Q-SYS Plugin – Helvar DALI Router

Overview

The Helvar DALI Router Q-SYS Plugin enables control of Helvar DALI lighting systems directly from a Q-SYS environment.

It provides group-based lighting control, including level adjustment and incremental changes, via a TCP connection to the Helvar router.

This plugin is designed for scalable installations, supporting multiple DALI groups with an intuitive multi-page interface.

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Versions

version	notes
V1.0.0.0	Initial release
V1.0.0.1	Added foldable control pins

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Features

• Control Helvar DALI groups over TCP (port 50000)
• Adjustable number of groups (2–50)
• Direct level control (0–100%)
• Increment / Decrement buttons with press-and-hold support
• Real-time status feedback
• Multi-page UI for large group counts
• Automatic reconnection handling

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Plugin Information

Property	Value
Name	Helvar DALI Router
Version	1.0.0.1
Author	Jens Claerebout
Protocol	TCP
Default Port	50000

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Configuration

Properties

Property	Description
#Groups	Number of DALI groups (2–50). Determines UI size and control count

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Control Pins

Inputs

Control	Type	Description
IP	Text	IP address of the Helvar DALI Router
GroupNumber	Integer (per group)	DALI group address
Direct Level	Percent (per group)	Light level (0–100%)
Fade Time	Integer (per group)	Fade Time (1-100 sec)
Increment	Button	Increase level (step +5, hold to repeat)
Decrement	Button	Decrease level (step -5, hold to repeat)

Outputs

Control	Type	Description
Status	Indicator	Connection/system status
Level	Percent (per group)	Light level (0–100%)

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UI Layout

Page 1 – Configuration

• Connection status
• IP address input

Pages 2+ – Group Control

• Groups are displayed in blocks of 10 per page
• Each group includes:
  • Group number input
  • Direct Level control
  • Fade Time
  • Increment / Decrement buttons

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Communication

The plugin communicates with the Helvar router using TCP commands.

Command Format

V:1,C:13,G:,L:,F:#

Example

V:1,C:13,G:5,L:75,F:300#

This sets:

• Group: 5
• Level: 75%
• Fade: 3s

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Behavior

Increment / Decrement

• Step size: 5%
• Hold button → repeats every 0.2 seconds

Level Control

• Direct changes send immediate commands with set fade time to all devices in group.

Connection Handling

• Automatically connects on:
  • Plugin initialization
  • IP change
• Handles:
  • Reconnects
  • Timeouts
  • Errors

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Installation

1. Place the plugin in your Q-SYS plugin directory or deploy via Designer
2. Add the plugin to your design
3. Configure:
   • Set IP address of Helvar router
   • Set Number of groups in properties
   • Set HelvarNet Version (default: V1)
   • Enter Group numbers as configured in Helvar Designer
4. Deploy to Core

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Notes

• Ensure the Helvar router is reachable on port 50000
• Group numbers must match your Helvar configuration
• No authentication is currently implemented

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Known Limitations

• No feedback parsing from Helvar, HelvarNet does not support group level feedback
• No automatic group discovery
• No scene control (yet)

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Future Improvements

• Level feedback parsing
• Scene control support
• Group naming
• Authentication support (if required by Helvar)
• UI enhancements

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License

MIT License

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Author

Jens Claerebout