LED drivers: EldoLED launches EcoDrive heading to SIL; Lutron adds EcoSystem 5-Series
Lutron has announced the EcoSystem 5-Series LED driver family with support for dimming of LED fixtures down to 5% with control enabled by the company's EcoSystem lighting-network technology. Acuity Brands has entered the OEM market after purchasing driver-maker EldoLED last year and now has launched the EcoDrive family under the Acuity banner. The new EldoLED drivers will be on display alongside many other solid-state lighting (SSL) products at the Strategies in Light conference February 25-27, in Santa Clara, CA.
The EcoDrive products
For Acuity, the EcoDrive launch marks the commissioning of a new high-throughput, surface-mount-technology production line that can yield 1 million LED drivers and 5 million LED circuit boards annually. Indeed, the EcoDrive drivers come to market after Acuity added both engineering and manufacturing resources.
"We have added significant engineering resources to our solid-state lighting team and expanded our electronic manufacturing capacity," said Mel Mendoza, Acuity's vice president of SSL. "With the rapid transformation to LED lighting technologies, we have made significant investments to enable us to provide delivery of high-quality electronic components to the industry."
| Acuity Brands has entered the OEM market after purchasing driver-maker EldoLED last year and has launched the EcoDrive family. |
The new drivers target indoor applications and are based on a digital-power-control architecture that enables smooth dimming down to 1% of full scale. Moreover, output voltages are programmable and Acuity will offer the family in a variety of form factors.
The products are key to Acuity expanding its OEM sales. "We are excited about the EcoDrive being an integral part of Acuity Brands lighting solutions, and even more excited about the value it offers to our OEM partners," said Gilles Abrahamse, vice president and general manager of the eldoLED division of Acuity. EldoLED will showcase the products to the European audience at the upcoming Light+Building trade fair.
Lutron EcoSystem drivers
Lutron, meanwhile, will continue to build out its EcoSystem-based product family with the launch of the 5-Series drivers. EcoSystem is an enhanced version of the DALI (digital addressable lighting interface) network that enables network-based controls of lighting. Lutron offers luminaires, control panels, sensors, drivers, and other elements with EcoSystem interfaces. Moreover, other luminaire makers including Cree and GE Lighting offer EcoSystem as an optional feature in some products.
| Lutron has announced the EcoSystem 5-Series LED driver family with support for dimming of LED fixtures down to 5%. |
The Series-5 drivers can allow any SSL manufacturer to add EcoSystem support to a luminaire. Lutron says that the technology can boost energy savings 60% through occupancy sensing and daylight harvesting.
Lutron said that the driver is designed to help lighting specifiers deliver systems that meet stringent green energy codes. The driver family supports loads up to 35W. The design includes an on-board microcontroller that simplifies lighting design and commissioning.
"The new 5-Series driver, which is rated for 50,000 hours of lifetime operation, lets specifiers, contractors, and building managers easily accommodate change," said Eric Lind, vice president of specification solutions at Lutron. "Spaces can now be easily rezoned without rewiring during the design or commissioning phases, or throughout the building lifecycle, making it an affordable, flexible solution for reliably controlling LEDs."
