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Create Expensive
Scenes with PCS’ SceneMaster System
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Scene lighting has long been an effective way to enhance a particular mood in areas such as the living room and the dining room. The most effective scene lighting systems were usually found in hard-wired systems such as Lutron, Vantage or Lightouch. Powerline carrier systems, although an affordable way to create scenes, was considered too slow for multiple lights to be controlled to their lighting level.
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The SceneMaster products not only respond to its own primary address, as any X-10 compatible product would do, but also sixteen other scene addresses. The scene addresses has the capability to trigger any lighting level in any given lighting circuit. In fact, a single address can trigger a group of lights from a room to an entire house to be set to user-settable lighting levels.
Other features of the SceneMaster system highlight the flexibility of a microprocessor-based solid-state lighting design. The scene can have a ramp rate varying between an instant on and 13 minutes. The long ramp rates, as an example, can help the user simulate a sunrise or sunset effect. Additionally, channels in the SceneMaster system can be disabled to respond to scene addresses affecting other channels of the same product.
A big advantage to
SceneMaster programming is that it allows the installer to program or to set scenes with
an inexpensive X-10 Maxicontroller. The user has the capability to program the lights from
the location of the lighting loads, which makes it easy to visually set the lights. In an
effort to prevent inadvertently entering the programming modes, the Remote Access
programming can be disabled.
PCS is incorporating SceneMaster in all versions of their product line. The single-channel Smart Switch (SS1) is a true-rocker wall-mounted switch that can deliver 600W or 1000W. The two-channel Multi-Modules (MM2) are devices that can be plugged in to common power outlets and are perfect for quick installations of room lighting, such as home theater. The four-channel Lighting Module (LM4) provides 2000W to four lights in a homerun-type wiring setup. The SS1s and the LM4s have remote switch capability for multi-way control.
Marshall Lester is the Founder and president of Powerline Control Systems (PCS), a lead designer and manufacturer of high quality powerline carrier home automation products. He holds a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering (California State University, Northridge, 1985).