Xicato Launches XIM Generation 4 with New Features

Features:
•    Individually Programmable
•    Manual or Automated Control
•    Secure - AES-128 encryption
•    Real-time and Historical Operating Data Reporting
•    16 Groups and 16 Scenes per XIM module
•    ARM Cortex M0 32 bit 48Mhz embedded microprocessor
•    256K Non-volatile Memory

XIM Gen4 maintains compatibility with the wide array of heat sinks, adapters and optics already available with the XTM and previous XIM generations, making it easy to design a fixture around it. In fact, XIM Gen4 is a drop-in upgrade to existing XIM designs!

XIM has some serious brainpower on board. There is a fully functional control system embedded in each module, containing security keys, groups, scene and control behaviors, and more. XIM proactively reports its current operating status, and stores histogram data of temperature and intensity settings. And it can be set to transmit Bluetooth beacons to allow third-party apps and websites to provide location-based information services.

Xicato has developed Windows and iOS software that makes it incredibly easy to configure, control and manage large and small lighting environments.

Click here for a link to download Windows based XIM Control panel Software or go to the iOS App store to install XIMtroller. Both are FREE to download and free to use - no license or royalty fee!

Lighting Control No Longer Complicated and Expensive:

We have heard from many people that they wish they could add control to their traditional lighting installations. Unfortunately, this is usually neither affordable nor practical. Custom made track may have to be replaced. Contractors and electricians may have to be hired to embed new control wires into concrete or brick walls or ceilings, or to drill holes through wood, lathe and plaster in historical buildings, or to lay ugly conduit on the surface. Entire systems are suddenly non-compliant with local building codes. What started as a simple upgrade turns out to take months and break the budget. And when it is finally installed, the system turns out to be functionally limited or needlessly complex, with even more funds required to get it running properly.

XIM Gen4 changes all this. No new electrical wiring. No new control wires. No central hub or controller is required. It can be commissioned and controlled from near the lights, using software that is easy to understand and free to download.

How Are My Lights Feeling Today?

Claims that LEDs last for 50,000 hours have been around since the technology was first proposed for general illumination. But what do these claims mean when you have no means of measuring how long the lights have actually been used? Lights operate longer in winter, when days are shorter. Or maybe we turn on the lights earlier on an overcast day. How do we know the operating hours of a source with so many variables at play? How do we know how much life is left in an LED lighting installation?

XIM Gen4 keeps a count of its operating hours. It tracks how many times it has been powered on and off, and how many times the LEDs have been commanded on and off. It tracks and proactively reports real-time status of intensity, operating temperature, power consumption, and input voltage parameters.  The data on any device can be read on your iPhone or Windows device. XIM Gen4 also stores historical operational data, including operating hours, intensity levels, and LED temperature.

When lights go off un-intended, the cause can be a failing power supply or the LED module, but how to find out? XIM Gen4 can tell you because it keeps an eye on the health of the power supply. By monitoring its voltage, including ripple, there is an early warning for power supplies that might become problematic.
This is how XIM Gen4 supports Xicato’s verifiable, 7-year, 50,000 hour warranty. More importantly, this is how you can make sure your installation lives a long and happy life!

What can you do with XIM Gen4?

There are many ways that XIM Gen4 can help you realize the vision you have for your space. Pictures can speak louder than words. That is why we created this short video clip. We hope it helps you understand, and maybe even inspires you a bit.

XIM Gen4 has serious power under the hood!

If you look “under the hood” of the XIM Gen4, you find some impressive specs.
You’ve grown accustomed to Xicato talking about CCT, CRI, R9, TM30, and flicker. With the evolution of Lighting to distributed intelligence and wireless networking, we are adding a few new acronyms to the lexicon.

Plenty of new terms, such as dBm, SNR, MB, and MHz, are spelled out in our new XIM Gen4 datasheets. We look forward to helping you understand the new world of wirelessly controlled, intelligent lighting.

Lights As Beacons:

We sometimes get asked why we chose Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) as the wireless protocol for XIM Gen4. While there are many good reasons for this (no hubs required, low power, great stability and single global standard - to name a few), the most important reason is that BLE is probably already in your pocket! BLE has been implemented in billions of smartphones, tablets and PCs worldwide. BLE is special because it is always ready for direct interaction, without the "pairing" that is required for Bluetooth headsets or speakers.

This instant communication was evident during the E-Luminate festival, held in Cambridge in February 2016, where it created a unique experience for visitors using a modern interpretation of Cambridge's historical Richardson's Candles.

These candles with an XIM Gen4 inside, were placed in shop windows around town. They not only casted a beautiful glow, but also transmitted an Eddystone Beacon, which is essentially a web-address that in this case contained information about the location.

ARUP's Francesco Anselmo had created the Lightquest application, that presented the information about the location on participant's mobile phones and showed them their location. This guided them through historical Cambridge, with a dozen of stopping points for which the app provided background information.

"The pioneering Bluetooth Smart features of the Xicato XIM LED modules are enabling new possibilities to interact with light. It has been fascinating and revealing to have an opportunity to test this at urban scale during the eLuminate Cambridge festival", according to Francesco.

Open Platform:

At Xicato, we know very well that there can be other light sources that are used to illuminate a space. Also, in some cases you might want to go beyond what is offered by the Xicato software. For these reasons we are firm believers in open platforms and open standards.

Xicato Gen4 is Bluetooth 4.1 standards compliant, and is ready for for the Bluetooth Mesh standard when the standard is available and mature, which we expect will be in late 2017 or 2018. Xicato is an active participant in the standards group, and is driving it to meet the requirements of lighting professionals when is finally released. In the meantime, we have been working with third-party developers, providing APIs (application programming interfaces) that help them build software and hardware that work with XIM Gen4.

About Xicato:
Xicato® designs and develops light sources and electronics that enable architects, designers and building managers to create beautiful, smart spaces in which people love to live and work. With thousands of installations around the globe, Xicato continues to be a leading supplier of high quality lighting solutions. Xicato is defining the future of intelligent light sources by integrating electronics, software and connectivity.
Founded in 2007, Xicato’s headquarters and manufacturing is based in Silicon Valley and the company has offices in China, Japan, Europe and the US. For further information visit www.xicato.com