News

Hong Kong, August 12, 2020 – The strategic partnership recently created between GRE Alpha and Casambi Technologies is already proving fruitful with the release of GRE Alpha's first Casambi compatible dimming module. GRE's new SLD-DIM-CB is a 240-Watt single channel output constant voltage LED dimming module that allows for seamless integration with Casambi-enabled luminaires, sensors, wall-mounted and wireless switches.

Preferred by the world's leading architects, designers, and lighting companies, GRE Alpha's easy-install LED drivers and dimming modules are designed to operate with the highest efficiency and reliability at extreme environmental conditions. GRE's new Casambi compatible dimming module is a vital extension of Casambi's growing ecosystem of wireless lighting controls and networks based on Bluetooth low energy.

According to GRE North America's Business Development Manager, Rick Araujo, "GRE Alpha's partnership with Casambi allows us to combine our best-in-class LED powering solutions with state-of-the-art Bluetooth technology. We are confident that GRE Alpha's Casambi-ready SLD-DIM-CB dimmer will further help OEM lighting companies with the quick and easy cost-effective upgrade of their existing lighting systems to smart connected lighting."

Utilizing the latest in Bluetooth mesh, the SLD-DIM-CB dimmer features direct, peer-to-peer communication between nodes, ensuring instantaneous response to input from switches, sensors, and mobile devices without the need for hubs or a central controller. The result is instantaneous, flicker-free dimming. Applications include retrofit lighting, commercial, retail and residential lighting, museum, hotel, and office lighting.

Among the many benefits:

• Enables multiple fixture dimming from one Casambi node, i.e., track lighting
• Easily integrate Casambi BLE to any non-dimming installation
• Easily integrate Casambi BLE to replace any existing wired dimming system i.e., 0-10V, Phase dimming, etc.
• UL listed module can be installed anywhere, including within GRE Alpha drivers, to eliminate J-boxes, etc.
• Enables hassle-free lighting control with no compromise in performance
• Fully compatible with LED power supplies used for IoT lighting
• Compact size, high reliability

GRE Alpha is looking forward to creating many more innovative, interoperable powering solutions in partnership with Casambi that continue to advance smart lighting technology. For more information about the SLD-DIM-CB Casambi-ready dimmer or any other GRE Alpha product, please visit the GRE enquiries page.

About GRE Alpha

GRE Alpha® Electronics, Ltd. specializes in the design and manufacturing of solid-state lighting power supplies and lighting control accessories, which are the lifeblood of indoor and outdoor LED lighting systems. Their superior performance products are the power behind LED lighting systems. GRE's unique modular approach allows their dimming modules and drivers to be used either with used in either new or existing installations.

ZIGEN Featured in LED Professional Review

It was not long ago that the ability to have control over the CCT (correlated color temperature) of your light source was inconceivable. Now, thanks to ZIGEN Lighting Solutions supported by GRE Alpha’s tunable white dimming module, the industry’s first tunable white COB LED product series has been introduced. Labeled ZG7, the On-BBL tunable white COB LED changes luminous colors following the blackbody locus (BBL) by just using a 2-channel input.

While conventional tunable white LED only starts from 2700K or above and can result in a pinkish color at mid-range, ZIGEN’s newly patented technology using 3 phospor color ranges from 2000K sunset color temperature to 5000K which eliminates the unwanted pink and expands the adjustable color range to human centric lighting applications. It is a major step forward in tunable white lighting that is being welcomed by architects, engineers and building managers alike.

Consider ZIGEN’s ZG7 tunable white series solutions to help maximize ambiance and well being for:

• Educational Spaces. Learning is enhanced when indoor lighting mimics the natural patterns of daylight and helps students to stay focused and alert.
• Healthcare Spaces. In healthcare, elderly care and assisted living facilities, tunable white lighting can be easily adjusted from cool to warm to optimize the healing environment.
• Office Spaces. The right light at the right time can optimize employee performance and keep them involved and engaged throughout the day.

Listed above is a mere sliver of the usage possibilities in ZIGEN’s new tunable white technology. According to ZIGEN management, they are planning to adopt this new technology to higher power COB and SMT solutions in the near future. GRE Alpha is proud to be an LED powering partner with ZIGEN and looking forward to supporting their progress in any way possible. About ZIGEN Lighting Solution Co., Ltd

ZIGEN Lighting Solution Co., Ltd. is an LED device company established in 2017. The company won the Hiroshima Venture award and makes innovative lighting LED devices continuously. Involved in the production and distribution of lighting LED devices with unique product design, their products have established reputation by quality and features not available from other LED suppliers.

About GRE Alpha

GRE Alpha® Electronics, Ltd. specializes in the design and manufacture of solid-state lighting power supplies and lighting control accessories, which are the lifeblood indoor and outdoor LED lighting systems. Our superior performance products are the power behind LED lighting systems. GRE’s unique modular approach provides ideal, easy to integrate powering solutions for new and existing installations.

