(continued from monorail lighting 101 (part 2))
Shaping monorail lighting systems
As mentioned before, one major aesthetic advantage of
monorail lighting systems is that the rail itself becomes a design element.
Monorail may be shaped by hand in the field (no special tools are required) or
formed around a wooden template. When bending monorail, be careful not to form
very tight curves as this may damage the monorail. Typically, curves with a
radius of more than 12” are fine.
Low voltage vs. line voltage monorail lighting
A few years ago, all monorail systems were low voltage. They
required the use of a separate transformer to convert standard (line voltage)
power into low voltage current before it was sent along the exposed rails to
power fixtures. One limitation of low
voltage monorail systems is that they cannot carry more than 300 watts in any
length of a monorail run. This means
that one monorail circuit may power six 50 watt fixtures or eight 35 watt
fixtures (both are common bulb wattages.) Although more than one transformer
may be used to increase the number of fixtures that may be used on longer runs,
this has been a long standing limitation of low voltage monorail systems.
Demand for the style advantages of monorail and the power
capabilities of traditional track has recently driven development of line
voltage monorail systems. Line voltage monorail retains the shapeable
characteristics of low voltage monorail while enclosing the conductive
components inside of the rail. This allows more fixtures to be powered along
longer runs of rail without installing a transformer within or on the surface
of the ceiling.
Monorail lighting standards and compatibility
Unfortunately, every manufacturer of monorail has developed
a different, proprietary standard for their brand of monorail and the
components are rarely interchangeable. Configuring any one of these standards
can be very confusing...learning to configure more than one standard is
entirely impractical. To make configuration of these systems
practical for the end user, Brilliant Lighting has developed a unique
web-driven system to allow users to easily configure designer grade monorail
systems in a few easy steps.
In closing, despite its complexities, monorail lighting
offers a vast array of previously unavailable design options.
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