ML Electronics based in the UK has announced a new iPhone app for controlling LED lighting systems. The new LED control system is able to be controlled from either an iPhone using the new app or a PC over a unique protocol that ML Electronics developed using a 24 VDC supply line.

The system is operated using one or more master controllers which address a number of slaves, and each slave controls clusters of three RGB/white LEDs. The master can be controlled via Ethernet, Wireless LAN (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, DMX512, DALI or any custom control interface. As part of the development, ML Electronics produced both PC and iPhone applications to address the master via Wireless LAN.

The slaves are connected to the master using a two-wire low voltage 24 volt supply, and each slave is capable of controlling the colour and brightness of up to 50 Watts of LED illumination from data command signals superimposed on the power line. A master unit injects control data onto the low voltage supply line controlling the slaves using the MLE protocol. Each master can control two ‘strings’, each with 16 slaves. These strings can be wired in parallel, so that each slave produces the same colours, or in series, allowing slaves to produce different output colours if desired. No earth is required, and there are no separate control lines.

Currently, the new iPhone app is not showing on the iTunes app store.  For more information about the low volt LED control system from ML Electronics, visit their website at www.ml-electronics.co.uk.