GRE Alpha Electronics, Ltd.,  a world leader in the design and manufacture of modular LED power supplies and accessories today announced a strategic partnership with Finland based CasambiTechnologies, the pioneer and market leader in wireless lighting controls and networks based on Bluetooth low energy.

Casambi’s embedded Bluetooth module is designed for integration with LED driver, lighting control systems and light fixtures. The new partnership will allow the expansion of GRE Alpha’s industry leading line of constant voltage BLE (Bluetooth low energy) dimming modules, featuring direct, peer-to-peer communication between nodes, ensuring instantaneous response to input from switches, sensors and mobile devices without the needs for hubs or a central controller.

GRE’s Executive Director, Richard Fong, pointed out that, “In this partnership, we have two pioneering solutions joining forces– GRE’s unique modular approach and Casambi’s early development of a Bluetooth low energy based lighting control system”.With GRE Alpha’s advanced LED dimming module and LED driver expertise and Casambi’s state-of-the-art Bluetooth wireless technology (2 million nodes installed worldwide), we are confident that our products can help OEM lighting companies and contractors quickly upgrade their lighting systems to smart connected lighting.”

Bluetooth low energy is now poised to become even more universal in the growth of electronics and Internet of Things (IoT). Casambi technology provides a mesh network where all the intelligence of the system is replicated in every node and creates a system with no single points of failure. This can be easily integrated into LED drivers, LED bulbs or LED modules, creating an optimal solution in terms of ease of installation and functionality with minimal additional hardware and deployment costs.

With their smart lighting modular technology and Casambi solution, GRE Alpha will be able to provide their customers with the benefits of the world’s most robust, cost-effective and future-proof wireless lighting control solution. This goes hand in hand with GRE’s pledge to provide exceptional, hassle-free user experience, high performance and scalability to enable best-in-class LED powering solutions for the widest possible variety of industry applications. 

About GRE Alpha

GRE Alpha® Electronics, Ltd. specializes in the design and manufacturing of solid-state lighting power supplies and lighting control accessories, which are the lifeblood of indoor and outdoor LED lighting systems. Their superior performance products are the power behind LED lighting systems. GRE’s unique modular approach allows their dimming modules and drivers to be used either with existing systems of new setups.

For more information on Casambi-ready BLE dimming modules or any other GRE Alpha products and services or to speak with a service representative or set up a one-on-one appointment with a technical expert, visit https://grealpha.com/contact/

GRE Alpha's SEL-20kA Surge Limiter Guards Against Transient Voltage Surges

Background

Your investment in lighting faces two types of very real electrical threats to the equipment itself and to the operator and the public safety.

• Lightning strikes in the vicinity, leading to galvanic or inductive coupling
• Lightning strikes on the LED streetlight or the power supply cable

(Source: LEDs Magazine)

The first threat is a momentary voltage or current spike that can damage or destroy your equipment. These can occur in both indoor and outdoor installations.

The second hazard, primarily if your lighting is outdoors, is the perpetual threat of lightning strikes. The long copper cables that carry power or data signals from LED power supplies or controllers can unintentionally mimic lightning rods, drawing in danger from the very sky itself.

Having appropriate protection in place to handle common power quality issues, such as over voltage's is important

GRE Alpha SEL-20kA Surge Energy Protector

The GRE Alpha SEL-20kA Surge Energy Protector is a surge limiter that provides maximum protection for your lighting investments. The UL Listed Class 2 device complies with UL1449, EN 60.364-5-534 and EN 62.305-1. The SEL-20kA provides effective surge protection against surge over voltages, providing effective coverage against both direct and indirect lightning strikes.

The GRE Alpha SEL-20kA Surge Energy Protector. Image source: GRE Alpha

This device is a UL Type 2 surge protection device (SPD), which means that it is designed to protect against 8/20 µs current waves. It provides protection against pulses of up to 20kA / 20kV and is designed to operate from AC line voltages ranging from 100 to 277, with a 320 VAC continuous maximum.

This surge protector protects against line to line and line to ground surges and includes a LED device status indicator.

The GRE Alpha SEL-20k Surge Energy Protector comes fully potted, which means that all unoccupied space with the device is filled with a solid or gelatinous compound. This makes it impossible for water to get in to cause short circuits or other damage. Additionally, during stormy weather, the air itself can be charged with electricity, and can cause electrical sparking. Potting fills all the empty space and eliminate either of these potentially disastrous outcomes.

GRE Alpha SEL-20kA Surge Energy Protector is designed to work the company's line LED Power Supplies. Image source: GRE Alpha

The unit enjoys an IP65 rating from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). This means it is 100% protected against dust and is also protected against low pressure jets of water from all directions.

