IoT Automation Distributors

FAQ

Q: Will the Firefly system work in a situation where there are no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) networks available?

Yes. Firefly is an added value for digital networks in a mine that has WiFi or BLE, but these are not required for the system to operate. Each Firefly UPS control panel that manages up to four strings of Firefly lights can be controlled locally, without a network in place.

Q: What is the maximum distance that one string of Firefly lights can span?

Each string of Firefly lights, powered from the Firefly UPS control panel, can support up to 50 individual Firefly lighting modules. As such, the Firefly system's limitations are best described by looking from the perspective of the Firefly UPS control panel. There are two key elements to detail. The first is the electrical DC power used to energize the lights. Second is the RS485 serial communications used to control the lighting network.

Each Firefly UPS control panel has four outputs which are each capable of supplying 48VDC at 5A to a string of lights. When asking how far we can run that string of Firefly lights, we need to consider both the voltage drop across the cable and the power consumption of each of the Firefly LED modules which are connected along that string. In practice, we have comfortably installed 35 Firefly LED modules at 20m intervals along a continuous run of 700m, with a 60m lead in cable length.

We can drive a string of Firefly lights out to 1,200m, but there would need to be less lights that are spaced at wider 40m intervals. Additionally, the Firefly UPS control panel also supplies the communications to each LED lighting module along each of the four strings. It does this via an RS85 serial bus connection. The RS485 communications link can operate out to a limitation of 1,200m.

Q: Who developed the Firefly lighting technology and where are the products manufactured?

The Firefly smart lighting system has been entirely designed, developed and manufactured in Australia by the IoT Automation team. Every stage of Firefly's development has been completed with the underground mining environment in mind. From the initial sketches and consideration of system features to the components selected and circuits designed, reliability and safety have always been the primary concern. We are proud to have secured an international patent on the Firefly system.