Tridonic is assisting luminaire manufacturers in the configuration, transmission and control of driver settings. companionSUITE is a dynamic set of various software tools developed by Tridonic for long-term process optimisation, minimising production errors and enabling simple analysis of faulty devices. The range of software has now been expanded to include an analysis tool.
LED drivers have a wide range of properties and functions, enabling lighting to be tailored to individual user requirements: Both the configuration of luminaires during the production process and the adaptation of settings for the respective application can involve the definition of numerous parameters. The challenge here lies in the large number of settings to be configured. More often than not, this requires someone to pore over the datasheets. Tridonic companionSUITE takes on this intensive task and provides luminaire manufacturers with all the information they need on the relevant driver at a glance – from power functions such as the Constant Lumen Output (CLO) through to application-related settings such as automatic control of luminous intensity via motion sensor using corridorFUNCTION. The customer is provided with a comprehensive on-screen overview of the properties and settings, can change these as required and can reprogram the devices via an interface.
“companionSUITE makes it easier for our customers to handle LED drivers”, explains Klaus Mohr, Product Manager for Controls & Connectivity at Tridonic. “The software is extremely user friendly. It’s an easy and effortless way to create driver settings and upload them to the driver. It’s also a convenient way to export data from returned products.” companionSUITE consists of three dynamic software tools: deviceGENERATOR, deviceCONFIGURATOR and deviceANALYSER. The latter of these was launched in October 2018 and completes the suite.
deviceGENERATOR provides luminaire manufacturers with an easy way to define and save settings individually for subsequent transmission to drivers. deviceCONFIGURATOR then simplifies the configuration of the luminaires, providing production staff with an easy and efficient way of transmitting the correct driver settings to the devices. This optimises work processes and reduces the amount of programming errors. A traffic-light function provides employees with direct feedback on the configuration status, plus a barcode scan also confirms that the drivers have been programmed with the correct settings. Available since October 2018, deviceANALYSER completes companionSUITE: The tool provides support for quality management and makes it easier to perform a comprehensive fault analysis on drivers from returned luminaires. deviceANALYSER can be used to export parameters from returned drivers, which can then be compared with the original configuration.
The individual software components within companionSUITE are intuitive to use and web-based, meaning there’s no need for installation or regular software updates. Data can be transmitted between driver and software using DALI, ready2mains or now also via Near Field Communication (NFC).