New Crestron CAEN Lighting Automation Enclosures Provide Integrated Eaton® Circuit Breakers
Oct 03, 2013
Handles 2000W of dimmed load on arc fault breakers without nuisance breaker tripping
Crestron today announced that the CAEN Automation Enclosure with Integrated Breaker Panel, the latest addition to its popular family of lighting control solutions, is now shipping. CAEN-MLO automation enclosures provide a professional centralized dimming solution for both residential and commercial applications. A choice of Eaton thermal magnetic, ground fault, and combination arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) breakers are available to deliver premium electrical circuit protection. When combined with Crestron dimmer modules, all of these breakers can handle 2000W of dimmed load without nuisance breaker tripping. This is twice the previous industry standard of 1000W maximum for AFCI breakers. Available with split phase or three phase main lugs, CAEN-MLO enclosures are configurable using Crestron CLX Series lighting control modules and control processors.
"Crestron and Eaton worked together to create this enclosure by combining our robust dimming cabinet with a custom-designed Eaton breaker panel," said Andrew Gross, Product Manager, Lighting Controls. "These two items, working together harmoniously, have created one of the most efficient dimming and power switching cabinets available today."
Collaborative and rigorous testing
Crestron and leading power management company Eaton recently conducted extensive testing of its dimmers and AFCI breakers at the Crestron Research & Development Center in Rockleigh, NJ. Test results showed that when combined, the Eaton/Crestron solution can handle 2000W of dimmed load without nuisance breaker tripping. In the past, the majority of AFCI breakers falsely tripped when wired with a load greater than 1000W. Crestron and Eaton have solved this persistent problem when integrating their respective lighting control products.
Smart design, greater safety, and lower project costs
CAEN-MLO offers unique design features to help electricians and specifiers deliver valuable benefits such as enhanced safety, efficient use of enclosure space, cleaner installations, and lower project costs. By providing more loads per panel and a greater number of circuit slots than other enclosures in its category, CAEN-MLO serves a dual purpose as a dimming cabinet and a sub-panel for other circuits. This eliminates the unsightly clutter and added labor of installing sub-panels, and reduces parts costs. An eye-level access door provides convenient access to all breakers without removing the main front panel or bending down. The door also ensures the breaker switches are not exposed to the outside environment, which can cause accidental breaker tripping.
Another distinctive and cost-saving feature is the increased wattage per breaker, explains Gross."The previous threshold before nuisance tripping began with AFCI breakers was 1000W. At 2000W, our solution provides significantly more wattage per breaker with zero nuisance tripping. As a result, fewer breakers are required on your projects and you'll realize greater cost savings."
Installer-friendly, accurate diagnostics
Featuring up to 20 circuit breaker slots, an ample assortment of knockout openings, and generous wire termination provisions, CAEN-MLO enclosures can be mounted flush in-wall or on the wall surface to deliver a clean, manageable installation in any space.
Designed for fast, accurate troubleshooting, Eaton AFCI breakers offer a convenient built-in LED diagnostic feature. If a breaker trips, a special LED blinking pattern can be accessed right on the breaker. A list of blink codes is provided to help electricians pinpoint the cause of the trip. An innovative "clip-on" neutral design eliminates the pigtail wire typically used in AFCI and GFCI breakers, making installations cleaner, easier, and faster.
Models
CAEN-MLO enclosures are offered in five versatile models and three different sizes:
CAEN-5X2-MLO-120/2P: 5 modules high x 2 modules wide, 20 breaker slots, split phase
CAEN-5X2-MLO-120/3P: 5 modules high x 2 modules wide, 20 breaker slots, three phase
CAEN-5X1-MLO-120/2P: 5 modules high x 1 module wide, 20 breaker slots, split phase
CAEN-5X1-MLO-120/3P: 5 modules high x 1 module wide, 20 breaker slots, three phase
CAEN-3X1-MLO-120/2P: 3 modules high x 1 module wide, 6 breaker slots, split phase
Accessories
CLB-120-20A: Thermal Magnetic Breaker, 120V, 20A
CLB-120-20A-AFCI: Combination Arc Fault Breaker, 120V, 20A
CLB-120-20A-GFCI: Ground Fault Breaker, 120V, 20A
For out-of-the-box convenience, Crestron offers a value-added option of complete factory assembly and testing in its UL® Listed lab for all CAEN-MLO models.
Learn more
For technical resources and to learn more about implementing complete lighting control solutions using CAEN-MLO automation enclosures, visit the CAEN-MLO web page.
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