Ep93 To A Nail, Every Problem's A Hammer
“Architainment”. You might hate the term, but Sam has embraced it as it perfectly describes what he does.
Ep92 From Tomahawks to Lighting Controls
Every once in a while we get guests who worry that they won’t have something to say on the podcast. Yoelit Hiebert, an electrical engineer who worked on the Tomahawk weapons system, has plenty to say and it’s worth listening to.
Ep91 NAILD LS-C Specialist - Distribution - Installation
Chris joins Webster and Ron to talk about the NAILD Lighting Specialist in Controls certification program. On this one, they are all three guests, because they are all three instructors for the program.
Ep90 Hello, Goodbye, Where's the Bathroom?
Lighting controls are all about communication—between systems, between disciplines, and between people. But where do the lines of communication break down? Can you separate controls from lights?
Ep89 NAILD's Lighting Specialist in Controls
This one’s a bit different. Ron plays host to Michael Colligan AND Webster as they discuss the new NAILD Lighting Specialist in Controls training and certification program.
Ep88 Ride The Wave or Get Crushed
Chris comes to us from NEEA, Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance. Chris explains how utilities are now looking at lighting controls as the next evolution in conserving energy, and how they reach their goals.
Ep87 All The Marbles
Lyn is back earning her 3-times jacket! Lyn starts with the statement that nobody knows what they’re doing and we go from there.
Ep86 In the Room Where it Happens
Recent changes from the IALD suggest that lighting designers can have their own controls teams. While this approach may work in some cases, Bryan raises some important considerations.
Ep85 A Team Effort
Dan joins us from Lam Partners Architectural Lighting where they are “crafting luminous environments for people to spend their lives in.”
Ep84 What Do Lighting Controls and Cryptocurrency Have in Common?
Parker comes to us from the Edison Report. He gives Webster and Ron a 30,000 foot view of the lighting controls industry.
Ep83 DALI - It Keeps Coming Up
Avi’s back! And he speaks his mind. Avi contends that the lighting designer should also design the controls. As he says, “If I pick what that thing is, then I gotta figure out how to turn it on and off.”
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Ep82 Don't Charge Your Phone in this USB-C
Umesh shares with us the latest at MaxLite. They haven’t always been in lighting controls. But from their beginnings in architectural lighting, they have evolved and are even setting the pace with lighting controls.
Ep81 Emergency Insurgency
Nathan has been digging into the National Electrical Code. He stresses the importance of verbiage in codes.
Ep80 Smart Cities Can't Operate Without AI
Marissa comes to us from Tondo Smart. “Smart” is in their name because they are on a quest to bring smart controls to roadways and outdoor areas.
Ep79 Would You Buy the Salad Without the Dressing
Dr. James joins us from across the pond. Dr. James strives to “build bridges between end users and lighting designers and specifiers and scientists and controls people.”
Ep78 Because Capitalism
Shoshanna figures the U.S. is 30 years behind Europe in adopting interoperable lighting controls. She has a very interesting take on why that is.
Ep77 NAILD Lighting Controls Certification
If you are a distributor, a rep, a designer, or an electrician, you have dealt with lighting controls at some point. Now, you can meet a client, boost your credentials, and show proof that you have some expertise in the field because NAILD is offering a certification in lighting controls.
Ep76 The NEW Canada Light Expo
Yes, there is a market north of the border! The Toronto area is huge and deserves its own lighting show.
Ep75 It's Easy to Underestimate the Ingenuity of a Fool
Javid and Robert are two guys who dive into the long, boring stuff of standards and protocols so you don’t have to. Because of them, you will know which cables and wires to use for your DMX512 projects.
Ep74 You Can't Separate the Light From the Controls
Bruce “The Lighting Sherpa” is not a “lighting controls guy by definition, by pedigree or by training,” but he certainly sounds like one.
Ep73 The DALI-Lama Returns
Paul is back to give us a preview of the DALI North America Summit, taking place October 30th at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York.
Ep72 Do It Right The First Time
Anthony has done a lot of installs in houses of worship. With their limited budgets, you want to get all your wiring right while the conduit is open and the drywall has yet to be done.
Ep71 Is DC the Future?
Bill Ellis is back with his wealth of knowledge. Bill gives us his perspective on what’s trending and shifting in the Lighting Controls industry.
