INSIDE VIEW

PHAROS

All new, innovative, straightforward, and practical. The new Expert range from dynamic lighting control specialists Pharos Architectural Controls, which launched recently at Light + Building in Frankfurt, is here to make lighting control easier. Jack Neill, Product Manager, and Simon Hicks, Director of Product & Marketing, outline what Expert is, and what makes it so exciting.

www.pharoscontrols.com

Pharos Expert is a new dynamic lighting control solution centred around a single, reliable, set-and-forget controller. It meets an emerging need in the architectural lighting market for installations that can deliver dynamic lighting control and intuitive zoning logic – within a system that’s easy to commission and easy to use. Jack Neill, Product Manager at Pharos Controls, explains that Expert is about making everything easier for the user: “The design of the hardware simplifies installation and the commissioning software makes programming effortless by guiding users with easy-to-follow helpers and walkthroughs,” he said. “The desktop app has been designed with lighting fixtures, scenes and stations naturally grouped into spaces, so that users can manage these more intuitively.” At the heart of the Pharos Expert range is Expert Control, which outputs control to eDMX, local DMX and DALI lighting fixtures. Expert Touch is an elegant companion 5” touch screen wall station. Expert Repeat and Expert Switch are two convenient accessories that coordinate perfectly with Expert Control.

Ease of use coupled with Pharos expertise

Expert Control features a compact DIN rail enclosure with solid-state hardware for 24/7 operation and reliability. Neill describes how pricing, quality, ease of installation and programming and user experience were all considered in the design of the controller: “We’ve engineered the Expert hardware from the ground up to be attractively priced without compromising on the reliability you expect from Pharos,” he said. “Simple networking for programming and straightforward installation were also key in the design of Control. We carefully considered and consulted on what was required for a smooth out-of-the-box experience, ensuring power, connectors and fixture test modes achieved just what was needed on site.” As well as standard DIN rail fittings, keyhole hanging options have also been incorporated to make Control easy to position. Available in one DMX or two DMX universe capacities, Control is geared to meet the rise of DMX, which Neill sees as becoming more widespread: “We are increasingly seeing DMX used for functional lighting, particularly in the US,” he continued. “It’s becoming more common to have DMX on select parts of a project, such as a decorative colour-changing element. This is why we saw a need for a controller that could handle these applications elegantly and intuitively. “We’re seeing tuneable white DMX fixtures come onto the market too, and in Europe there’s growth in DALI for white and colour control. There’s a demand for control systems that can handle both DMX and DALI interchangeably.” Expert Control presents a practical solution for architectural dynamic lighting – it has it all, but doesn’t bury it in complexity. It offers up to 1024 channels of eDMX, two local DMX ports, a DALI port and two pairs of IO onboard – alongside simple networking for programming, installationfriendly connectors, and test mode options.

Even more from Expert

If user interfaces are required, users can add the Expert Touch wall station to their set-up or use the mobile app. Expert Touch is ideal for projects that require frequent user interaction. The 5” touch screen provides automaticallygenerated pages to access control of the entire lighting installation – fixtures are naturally clustered into spaces, and programming can be done in each space to activate scenes and adjust intensity.

Expert Repeat is a convenient DMX splitter for output distribution, and Switch delivers PoE networking. Expert is fully compatible with Pharos Cloud, which means it can be controlled remotely using best-in-class security principles. Simon Hicks, Director of Product & Marketing, Pharos, says Cloud delivers convenience and a great customer experience: “An increasing number of installations require remote management, particularly local authorities, university site managers and estate owners who want to be able to act on social events,” he said. “They expect to be able to change the coloured lighting in their buildings across their city or campus without needing to go on site. Cloud means they can do exactly that – using any Internet-connected device and industry-standard protocols for encryption.”

