Getting connected is what mwConnect (formerly McWong) specializes in with their award winning Bluetooth Mesh. They’ve been around for 40 years, so you know they know what they’re doing. Margaret and Stephen give us a retrospective of the company from its beginnings manufacturing ballasts, and they tell us about their rebranding process. If you’re in competition with mwConnect, they welcome it as it drives manufacturers to create and produce better products and offer more affordable price...

Just one away from his 5 times guest jacket, Steve Mesh joins us to discuss… education, semantics, UL924, emergency controls, security, and in-rush. You already know Steve knows his stuff and he’ll always open your eyes to something. Listen to his interesting perspective on emergency vs life saving controls. Steve has been a lighting designer and educator for 43 years. He was the Senior Lighting Program Coordinator at the Pacific Energy Center in San Francisco from 2008-2011. Steve is a...

The listeners give feedback to hosts Ron and Webster to clarify some things that were unclear or confusing in episode 53 "It's Not a Protocol." In this short episode, past guests Mitch Hefter and Javid Butler discuss the definition of a protocol in our industry vs. the OSI definition of a protocol, what did and did not get revised regarding emergency lighting control, and what the basic requirements are for emergency lighting control. No need to listen to episode 53 to listen to this shorty!...

The LED revolution has done its part in the energy saving space. Now it’s going to fall on the Controls industry to take it to the next level. You can tell people to just turn off their lights when no one is in the room, but we all know humans and human nature makes that a challenge. So it’s up to us, the controls specialists. But… sometimes it’s up to the end user. Listen to David’s story about a major university during the pandemic shut down. And wait till you see his Zippo lighter! After...

This one covers a lot of ground. Avi Mor, Founder and CEO of Morlights, a design firm in Chicago, speaks his mind on interoperability, protocols, dimming, CAT5, Dali, specifications, and… elevators. Using elevators as an analogy, Avi would like to see open protocols for controlling luminaires allowing designers to replace fixtures rather than ripping out the controls system.  Founding Principal, Avraham “Avi” M. Mor has been practicing lighting design for over 20 years. After graduating from...

Daniel works for one of the big guys. As Global Hardware Product Manager at Philips Dynalite, he has the resources to really make a difference. Daniel tells us about the evolution from contact closures to devices in a network having mini computers in them. You're still pressing a button, but a microprocessor is interpreting those button presses. Daniel joined us from Australia. Luckily, he was free at 5 am on a Saturday morning. Daniel Walker has worked at Philips Dynalite for the past 23...

How do we maintain our lighting control systems? We’ve said it before and Kelly says it again. Education! - and interoperability, but we’re not there yet - so, education! The facilities manager who leaves that job 5 years down the road is then replaced by a new facilities manager who doesn’t know the system and doesn't know who to contact. Now the lighting doesn’t perform as it should and the company that installed it receives complaints. Nobody wins. Listen to this episode and learn how...

Lightovation. Lightapalooza. LEDucation. These conferences have different perspectives and roles within the lighting industry, but they all contribute to shaping the future of lighting and controls. These are only three of MANY lighting conventions, but they are a good start if you want a well rounded education. https://lightapalooza.com/ https://dallasmarketcenter.com/markets/lightovation https://leducation.org/ Financially supported by NAILD (www.naild.org) Presented by The Lighting...

A market transformation for lighting controls is coming whether we are ready or not. Carol contends we've seen market transformation before, several times, but there are growing expectations for interoperability in the construction industry and lighting needs to be in on the conversation. If lighting professionals don't step up and leave their silo, other trades or groups may take over, forever changing the landscape of lighting and lighting controls. In this episode, find out how DALI can...

Thomas works at Color Kinetics. With a name like that, they obviously deal with color changing lighting, which also means they have to deal with lighting controls, and that has led to the cloud. Thomas explains that many people ask for the cloud solution. Why drive to the office to change the color on the outside of the building when you can just do it from home? Tom Barber joined Color Kinetics in early 2006, working in various roles spanning OEM applications, product management, and most...

Jason joins us from the DLC. What is the DLC? In Jason’s words, the Design Lights Consortium is “a bridge between the lighting world and the energy efficiency world.” The LED revolution for energy savings is pretty much over, so what’s the next step? Lighting controls, naturally. The DLC just published an impact report on the use of LED’s over the last 10 years. Jason wants you to know that he misquoted the impact number as one hundred megawatt hours, when it is actually more like ONE...

Want to learn about lighting controls technology and applications? The Lighting Controls Association is offering that FOR FREE! Go to https://aboutlightingcontrols.org/EducationExpress. But, before you do, check out this episode with Craig DiLouie, Education Director at the association. Craig explains that the LCA has educated up to 46,000 students with over a million learning hours. Jump in and get some letters behind your name. Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP is a journalist and educator in the...