Ep70 Plug In At ESTA Plugfest
Want to be a part of ESTA’s Control Protocols Working Group, at least temporarily? Then get you, your ideas, and your lighting controls down to the Dallas Fort Worth Marriott Solana from October 24-27 and “plug in.”
Ep69 Not All Superheroes Wear Capes
“Faster than a speeding bullet! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound…!” Yes the people at Control Force are like Supermen or Wonder Women.
Ep68 Educating The Owner
When Jose is not filming documentaries, he’s a “Solutions Engineer.” If you’re in the northeast, Jose can go into a space and audit ASHRAE levels 1, 2 and 3.
Ep67 The ABC's of Lighting Controls
In this episode, our hosts break down the inconsistencies in industry jargon, share their own takes, and explore how communication can go haywire when jumping between niches.
Ep66 Choosing Your Brush
Bruce “The Lighting Sherpa” Clark talks with Webster and Ron about CEDIA (Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association), dealers, buying groups, reps, and lighting designers.
LCP Shorts - Organizing DMX512 Universes
In this LCP Short, Webster and Ron talk about handling simple DMX512 and sACN presets that you don’t need to actively control and don’t want to buy a whole architectural processor for.
Ep65 Let's Get Connected
Getting connected is what mwConnect (formerly McWong) specializes in with their award winning Bluetooth Mesh.
Ep64 Fools Inrush
Just one away from his 5 times guest jacket, Steve Mesh joins us to discuss… education, semantics, UL924, emergency controls, security, and in-rush.
LCP Shorts - Listener Response to Episode 53
The listeners give feedback to hosts Ron and Webster to clarify some things that were unclear or confusing in Episode 53 “It’s Not a Protocol”.
EP63 We Haven't Tried Anything and We're Out of Ideas
The LED revolution has done its part in the energy saving space. Now it’s going to fall on the Controls industry to take it to the next level.
EP62 Point Zero Zero One
Avi Mor, Founder and CEO of Morlights, a design firm in Chicago, speaks his mind on interoperability, protocols, dimming, CAT5, Dali, specifications, and… elevators.
EP61 The Grandma Test
Daniel works for one of the big guys. As Global Hardware Product Manager at Philips Dynalite, he has the resources to really make a difference.
EP60 Nobody Wins
How do we maintain our lighting control systems? We’ve said it before and Kelly says it again. Education!
LCP Shorts - The 3 L’s
Lightovation. Lightapalooza. LEDucation. These conferences have different perspectives and roles within the lighting industry, but they all contribute to shaping the future of lighting and controls.
EP59 Market Transformation
A market transformation for lighting controls is coming whether we are ready or not.
EP58 Up In The Clouds
Thomas works at Color Kinetics. With a name like that, they deal with color-changing lighting, which also means they have to deal with lighting controls, and that has led to the cloud.
EP57 5.5 Million Small Buildings
Jason joins us from the DLC. What is the DLC? In Jason’s words, the Design Lights Consortium is “a bridge between the lighting world and the energy efficiency world.”
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EP56 All Aboard The Education Express
Want to learn about lighting controls technology and applications? The Lighting Controls Association is offering that FOR FREE!
EP55 You Can Have Your Cake And Eat It Too
Peter explains that Casambi chooses to partner with hardware companies (like McWong who happens to be sponsoring this episode), so that they can focus on software.
EP54 The Glue
Do you own a bowling alley? Bill will integrate strikes with lights! Hit the jackpot at a casino? Bill can make sure everyone in the building knows.
EP53 It's Not A Protocol, It's A Signal
Javid is back with some DMX512 standard updates and also discusses the pros and cons of using wireless.
EP52 There Are Two Kinds Of End-User
As a manufacturer, the need to maintain quality products is a no-brainer. But a quality “experience?” It’s Steve’s job, as “Director of Quality” at Touché.
EP51 Mock Up or F Up?
Are Lighting Controls in their adolescent period? Can we be blindsided by the shortcomings of lighting controls systems? These are a couple of questions that come up while chatting with Shoshanna Segal.
EP50 Something Something Darkside
In this episode Ron and Webster hit the big 5-0! In this milestone episode they're turning the spotlight on their producer, Scott Griffin, the 'Expert Layman.'
