The Square D® Clipsal® Pascal Automation Controller from Schneider Electric enhances the capabilities of a Square D Clipsal lighting control system by providing expansive scheduling capability and facilitating operation of third-party products from input devices such as keypads and touch screens in both residential and commercial applications. The Pascal Automation Controller is easily installed by an electrical contractor, using standard Cat-5 cable. Third-party products, such as a movie projector, screen, and security or HVAC systems, are connected to the Pascal Automation Controller via its two RS232 ports.
“The Square D Clipsal Pascal Automation Controller enhances the home-dwelling or commercial building occupancy experience through more seamless management of lighting and related devices,” said Brad Wills, Director, New Business, Installation Systems & Control, Schneider Electric. “For example, events like lighting scenes and HVAC activation can be pre-scheduled to coincide with a homeowner’s arrival from work at the end of the day, meaning the days of arriving to a dark house can soon be over. It also can be used for any commercial building application where conditional or sequential logic flow needs to take place, such as a conference room or meeting facility that requires control of both lighting and related devices, such as a projector or screen.”
A Square D Clipsal lighting control system operates in a distributed wiring architecture, where functionality is built into the individual input devices connected to the network. Pre-set lighting scenes for specific events can be activated in seconds with the simple press of a keypad or touchscreen button. For example, a home may have a pre-set lighting scene titled Movie Night. When a button to activate that scene is pressed, lights automatically dim to appropriate levels, but with the addition of the Pascal Automation Controller, which connects directly to the network and is compatible with all Square D Clipsal lighting control input devices, a homeowner has the option of including activation of the movie projector and lowering of the screen in that lighting scene.
The Pascal Automation Controller supports a full range of programming commands, including conditional (or “if/then”) logic and flow control, which executes a series of commands. For example, when leaving home, a homeowner can press a keypad button to activate a pre-set exit lighting scene, which turns off the lights in the home and sets the air conditioning back to an energy-saving mode, followed 60 seconds later by switching off the exterior lights.
The DIN rail-mounted Pascal Automation Controller is easily installed by an electrical contractor with other output devices in one of several Square D Clipsal enclosures, and it measures a compact 2.8 inches wide by 2.5 inches deep by 3.6 inches tall. In addition to its two RS232 ports, it also has a USB port for local configuration. It also features a real-time astronomical and system clock with 24-hour internal capacitor backup.
For more information about Schneider Electric, visit www.squaredlightingcontrol.com.
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