What are busbars used for?
Busbars are a combination of a cable and a mounting rail for lighting fixtures. The complete system consisting of connectors, adapters and holders allows you to build a lighting installation that allows you to easily move the luminaires along the rails and change the lighting arrangement without having to interfere with the electrical installation or the ceiling surface. Rail solutions are divided into two main categories depending on the type of power supply:
- low voltage buses,
- busbars powered by mains voltage.
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Low voltage buses come in many variants. Depending on the manufacturing technology, we can find rails with one or two circuits and those with an additional line intended for controlling luminaires. The rail requires an additional power supply, usually mounted inside or outside the profile. Their main advantage is their small dimensions.
Buses powered by mains voltage are connected directly to the 230 V network. The most common products on the market are 3-phase busbars. DALI busbars and single-phase busbars. The most frequently chosen solutions are 3-phase busbars or busbars equipped with an additional line intended for DALI control (or another control method requiring two additional wires).
Unipro busbars and accessories
What solution will be best for my project?
It depends on what we want to achieve. The choice of rail type does not always depend on the interior. Most often, the decision about whether the bus is to be 3-phase or DALI is made when we decide on a design with or without control. The 3-phase bus allows you to divide the lighting scene into 3 independent circuits. Additionally, the DALI bus (apart from dividing it into 3 independent circuits) also allows you to control luminaires, dim them, and build complex light scenes. DALI control involves giving each luminaire its own "address", which allows us to communicate with the luminaires connected to the bus. Of course, apart from the bus itself, it will be necessary to connect the control system to it.
Installation of busbars
Once we have decided what type of rail we want to use, it's time to choose accessories. It is worth remembering that usually accessories from one manufacturer fit only its busbars (apart from adapters for luminaires, they are very often universal - such as A75 Unipro). The assembly details and connection methods are described in the instructions, but it is worth remembering that the power supply can be connected to the rail in various places, at the end of the rail, in the middle or on angle connectors. This definitely makes it easier to build a lighting installation on an existing electrical installation when we do not want to modify the ceilings. Many types of connectors, mounting accessories, slings and other elements are available to facilitate the assembly and modification of our lighting installation.
leaning on the rails. Solutions are most often available in black, white and gray. Other RAL colors are also possible, but this requires ordering the appropriate number of pieces for a given product.
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I installed 3-phase rails and I would like to control the luminaires, do I need to replace the rails with DALI ones?
NO. Dali is one control method that requires additional wires for control. Currently, there are also solutions available on the market that transmit the control signal wirelessly, using, for example, Bluetooth Mesh technology. Each luminaire must be equipped with an adapter containing a control element or the control element can be placed directly in the power supply. Thanks to this, we can control the luminaires even if we have a bus installation without additional DALI cabling.
Are the rails a product that can be easily installed and does not require specialist knowledge?
Yes, the rails are easy, pleasant and quick to install, but it is still an electrical installation, so it is recommended that they be installed by qualified installers. Busbars allow you to easily build and modify our lighting installation even on existing ceilings. Moreover, thanks to the use of control (using additional circuits or wirelessly), they enable the control of luminaires and lighting management.
They are available in many variants, colors and shapes, as well as in many assembly options. They fit the individual design needs of many types of interiors, such as: apartments, offices, museums, shops and industrial spaces.