EP49 Pathway To The End-User
It’s hard to get to the end-user. When you’re designing a lighting system for a space, wouldn’t it make sense to talk to the people who will be using that space, like a teacher in a classroom?
EP48 If It's The Right Choice, Specify It
With experience as a lighting controls system integrator, Casey serves as a lighting controls designer for Morlights complex and varied projects.
EP47 Value Beyond Lighting
McWong won the Prototype Phase Lighting Prize with a Bluetooth mesh wireless lighting control solution. It took a team at McWong 16 months to put together the submission, so you better get started!
EP46 Beyond the Sales Data
Renovations aren’t just for kitchens! We’ve talked a lot about system integrations in new projects, but don’t discount retrofits.
EP45 Hope Is Not A Strategy
As Lyn likes to say, it’s not about how fast you get across the finish line, it’s about how many people you bring along with you. Lyn is an MEP Coordinator for DPR Construction.
EP44 Demystifying DALI
Paul has been nicknamed “The DALI Lama” for good reason. He’s a big proponent of the DALI
EP43 Emergency Lighting Controls - It's Not Rocket Science
As more designers/engineers use general luminaires with controls for their emergency lighting, it further expands how these systems are wired and interact with each other.
EP42 The Timeless Art of Collaboration
Robert discusses, with Webster and Ron, the advantages of being part of both a lighting design firm and a larger MEP consulting firm.
EP41 The Sandbox is Big Enough for Everyone
From a European perspective, breaking into the North American market is daunting unless you’ve got someone like MJ and Global Lighting & Controls on your side.
EP40 Decentralizing the System
Dan talks about the need to focus on data management within building management systems and lighting controls.
EP39 The Right Person Has To Be Involved
“Spec Rep” Anthony Guerriero started out as a sales rep then transitioned into controls which now puts him in the unique position of being able to talk to engineers, architects, interior designers, and lighting designers.
EP38 VHS vs. Beta
Mary Beth admittedly is not an expert on lighting controls, but when someone with her experience and knowledge of the lighting industry is in on the conversation, you should listen.
EP37 How the Sausage is Made
Kaleb is a Field Service Coordinator with ETC. What is a Field Project Coordinator you ask? Well, you’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out.
EP36 The Beeps and the Boops
Can’t we all just get along? Specifiers, integrators, engineers, manufacturers, contractors, end-users… Bryan, with Webster and Ron, decries the lack of communication between entities
EP35 Value Add
Who’s responsible for the lighting controls on a project? Who’s qualified? Who’s certified? We can tell you this - Darren is qualified!
EP34 Sell the Art, Not the Part
Are you a landscape designer? A Contractor? Do you want to add “landscape lighting” to the services you provide? Then contact Justin and Zach at AMP.
EP33 It's Not Just Shades
David Robinson from Mecho uses the sun for light in buildings by applying just the right degree of window shading along with artificial lighting for the optimal comfort of building occupants
EP32 Driving the Bus With No Steering Wheel
Ruth tells Webster and Ron how PNNL (Pacific Northwest National Laboratories) has focused for years on solid state lighting research, but has now seen the value of controls and is now focusing on that.
EP31 Taking the Cadillac to Go Grocery Shopping
Listen to this week's episode where Michal chats with Webster and Ron about the challenges of attaching lights to suits then controlling them while dancers bounce around in those suits.
EP30 Silvair at Lightfair
In case you missed the live stream from Lightfair 2023 in New York, here is an encore presentation of the segment featuring Szymon Slupik
EP29 The Stick is Coming
The stick is coming. Will HVAC controls become the dominant system, or will Lighting Controls pull ahead?
EP28 The Show Must Go On
Nathan tells Webster and Ron about his experiences with a “touring house,” working with “dimmer beach,” and getting off the road to be home in the evenings.
EP27 LightFair 2023
If you missed Lightfair this year, you can watch this and feel like you're there. Webster and Ron visited the ETC, SGM, and Pharos booths. Also, check out the live broadcast with McWong at the end.
EP26 Get the Money on the Table
Caleb Thompson is an Electrical Design Engineer at DFW Consulting Group with 4 years experience in helping clients determine their vision for the space and then realizing it through lighting controls.
EP25 Working Smarter, Not Harder
Zach Mix and Parspec will make you feel like someone added hours to your day. They will take away the tedious work of looking up data sheets and part numbers with their machine learning and AI.
