Lights, cabling, CBus, etc.

["davidsussmanuk" <lists@xxxxxxx>]

After a long, long delay I'm finally ready to start cabling for the
new lighting. Knowing diddly squat about this (although I have been
on the cbus course), I wanted to ask a few questions. Background
first though. It's a retrofit CBus install, in the house I'm living
in so I can't just strip out the old lighting circuits and replace
them with cbus ones - I need to gradually change over, on a room by
room basis. Walls are all brick (all the way up to the roof), ground
floor is concrete, and 1st floor boarded.

I have two choices for the downstairs lights - chase the upstairs
walls and run the mains up and around to the N0 point in the loft,
or run them along under the boards to a central point and then up to
the loft. Neither option is great - 1 more mess & replastering (but
I'll be doing some of this anyway), and 2 mens flooring and drilling
joists. Given that I'm switching from 2 dangling lights in the
lounge to 6 halogen downlights (I'm not one for dangling lampshades,
plus you get better light) I'm worried about drilling too many holes
through joists. I want to run a single cable for each halogen, even
though I intend for this to be one circuit to start with. A cable
for each gives me the flexibility to split it into multiple circuits
at a later date. 6 cables through multiple joists is a bit worrying.

And leading on from that, what cabling should I use for the lights.
Is 2.5mm T&E suitable? Also, for the cat5, I know Clipsal recommend
their own, but are there other sources of lsoh/coloured cable to the
same spec?

For the halogens, I wanted to use mains powered, to avoid the buzz
that LV ones generate when dimmed. I presume there's no problem
about dimmming the mains ones? I'm thinking of something like the
standard halogens, such as those on p70 of the Screwfix catalog
(vol70), although I'd gladly accept advice on better ones.

As an aside, did you know that Clipsal are developing a retrofit
switch for CBus systems? RF switches and an RF control unit. Tail
end of the year if they get it working. They also have a UK alarm
system planned for the summer. Anyone know anything about this?

Thanks (and apologies for the long rambling post).

Dave