Nanchang metro simplifies emergency lighting maintenance

CHINA: The Nanchang metro’s maintenance department has developed an adapter to simplify the replacement of different brands and models of emergency lighting equipment used to help evacuate passengers in the case of a power failure.
The operator said stations opened at different times often use different customised lighting systems and equipment. This means that if a light fixture fails, it often has to contact the original manufacturer, leading to long procurement cycles and high costs.

The creation of the universal replacement included developing a two-wire communication motherboard, reducing the number of wires from four to two by combining the power supply and communications. The operator said ‘this seemingly simple change is significant. Regardless of whether the original wiring method used four or two wires, the new system can connect smoothly. During the upgrade, there is no need to re-drill walls and re-lay wiring, and the existing wiring can continue to be used.’

Initially, the team planned to develop a separate motherboard for each lighting fixture, but the variety of models and specifications made this a challenging undertaking. Instead, a compact universal adapter has been developed to externalise the functions of the original internal motherboards.

The operator said the result is that spare parts are no longer tied to one manufacturer, simplifying the procurement process, shortening delivery cycles and significantly reducing equipment procurement and maintenance costs, enabling the system to truly achieve independent control.

‘For the industry, this achievement provides a practical and replicable model for the localisation and standardisation of rail transit emergency equipment’, said Nanchang Rail Transit Group Co.

Source: Railway Gazette