The best of three worlds

Pharos Expert is aimed at an up-and-coming market with needs that span large-scale installations as well as traditional and small-scale lighting control solutions, while also benefitting from Pharos expertise in dynamic lighting for architecture and Pharos standards of quality and reliability. Hicks highlights that there’s been a greater incidence of installations, both indoor and outdoor, that need to combine elements and functionalities from different lighting control markets: “On the one end you have largescale installations that require high power and fully flexible control solutions to cater for a wide gamut of possibilities where commissioning is a specialism, and then on the other you have very small-scale control solutions where ease of setup with minimal commissioning is valued,” he said. “And between these there’s traditional commercial lighting solutions for switchable and dimmable fixtures that offer great control logic and overrides. The Expert range addresses a range of needs from across these three key markets.” Expert balances technological advancements with simplicity of use and cost effectiveness. It delivers effortless control of decorative and functional lighting, whilst bringing artistic and dynamic control to even the most complex of lighting designs – beautiful architecture can be accentuated, welcoming ambient spaces can be created, and stunning colours with movement can dazzle.

Below: The Pharos team at the launch of Expert at the Light + Building expo in October.

JUST ADD POWER

Just Add Power was founded in 1992 by three former IBM employees, and today, after retirements and relocations, Ed Qualls is the only remaining member from that trio of entrepreneurs. This year the company celebrates 30 years of diverse progress, as they continue to defeat supply chain issues to offer high standard, easy to use AV-over-IP video switching and distribution solutions from their headquarters in Seminole, Florida.

www.justaddpower.com

Left: The MaxColour 4K60 series by Just Add Power.

Right: Just Add Power’s AV capabilities feature in the expansion of Round Rock Tavern in Austin, Texas.

With a keen eye on maintaining customer relationships and adding longevity to existing products and technology, Just Add Power is a company that has always gone about things a little differently. “I’ve been buying AV gear all my life and have been frustrated by it – every time something new came along, you had to throw the old one out,” admitted Ed Qualls, CEO, Just Add Power. “That doesn’t make the buyer feel good about their investment or create brand loyalty. ” With a customer base that often has tight budgets, Qualls is well aware of the benefits of getting them value for money. “When we design systems for schools and houses of worship – some of those customers don’t have the luxury of deep pockets, they have their budget and that’s that, so they have to make what they have last,” he said. “And that is where we come in. My design philosophy is ‘evolution not revolution’, and an evolutionary mindset means that we make compatible devices. You don’t come out with something new that your customer thinks ‘oh I have to have that’, and then tell them to throw away everything they already have. “In our HQ building we have TVs dating back to 2008, and our product works with them all, so our advice is ‘don’t throw out your old TVs’. “Once a dealer gets comfortable and confident knowing how our products work with older screens, they never then have to tell a customer ‘no, I can’t fix your system’, or ‘no, I can’t expand your system’. This means that over time they grow to appreciate it, and so do the customers.” Sustainability is also important to Qualls: “There’s no reason to throw these things in the landfill if you design them properly.” While the company started building white box PCs to sell to schools, the business diversified and now has a global distribution network of its current product lines – and it wasn’t forced to stand still during the pandemic due to the stockpiling of certain critical parts. “We are shipping product out daily here,” said Qualls. “We have had very few occasions when we’ve had a two-week back-log on something – and that was typically caused by shipping companies, it’s never been caused by us having a lack of product. “Long before the pandemic, I learned that in the microchip world, the more you buy the better price you get, so I would buy enough to last two to three years. I wasn’t worried because we were not taking out debt to do this, it was funded by profits of the business. We re-invested our profits into securing a reliable supply chain. “I was playing the long game, in terms of making more profit down the road, but I didn’t know at that time that I would be able to keep being productive while everyone else was forced to stand still asking ‘where can I get parts’. It’s good to be lucky sometimes. And going forward we’re not going to change our buying habit. Instead we are more confident in it, because we learned it paid off in more ways than one.” This year the company has been busy showcasing their latest MaxColor 4K60 transmitter and receiver series and the Warp Engine transmitter for creative videowall deployments around the world at various expos, and they plan on celebrating their 30th anniversary in style. “In December we will be hosting an event in conjunction with a regional CEDIA Tech Summit, so we will have a cocktail party here at our HQ, with an open house for everyone who attends to celebrate with us.”