Peter explains that Casambi chooses to partner with hardware companies (like McWong who happens to be sponsoring this episode), so that they can focus on software. That has resulted in sophisticated controls that can handle DMX, DALI, 0-10V, PWM, reverse phase etc. And they’re big time into wireless. Entering the North American market from Sweden during the pandemic, Casambi has flourished. Contact Peter for your next project and you could have YOUR cake and eat it too. Prior to his 20 year...

Do you own a bowling alley? Bill will integrate strikes with lights! Hit the jackpot at a casino? Bill can make sure everyone in the building knows. Bill’s definition of an integrator is “the glue that puts the pieces together.” This kind of integrator isn’t needed on every project, but Bill and Candela Controls have found a niche pulling together the lighting designer, the electrical engineer, and the manufacturer on complex projects. Bill Ellis is an industry expert in lighting systems...

Javid was with us way back when we started on the Conversation Series on Get A Grip On Lighting. Javid is back with some DMX512 standard updates (For all you geeks out there, here’s the link to all published ESTA standards mentioned on the podcast today: https://tsp.esta.org/tsp/documents/published_docs.php). Javid also discusses the pros and cons of using wireless and the surprisingly positive case for using category cable in wired situations. Keep an eye out for his new book on DMX512....

Our hosts have asked many guests their take on the state of the lighting controls industry, but have they ever asked each other? In this special Short Edition, Webster and Ron do just that. They discuss how and when they are brought into a project and how to balance all the relationships when problems have to be pointed out. Webster asks Ron the scary question, “Have you ever turned someone down who asked for help?” C. Webster Marsh is the owner of Penumbra Controls, where he provides...

As a manufacturer, the need to maintain quality products is a no-brainer. But a quality “experience?” It’s Steve’s job, as “Director of Quality” at Touché to ensure that BOTH of those things are maintained. Steve and Touché support and like to get feedback from both end-users - the contractor and the day to day user. Basically, Steve makes sure it all works and everybody’s happy. Steve’s experience in and around the lighting control industry began as a teenager working as a residential finish...

Are Lighting Controls in their adolescent period? Can we be blindsided by the shortcomings of lighting controls systems? These are a couple of questions that come up while chatting with Shoshanna Segal. Clearly written intent is how Shoshanna thinks we can get to better lighting controls. If you want a “multi-layered, visually compelling environment,” Shoshanna can help you design it with a thorough specification. Also, if you want hydroponically grown tomatoes in your pantry, she could...

In this episode Ron and Webster hit the big 5-0! In this milestone episode they're turning the spotlight on their producer, Scott Griffin, the 'Expert Layman.' Yes, you read that right! Take a listen to the questions Scott has after listening to 49 episodes of lighting controls conversations and maybe find out how better to reach end-users on your next project. After all, it's not just about the switches and buttons; it's also about the people who use them. Scott spent many years in the...

It’s hard to get to the end-user. When you’re designing a lighting system for a space, wouldn’t it make sense to talk to the people who will be using that space, like a teacher in a classroom? Mark Olerud, a sales agent for Kore Controls, is always striving to find that path through the Architects, General Contractors, Lighting Designers, and Engineers. It’s not always easy but often you can save hours of meetings and work by just talking to the people who will be using the space. Mark...

Listen up Project Managers: Casey has no skin in the game. If DMX or DALI or even 0-10V is the right choice, he’ll put it in the specifications. That’s what you hire these people for, to make sure it’s done right. Casey is a proponent of the DALI protocol because, in many cases, it makes sense. It is available in North America, so all you specifiers, take a look at it and if it’s right, specify it!Casey has created hundreds of architectural spaces and interactive environments, as well as live...

Advanced and interoperable. That’s McWong’s thing when it comes to controls. So when the L-Prize came along, looking for those exact values, McWong was a shoe-in! Not so fast. It’s not easy to win an L-Prize. It requires a serious commitment, hard work, and a talented team. McWong won the Prototype Phase Lighting Prize with a Bluetooth mesh wireless lighting control solution. It took a team at McWong 16 months to put together the submission, so you better get started! Stephen is Executive...

Renovations aren’t just for kitchens! We’ve talked a lot about system integrations in new projects, but don’t discount retrofits. Daniel tells us that much of the work that comes his way lately is from existing projects. As he says, if you want to test your mettle, take on a renovation project. But don’t forget, good relationships and communications with the rest of the team and the owner are still vital!Daniel Salinas has been in the electrical industry since 1978, beginning as a residential...

First of all, Lyn won the Benner award from The Building Commissioning Association. That’s a big deal! So she is someone worth listening to. Lyn talks with Webster and Ron about looking at the industry as a team sport. As Lyn likes to say, it’s not about how fast you get across the finish line, it’s about how many people you bring along with you. Lyn is an MEP Coordinator for DPR Construction. She uses her 20+ years of experience to start up and build quality into integrated systems for HVAC,...