Before troubleshooting specific issues, confirm the DALI system is fundamentally sound, this includes checking the following:
- Power Supply: Only one DALI power supply per line unless using isolated segments.
- Bus Voltage:
- Measured bus voltage (use multimeter) at controlled device should be no more than 2 volts less than the nominal specified output voltage of the control device.
- Ensure, that DALI bus voltage is not too high or too low: 9.5-22.5 Vdc voltage must be present at every driver.
- Refer bus voltage to the supply voltage of the DALI bus powering device, there should not be more than X V drop in the farthest point of the DALI bus from the powering device.
- If one or few devices are misbehaving, ensure that those devices receive DALI power.
- Bus Current:
- The DALI bus current is the total current drawn by all devices connected to the DALI line.
- According to the DALI standard (IEC 62386), the maximum allowed current on a DALI line is 250 mA.
- If the total current exceeds 250 mA, the system may become unstable or fail to operate correctly.
- Ensure, that the DALI current available for the bus is not less than required by the connected DALI devices together.
- Wiring:
- Check for correct polarity (though DALI is polarity-insensitive), no shorts, and proper terminations. DALI wiring maximum length is 300 meters.
- Important: When using D4i drivers and other polarized devices, ensure that polarity is respected.
- DALI bus must not be a closed loop
- Device Count: Ensure no more than 64 devices per DALI line.
Problem | Possible cause |
Erratic or intermittent communication | DALI bus voltage too high (9.5-22.5VDC must be present at every driver) |
DALI bus voltage too low (9.5-22.5VDC must be present at every driver) | |
DALI current exceeds 250mA | |
DALI current too low for the amount of drivers connected | |
Loose DALI bus connection at one or more drivers | |
DALI 300m maximum wire length exceeded | |
DALI bus connected in a closed loop | |
DALI bus + & - polarity is mixed (if using D4i drivers) | |
Unapproved power supply used (see DiiA website) | |
Non certified DALI drivers used (see DiiA website) | |
Drivers do not respond to Casambi commands | See all options from the "Erratic or intermittent communication" section |
Driver faulty | |
DALI bus is not connected to the driver | |
Cannot address all drivers | Driver not powered |
Driver not connected to the DALI bus | |
Number of drivers exceeds the Salvador specification | |
DALI bus connected in a closed loop |
DALI Certification
- Devices used should be DALI-2 certified (or DALI-1 if legacy)
- Certification ensures that the device complies with IEC 62386 standard and has passed interoperability testing.
- Certified devices are listed on the DALI Alliance Product Database.