ABSTRACT
It’s no accident that the advent of automated lighting coincided with the proliferation of cheap, easy-to-use microprocessors. Some of the earliest automated lights, like the Coemar Robot, used an eight-bit Zilog Z-80 microprocessor with a clock speed of no more than 1 or 2 MHz (1000 to 4000 times slower than today’s microprocessors). The processors that are used in today’s automated lighting are usually not the fastest or most powerful available, though they sometimes come from the same product families as high-end processors. The demands of a moving light-receiving data, repositioning stepper motors, storing data, etc.—are easily met by processors of moderate speed and power. The overriding factor in engineering most automated lighting computer systems is having enough power and speed for the minimum cost. But the trend toward the convergence of lighting and video will place increasing demands on the processing power and speed of the new hybrid luminaires.