EP24 The Swiss Army Knife of DMX
Tom is Sales Director for Pharos Controls, but as you’ll see in the video, he still likes to tinker. (You can’t see it, but he told us he’s surrounded by 23 computers in his attic!) So Tom is the perfect guest to talk about DMX
EP23 Having The Conversation
“You have to get into the weeds,” says Jennifer Bean; lighting controls are so complicated now and there is so much coordination that needs to happen.
EP22 Where Sports and Theatre Intersect
Sports stadium lighting used to be, pretty much, on and off, with maybe some dimming and mechanical shuttering. Now sports arenas call on theatrical lighting designers to wow the crowd
EP21 LEDucation 2023
We recap Webster’s and Ron’s visit to LEDucation with a fun yet informative video. Virtually visit some of the booths and “talk” to the reps. You’ll feel like you’re actually there!
EP20 Don’t Blame the Integrators
Rob & Coffield provide some outside-the-box ideas for smart building lighting controls. Also in this episode, Ron puts up a defense for integrators. It’s not always their fault.
EP19 A History Lesson in Standards
Webster and Ron and you get a lesson in standards like DALI and DMX and a refresher on acronyms like ESTA and USITT
EP18 The Missionary of Lighting Controls
This turned out to be one of our favorite episodes. If you want to hear how to design lighting controls thoroughly and effectively, listen to this one.
EP17 Future Proofing With POE with Akram Khalis & Kim Johnson
Where are we with Power Over Ethernet? You know it’s coming so you might as well get on board.
EP16 Shining a Light on UV Light
This is one episode we soap you like. Lighting design in a car wash? Yep. Adam has found a tidy little niche market
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EP15 Rinse, Lather, Repeat, Opto-Split with Adam Grant
This is one episode we soap you like. Lighting design in a car wash? Yep. Adam has found a tidy little niche market
EP14 Everyone Deserves What They Ask For with Todd Reemtsma
Controls are still new to lighting reps but we have Todd M. Reemtsma, a multi-year multi-industry veteran to help understand better.
EP13 There is Money to Be Made with Michael Colligan
We are joined by Michael Colligan of Restoring Darkness to discuss why lighting controls and smart city projects are a natural fit for eliminating excess light at night.
EP12 Understanding Energy Codes with Kelly Cunningham
Kelly is in the weeds when it comes to codes and standards. She spends A LOT of time thinking about controls as she is on the Codes and Standards team at PG&E in California.
EP11 Strengthening the Weak Links with Matthew Bein
Matthew talks with Webster and Ron about “getting grandma to not click on bad things,” how to keep networks secure, and how to avoid a “spear-phishing” attack (as opposed to a just plain “phishing”).
EP10 The Purpose Built Switch with Robert Bell
Robert discusses, with Webster and Ron, how switches, designed for entertainment, are making their way into architectural lighting and “architainment.”
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EP9 The Joy of Cooking Up Lighting Controls
Sean O'Conner shares how relationships with manufacturers, agents, engineers, and architects can drive requirements AND satisfy customers.
EP8 Data is The Key
Find out how Syndesis, founded by Patrick Treadway, creates solutions for integration, efficiency, communication and “plug and play – without the plug!”
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EP7 The Oops Factor
Steve Mesh speaks with Webster to share some of his vast and lengthy expertise on Lighting Controls.
EP6 Contract of Connectivity
Lights, HVAC, WiFi, Elevators - even your fridge is connected! Michael Skurla of Radix IoT visits to discuss the "Internet of Things"
EP5 Ensuring a Good User Experience with Controls
Gary Meshberg Gary explains how to overcome the reluctance to embrace new technologies.
EP4 Emerging Emergency Controls
Steve Terry at ETC chats with Webster and Ron on the history of lighting control and the confusion that results from ever-evolving standards.
EP3 How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love MEP Coordinators
What is the exact measurement of a "crap-ton"? Liz Gomes of DPR Construction has answers!
EP2 Toggled: Data, Bluetooth, and API’s, Oh My!
Dan Hollenkamp talks retrofitting, ballasts/not-ballasts, data collection, cyber security - even dealing with asbestos in old buildings
EP1 The Lighting Controls Podcast Launch!
Webster and Ron look back at the Conversation Series and look ahead at the future of the new Lighting Controls Podcast.
