One DALI line holds at most 64 devices; panels and sensors count too. Copy-ready address plan: short addresses 0-63, groups 0-15, scenes 0-15, with a 54-device example.
DALI sells on "address every luminaire", but on site the usual failure is address planning: how many devices on a line, how to group, and whether control devices count. DALI is not "hang whatever"; it has a hard cap and an address system. This guide gives a template you can copy.
The one-sentence rule
One DALI line holds at most 64 devices (IEC 62386) - drivers, panels, sensors and gateways all count, not just drivers
Each device gets one short address 0-63; it can belong to 16 groups (0-15) and call 16 scenes (0-15)
The bus power supply has a current cap (about 2 mA per device, supply about 250 mA), so 64 is the device cap and current is checked separately
Bus length is about 300 m (depends on wire and topology); end resistors are NOT required, unlike DMX
The key trap: control devices also use the 64 budget - counting only drivers will overflow
Address and budget three-piece set
Item
Range
Meaning
Planning tip
Short address
0-63 (64)
One per physical device, written during commissioning
Drivers 1-48 in loop order, controls 49-63
Group
0-15 (16)
A luminaire can be in many groups, by zone or function
Group by floor or zone, not per luminaire
Scene
0-15 (16)
A preset brightness, called by one command
Scene 0 = all off, 1-15 = common presets
Short addresses 0-63 map exactly to the 64-device cap. Groups and scenes are the logical layer - one luminaire can sit in group 3 and group 7 and appear in scene 5, managed by logic, not by physical address.
Bus-power current budget (do not judge by device count alone)
Each device draws about 2 mA typical (IEC 62386 caps a device at 2 mA bus current)
The bus power supply is typically 16 V nominal, with a current cap around 250 mA
Current capacity = 250 / 2 ≈ 125 devices, but the 64-device cap binds first - so small systems are not current-limited, large ones must check the supply
Bus voltage works about 9.5-22.5 V; below 9.5 V devices drop off line
Worked example (48 drivers + 4 panels + 2 sensors)
Device total = 48 + 4 + 2 = 54, uses 54 of 64, leaving 10
Bus current = 54 x 2 mA = 108 mA < 250 mA ✅ supply is enough
Short addresses: drivers 1-48, panels 49-52, sensors 53-54
Groups: put drivers into groups 0-7 by zone; bind panels to those groups; scene 0 = all off, 1 = full 100%, 2 = night 30%, and so on
The bus power feeds two wires; every device taps on; the cap is 64 physical devices whether driver or control
Five field mistakes
Count only drivers: panels, sensors and gateways also use the 64 budget; 48 drivers plus 8 controls is already 56
Group per luminaire: one group per light burns the 16 groups fast; group by zone or function instead
Bus supply current short: device count under 64 but current over 250 mA, far devices drop and flicker
Overlong bus without thinning: past about 300 m the drop pulls the far end below 9.5 V; add a repeater or change topology
Short-address clash: devices ship with the same address; clear then rewrite before commissioning or whole groups collide
Acceptance checklist
Count all devices: drivers + panels + sensors + gateways, confirm at or below 64
Check bus current: total x 2 mA, confirm at or below the supply cap (about 250 mA)
Assign short addresses: drivers sequential, controls follow, avoid gaps that are hard to trace
Build groups and scenes: group by zone (0-15), scene 0 = all off
Check bus length: single run at or below about 300 m, else add a repeater or re-topologise
Confirm DALI support: only DALI-2 units (such as K02 DT6 single-colour, H01 multi-protocol) join the bus
DALI units, such as the K02 family (DALI DT6 single-colour) and H01 family (DALI, 0-10V, triac multi-protocol), join the bus directly; the wiring and fit of all six dimming methods is in the dimming comparison table, and how far the control wire reaches (0-10V vs DALI) is in 0-10V signal cable max length.
The 64 devices, 2 mA per device, 250 mA supply and 300 m bus length are IEC 62386 and typical product values; the exact caps come from the bus power supply and driver datasheets.
Send us the count of drivers, panels and sensors on the project. We will plan short addresses, groups and scenes against the 64-device limit and bus current, and suggest matching DALI models. Contact →