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Leviton Case StudyMorongo Casino Resort and Spa

Leviton Case StudyMorongo Casino Resort and Spa

1 LEVITON CASE STUDY Morongo Casino Resort and Spa

Like the brightly-colored desert flowers that roar to life after a rainstorm in this picturesque locale 20 mileswest of Palm Springs, the new $250 million 27–story Morongo Casino Resort and Spa roared to life on a tight-ly managed yet aggressive construction schedule of only 18 months. In the same space of time, an advancedlighting control system was installed to put the bloom on this rose.

The lighting control system features a dazzling array of distributed intelligence over a network backbonethat brings power, flexibility and reliability to a building that never sleeps. The result is an award-winningproject showcasing dramatic interior and exterior lighting that is the perfect complement to the picturesquemountain ranges and sun-streaked vistas of its surroundings.

Morongo Casino Resort and Spa’sAdvanced Lighting SystemFlexible Programming In Record Time

A towering façade lit to echo the intense colors of the local landscape

The Starting Point: A Distributed Systemfor Greater System ReliabilityMorongo Casino’s lighting control system started withthe simple and perennial question: “How do I get frompoint A to point B or, more exactly, how are multiplepoints of control and thousands of lighting circuits integrated into one intuitive, flexible, and easy-to-usesystem? According to Vince Caglianone, SeniorApplications Designer at Leviton Manufacturing, thesolution required the careful integration of Leviton’sDimensions™ control system into each ‘region’ of theproject, and the interconnection of each region throughLeviton’s network backbone. This permitted overlappinglayers of control where the primary local control interface within each region was complemented withremote access and control from anywhere on the network.

The use of Ethernet as the network backbone of choiceallowed for the maximum number of control channels toexceed 130,000. This was well within the requirements ofthis project. The challenge, however, was how to dealwith the enormous amount of communications traffic,the distance between devices and the large number ofremote control stations. As Ethernet over UTP (100Base-T)would not be able to function reliably, the solution wasto deploy Ethernet over low cost fiber optic cable(100Base- FX) as the backbone for the system. The use offiber optic Ethernet switches that could also accept100Base-T modules eliminated the need for additionalswitches when making use of local 100Base-T runs.

Although the main lighting control center for the facility,located in an Audio/Visual (A/V) room, was responsible fortriggering events across the entire network, each region inthe facility was designed to act as an independently operat-ing segment of the network that was, in turn, integratedinto the network backbone. This distributed intelligenceapproach added an additional level of reliability to the system, assuring that loss of any other system, or thebackbone itself, could not cause a shut-down of the system’s different regions.

Each region of control included a Leviton Dimensions™D-8000 LCD Control Station. These digital stations operate over Leviton’s Luma-Net™ network to provideintelligent communication between devices. The Luma-Net devices can be laid out in either a daisy-chaintopology or a star configuration when used with a hub,allowing for total run lengths of up to 2,000 feet. Thesecapabilities provided maximum installation flexibility.Network Protocol Converters (NPC) were used to managethe relationship between the Luma-Net and Ethernetnetworks to bring complete remote programming andcontrol capabilities into the entire lighting control network. The built-in intelligence of each D- 8000Station acted like its own miniature lighting controldevice, eliminating the need to reprogram the entire system upon failure of any one device.

The system was designed to provide everything fromglobal remote control to local and incidental controloptions. Globally, signals from the A/V center changedthe illumination from daytime to evening levels as necessary. Locally, each control station could change theroom lighting by activating presets or adjusting levels onslider stations. For incidental control, a computer or D-8000 Lighting Control Station console could also beplugged into a local port to directly control lighting levels. System-wide scheduling of lighting control eventswas achieved through Leviton’s LumaScheduler softwarepackage, which like all other aspects of systems manage-ment and control was carried out from the A/V center.

Leviton iSeries dimmer racks were used in 1- and 2-rackconfigurations at key electrical locations in the facility tocontrol all architectural lighting in the casino. The iSeries

Morongo Casino Resort and Spa LEVITON CASE STUDY 2

racks were employed because they provided a very highdensity of high-performance power circuit dimming con-trol in a very small space.

The broad application of the equipment selected forthis project made simple but smart integration withother lighting systems possible. The automation andsignage systems, which incorporated their own play-

back loops, were triggered from the LevitonLumaScheduler application. Integrating regional con-trol onto a network backbone, and providing multiplepoints-of-entry into this network, allowed for theutmost in flexibility at all levels, integrating localcontrol, device configuration, PC interaction, andother control devices into one cohesive lighting control system.


