Zen Control Lighting Controller

Professional DALI lighting integration for Q-SYS through Zen Control’s Third Party Interface (TPI). This plugin allows AV integrators to incorporate commercial DALI lighting systems into Q-SYS environments with minimal configuration. A single IP address setup gets you connected, with no complex discovery process required.

The plugin provides fine-grained control over individual DALI groups, with smooth dimming, scene recall, and real-time feedback that keeps Q-SYS synchronised with actual lighting levels. Intelligent polling queries only active groups, reducing unnecessary bus traffic while maintaining accurate state information.

Core Control Features

• Group Management: Control up to 16 DALI lighting groups (0-15) individually
• Brightness Control: Smooth dimming from 0-100% using native DALI arc levels
• Power Functions: Direct ON/OFF commands via DALI MAX/OFF functions
• Scene Recall: Access up to 16 pre-programmed scenes per group
• Flexible Slots: Configurable control slots (1-16) for multiple controls per group. Enable only the slots you need.
• Custom Commands: Interface for sending raw TPI protocol commands for advanced use
• Real-Time Feedback: Optional state polling keeps Q-SYS synchronised with actual lighting levels

Plugin Interface

• Setup Page: IP configuration, connection status, and polling settings
• Slot Pages (1-16): Each slot provides group selection, brightness slider, power button, and scene recall
• Custom Commands Page: Direct TPI protocol command entry for advanced operations
• Scene Indicators: Active scene tracking per group with visual feedback
• Power state LEDs and status indicators on every slot

Device Setup

All the configuration sits on the Zen side. Here is what needs to be in place before the plugin will do anything:

1. TPI licence activated on the target controller
2. Third Party Interface enabled in the controller settings. The licence unlocks it, but it still needs toggling on.
3. Static IP assigned to the controller
4. DALI groups configured in Zen. The plugin addresses DALI groups 0-15, not individual fixtures.
5. Scenes pre-programmed per group, if you want to trigger scene recall from Q-SYS
6. UDP port 5108 open between the Q-SYS Core and the controller

Once that is sorted, the Q-SYS side is just dropping the controller’s IP address into the Setup page and connecting.

Technical Specs

• Native DALI brightness levels (0-254) for precise dimming
• Smart command buffering to prevent DALI bus collisions
• Debounced controls preventing bus flooding from rapid adjustments
• Configurable polling intervals (5-300 seconds) querying only active groups
• State management for accurate response interpretation
• Zero-based indexing matching native DALI addressing (Groups 0-15, Scenes 0-15)

Compatible Hardware

Zen Control Application Controller and Room Controller (LCM/RCM) models via direct IP communication over ethernet.

Requires a separate Third Party Interface (TPI) license from Zen Control for each Application Controller or Room Controller unit. Contact Zen Control at [email protected] for TPI licensing.

Licensing

One license key per Q-SYS core. Once licensed, you can use the plugin as many times as you like in your design.

Version History

• v1.0: Initial release