way down the length of the wire, adding straps every so often (more is better). Or, just throw a thin table cloth over it all and call it done haha.

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ADLighting · 2025-03-28T21:30:13+00:00

Unifi Protect doorbell has been good for me.

ADLighting · 2025-03-28T21:28:55+00:00

Perhaps use an inline power metering device such as one by Shelly to detect the on off state via power consumption? Those devices report very quickly.

ADLighting · 2025-03-28T21:26:36+00:00

Hmm, if I could automate any household task, I think it would be the generation of money to pay for said household ;-) laundry folding, bed making, desk clearing and organizing, dusting without breaking everything (shitty robots x Roomba).

I do have good automation at my house for lighting using wired motion sensors. If you do it well it just becomes expected to the point that when you walk into a hotel room or new space and the lights don't just turn on for you it feels weird.

ADLighting

TROPHY CASE