The GRE Alpha SEL-20kA Surge Energy Protector is a UL Listed Class 2 device that also complies with the UL 1449, CSA C22.2 NO. 269.4-14, CSA C22.2 NO. 269.5-15 and CE safety standards.

It operates over a temperature range of -40°C to +70°C, and over relative humidity of 5% to 95%. Unit size is 70mm (L) x 60mm (W) x 50mm (H). Read more

Specialty Solutions for Street Lighting

GRE Alpha provides a complete product line for LED street lighting. Products include LED power supplies as well as surge limiters, necessary components to protect against momentary pulses of high inrush current.

Application segments include:

• Street Lighting
• Pedestrian Lighting
• High Bay Lights
• Up/down Lights
• Flood Lights
• Wall Washers

GRE Alpha is a total solution for all LED lighting specialty solutions, these include:

• Architectural Signage and LED strips
• Horticultural Lighting, Grow Lighting
• Professional Lighting including Downlights and Track Lights
• Street Lighting and Bay Lightings
• Custom Solutions including Bespoke Design and Engineering
• Dim Control, Dimming Module Accessories

About GRE Alpha

GRE Alpha® Electronics, Ltd. specializes in the design and manufacture of solid-state lighting power supplies and lighting control accessories, which are the lifeblood of indoor and outdoor LED lighting systems. Our superior performance products are the power behind LED lighting systems. GRE's unique modular approach provides ideal, easy to integrate powering solutions for new and existing installations.

Ultra High Resolution and Digital Filtering Enhances Dimming for Smooth Dim to Dark

GRE Alpha, an emerging leader in the design and manufacture of solid-state lighting power supplies, is excited to announce the release of their newest smart dimming module.

The SLD-DIM1X module is an enhanced version of GRE's innovative SLD-DIM1B dimmer, featuring ultra-high resolution dimming. With 10,000 dimming steps (versus 1024 in the SLD-DIM1B) and GRE Alpha's advanced digital filtering technology, the SLD-DIM1X dimming module provides best-in-class, flicker-free (PWM) pulse width modulated dimming for 0-10V dimming applications. These enhancements make the dimming process smoother, especially at the low end- dim to dark. For cost sensitive projects with moderate dimming performance requirements, GRE Alpha's original model SLD-DIM1B remains the wise option.

These easy-to-install dimming modules work with commercial 0-10V dimmer controls (1V=0% brightness, 10V=100% brightness), and connect between any Class 2, AC-DC LED driver and LED Fixture/Luminaire to enable exceptional, flicker-free dimming. The SLD-DIM1X can be installed into any of GRE Alpha's SLD/XLD series LED driver's DC wiring cavity, eliminating the need for external junction boxes, resulting in a quick, low cost installation.

GRE Alpha's executive director, Richard Fong, had this to say: 'I am proud to announce that GRE Alpha's talented design team is continuing work on a series of innovative, high-quality LED drivers and modules that will take our popular line of LED powering products to the next level. The exceptional performance of the SLD-DIM1X is a prime example, with its enhanced, superior dimming. The architectural lighting industry- especially lighting OEM companies that continually strive to provide higher quality dimming performance in their LED fixtures- have been among the first to adopt our newly enhanced dimming products.'

It is important to note that the SLD-DIM1X is a new addition to GRE Alpha's growing line of high-quality LED dimming modules and drivers. The SLD-DIM1B as well as the rest of GRE's high-efficiency, high reliability SLD series products will continue to be offered and supported. The following chart illustrates the functional comparison between our new SLD-DIM1X and our original SLD-DIM1B dimming modules:

Preferred by the world's leading architects, designers and lighting companies, GRE Alpha's LED drivers and dimming modules are designed to operate with the highest efficiency and reliability at extreme environmental conditions, for any LED Lighting applications, including:

• Architectural Lighting
• Effect and Contour Lighting
• Office and General Illumination
• Warehouses
• Street Lighting
• Signage
• Strip Lighting
• Swimming Pools/Fountain lighting

When it comes to LED lighting, our dimming modules are the best choice for hassle free, high quality dimming. For additional information about the SLD-DIM1X module or any of GRE Alpha's wide range of adaptable, high performing powering products, please visit the GRE contact page. With teams strategically located in North America, Japan and Hong Kong, GRE Alpha's technical advisors are within reach and ready to answer LED power source related questions.

About GRE Alpha

GRE Alpha® Electronics, Ltd. specializes in the design and manufacture of solid-state lighting power supplies and lighting control accessories, which are the lifeblood of indoor and outdoor LED lighting systems. Our superior performance products are the power behind LED lighting systems. GRE's unique modular approach provides ideal, easy to integrate powering solutions for new and existing installations.