Sophisticated scene lighting unifies complex angles and planes in the gaming area

The Next Step: Programming SystemComponents To Work TogetherProgramming of the system was accomplished in a layeredapproach involving two steps. The first involved defining thesystem’s basic parameters. According to Bud Josserand, theLeviton system technician, this included information aboutthe number of dimmers, the type of each dimmer’s lightingload and the relationship of regional control stations to their

lighting circuits. The information was further enhanced withthe assignment of these circuits into areas, rooms, zones,control channels and groups. Josserand noted that this basiclevel of information was very well documented and, as such,was implemented without the need for any customer input.“Over 90% of the basic programming was done by Leviton. Itrarely needs to be changed after it is dialed in to meet theneeds of the user(s),” Josserand added.



Local remote controls provide users with settings needed depending on the event

The Final Step: Programming LightingLevels and Scheduling EventsThe second layer of programming in any system is highlysubjective and depends on the unique needs of the user. Inthis case, the primary requirement was that the Casinostaff could set up their lighting “looks” (or preset lightinglevels) and all scheduling of events by themselves.Consequently, step two required training end-users towork together with the lighting designers. Together, theyset up the exact lighting “look” desired for all of the high-end restaurants and clubs as well as the 128,000square feet of gaming areas. The result was a visual experience that heightened the impact of every area of thecasino, further enhancing the mood each space wasdesigned to evoke.

This programming was done using Leviton’sLumaEdit™ software running on a laptop plugged intonetwork ports distributed at key locations around thebuilding. Once set, these scenes were uploaded overthe network to the regional D-8000 Digital LightingControl Stations and associated with preset buttons orsliders. Press one button and get one lighting scene.Press a second button and get another, and so on.Having multiple network ports of entry into the system was necessary not only for programming butalso for control using theatrical lighting control con-soles. This was particularly true for the 12,000 squarefoot ballroom space where different settings wereneeded on a daily basis, depending on the type ofevent taking place.

Whenever time of day and date events needed to be associ-ated with various stored preset lighting scenes,LumaScheduler acted as the time clock for the system.Residing on a PC in the A/V Center, the software used thenetwork to send out the required commands overEthernet to the dimmer racks and other control devices.“The software was the only place that this flexibility inscheduling could be accomplished…not to mention theadded benefit of real-time lighting control opportunitiesthat having the software on an active PC on the networkcan provide,” Josserand noted.

Several basic lighting schemes were implementedthroughout the facility during the second phase of pro-gramming:

1. Daylight spaces - In cases where daylight played animportant part in the space, a dual preset lighting sys-tem was employed. One preset was used for peak day-light hours and another for periods when there was lessillumination provided by natural daylight.

2. Non-daylight spaces - In cases where little to no day-light contributed to the ambient lighting levels, a singlepreset system was implemented.

3. Dining and entertainment spaces – Dining and enter-tainment areas occasionally used a third preset, withbreakfast, lunch and dinner or lunch, dinner and late-night settings.

4. Restaurant, club and spa spaces - Lighting in theseareas was tailored with multiple presets geared to specific activities. It was also turned off or reduced tominimal levels using non-use-specific presets.

The dimming system permitted the lighting designer to setlighting at any desired level instead of just switching lightsto full on. This resulted in precise control for specificspaces and applications…and generated significant lighting energy savings for the facility in the process.

System Reviews:Bud Josserand (Leviton System Programmer): Once thesystem was configured and programming of lightingscenes completed, advanced lighting control was deliveredautomatically and has not required any changes since theinitial setup. Leviton’s LumaEdit software was run on alaptop PC plugged into network connections to downloadsystem setup and lighting scene information to both D-8000 Control Stations for local control and Leviton’sLumaScheduler software running in the central A/V Centerfor remote scheduling control. An active wireless networkin the building can make programming of scene lightingwith a laptop even more convenient.Jim Forest (IT Manager/Primary System Operator,Morongo Casino): About all we have needed is a Levitontraining session or two on use of the system for newemployees through LVH, the systems integrator on the job.Overall, the system has been rock solid in accomplishingits job, leaving us with very little to do.


© Copyright 2006 Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.G-7464

Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc. 59-25 Little Neck Parkway, Little Neck, NY 11362-2591Telephone: 1-800-323-8920 • FAX: 1-800-832-9538Tech Line (8:30AM–7:30PM E.S.T. Monday–Friday): 1-800-824-3005

Leviton Lighting Management Systemswww.lms.leviton.com20497 S.W. Teton Avenue, Tualatin, Oregon 97062Telephone: (503) 404-5500 • FAX: (503) 404-5600

Visit Leviton’s Website at: www.leviton.com

Leviton Manufacturing of Canada, Ltd.165 Hymus Boulevard, Pointe Claire, Quebec H9R 1E9Telephone: 1-800-469-7890FAX: 1-800-563-1853

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Leviton Case Study