Blackwire Designs, a distributor in the custom installation and Pro AV markets, has launched a new set of control system drivers and design-assistance services, including its Blacklight Design Tool for linear lighting systems
“Our services offer installers everything from design assistance to truly unique driver solutions, and we pride ourselves as a standout from other distributors in the industry,” said Kevin Luther, owner of Blackwire Designs. “Our commitment is to make the lives of customers as stress-free as we can, ensuring that our manufacturers’ product lines offer the best-case scenario for ease-of-use — ensuring simpler, faster installs that don’t break the bank for our dealers.”
Introducing Blacklight Design Tool for Linear Lighting Systems
Designing and specifying linear lighting systems has always been a challenging process, prone to errors, and requiring intricate calculations. The market inundates designers with numerous products, each featuring different attributes, such as varying AC or DC voltages, diverse watts per foot, and unique control requirements like DMX. Blackwire’s Blacklight Design Tool is a game-changer, empowering any dealer to visually design an entire linear lighting system with just a few simple clicks.
The Blacklight Design Tool streamlines the linear lighting design process from start to finish. Users begin by importing the floorplan of the installation site and draw out each fixture. The tool then lays out, configures, prices, and generates a purchase order for the custom lighting system design.
The Blacklight Design Tool software calculates all the necessary equipment required, from tape LED strips, extrusions, and lens covers to wiring, controls, mounting hardware, and accessories. It even manages complex electrical calculations for wattage, tape length, voltage drop, supply wiring gauge, power supply amounts, and load capacity for connected control devices. With built-in error correction, Blacklight minimizes costly miscalculations and ensures accuracy.
Hands-Free Project Planning with Enterprise Networking Design Heatmapping
Blackwire’s Network Design Assistance and Predictive Wi-Fi Heatmap gives dealers enterprise-grade installments without spending time and effort on the design itself. By taking the guesswork out of providing great network coverage to residential and commercial spaces, dealers no longer need to repeat the project multiple times before they get it right, making the service extremely cost-effective.
After purchasing the service, the integrator submits blueprints and specifics to Blackwire’s design assistance team. Then, Blackwire meticulously designs the project for the best network quality and coverage, choosing the right products based on predicted signal strength and suggested access points. This includes the best routers, switches, models, and the number of access point locations that best fit the installer’s project.
Multiviewer Pro and Videowall Pro Drivers for Control4
During CEDIA Expo 2023 this past September, Blackwire demonstrated two new Control4 drivers, Multiviewer Pro and Videowall Pro, that provide an interface for Just Add Power, AVPro Edge, and Snap AV MOIP systems that use video walls or tilers. The drivers integrate natively into the Control4 UI on both T4 touch screens and mobile devices and allow an end user to take control of these complex systems with an easy-to-use, visually appealing interface.
Historically, dealers have used custom programming and sent custom commands to an AV-over-IP video system to control them effectively. However, such interfaces almost always involve non-traditional workarounds that differ based on how each installer chooses to complete the system, forcing end users to switch through rooms or use custom buttons to perform basic operations. The Multiviewer and Videowall Pro drivers simplify the programming process for dealers and pass on that ease of use to the homeowner.
Exclusive Control4 driver for Flair Smart Vents
By integrating with the Flair smart vents API, Blackwire has created a Control4 driver that enables two-way feedback from Flair devices and native control over each zone configured within a Flair system. On central HVAC systems, Flair Puck acts as a room’s thermostat while the Flair Smart Vents control the flow of the air in that room.
To solve the challenge of uneven room temperatures, the Flair system eliminates bothersome hot and cold spots throughout the house by tailoring airflow to the room’s specific needs. Installers can replace as few or as many vents as needed to ensure that each room is comfortable. The Flair Puck can also be configured to be a standalone thermostat for mini-split and other IR controlled HVAC systems to create additional automated zones within a home. When the Flair system is paired with an ecobee Smart Thermostat and ecobee Remote Sensors, installers need just one Puck to bridge ecobee with a home’s entire Flair system, thereby offering further integration and convenience.
Create Custom, Intuitive End User Interfaces with Yamaha MTX Universal Driver
Blackwire’s Yamaha MTX Universal Driver allows installers to utilize both the Yamaha MTX3 and MTX5-D audio processors with Control4 systems. The easy-to-install driver controls an MTX processor like any other audio matrix, but it is the only solution that includes a customizable mixer interface that enables end users to control the level and mix of each input across multiple zone outputs. By taking the complexity out of large installations, the MTX Universal Driver focuses on the experience and ease of operation for the end user, who can now mix the audio, trigger custom programming, and adjust the zone and group levels without leaving the native Control4 interface.
