Connectivity
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      Wireless DMX Control with CRMX

      Every Vortex unit has built in Wireless DMX control using the LumenRadio CRMX system.

      When a valid wireless DMX signal is present, the blue Wireless indicator on the keypad will light up.  The current signal level will also be displayed on the top status area of the LCD screen

      If wired DMX or sACN is connected at the same time as the Wireless DMX is receiving data, then the wired connection will take control.

      The DMX Address and Mode should be set in the same manner as for regular DMX.

      To unlink the LumenRadio CRMX module, press the LINK button and select CRMX Settings > Unlink CRMX (or hold down the LINK button for 2 seconds).

      Please see Lumen Radio documentation for more information about the wireless DMX system.

      If the 'DMX Forwarding' option is enabled in the DMX menu, then incoming CRMX DMX data will be forwarded to the DMX port. It is recommended to keep ‘DMX Forwarding’ disabled if you plan to hot-swap between CRMX / sACN and DMX data.

      LumenRadio CRMX2


      CreamOS2.5 introduces full support for LumenRadio CRMX2 protocol, allowing full compatibility with the LumenRadio Stardust unit.

      CRMX2 allows for a ‘linking key’ (an eight-digit number) to be manually entered into the transmitter (e.g. Stardust) and the receiver (your beloved Vortex). The Vortex will then pair with this transmitter, without having to initiate the link from the transmitter. Several transmitters can be programmed with the same linking key, allowing a backup unit to be quickly commissioned in the case of transmitter failure.

      If more than one transmitter with the same linking key are within radio range at the same time, you’ll get random results!

      In addition to this, CRMX2 supports up to eight different ‘outputs’ (universes). These are labelled A-H. The output can be set in the Vortex, and it will listen on the corresponding output from the transmitter.

      Automatic process to pair a Vortex with a transmitter without linking key:

      • Make sure the Vortex is in CRMX Receiver Mode (LINK->CRMX Settings->Mode->Receiver)
      • Make sure the Vortex is unlinked by holding down the LINK button (or press LINK->CRMX Settings->CRMX Unlink)
      • Press the LINK button on the transmitter to automatically link
      • Note – it does not matter what any of the settings under LINK->CRMX Settings->Receiver Linking are set to, these are ignored for transmitter-initiated linking.

      Manual process to pair a Vortex with a transmitter using linking key

      • Make sure the Vortex is in CRMX Receiver Mode (LINK->CRMX Settings->Mode->Receiver)
      • Go into the ‘Receiver Linking’ submenu, and select the desired CRMX Mode (Classic or CRMX2) to match what is set in the transmitter
      • Set the eight-digit linking key to match the transmitter linking key
      • Select the desired universe output (A-H for CRMX2 or A,C,E,G for Classic modes)
      • Select ‘Link’ on the Vortex to pair. It will now be linked to any transmitter share this linking key

      CRMX Transmitter


      From CreamOS V2.5 onwards, it is possible to use the Vortex as a CRMX transmitter. It will automatically forward any incoming DMX, sACN or Bluetooth DMX data over CRMX. Perfect if you don’t have a CRMX transmitter on hand!

      To use TX mode

      • Make sure the Vortex is in CRMX Transmitter Mode (LINK->CRMX Settings->Mode-> Transmitter).
      • Initiate the linking process by selecting “Transmitter Link”. Any unlinked receivers will connect to this Vortex within around 10 seconds.
      • To force all receivers to unconnect from this Vortex, hold down the LINK button (or select LINK->CRMX Settings->CRMX Unlink)

      Any incoming DMX data will automatically be transmitted via CRMX (e.g. Wired DMX or sACN). “DMX Forwarding” option does not need to be enabled, as this forwards incoming data to the XLR ports.  

      RDM is not transmitted.

      LED Indicators

      The blue ‘wireless’ indication LED on the control panel will flash as follows when in transmitter mode:

      Slow Flash (1 per second) – CRMX in transmitter mode

      Fast Flash (4 per second) – CRMX is currently linking

      Setting transmitter power

      There are 4 levels of transmitter power available. These can be set under LINK->CRMX Settings->Transmitter Power menu

      • 5mW – Very low
      • 10mW – Low
      • 40mW – Medium (default)
      • 100mW – High

      When in Transmitter mode, it is still possible to control the Vortex using BLE via an app.  You can have a full wireless setup with no additional hardware: BLE to the first unit, then CRMX onwards to other units!

      If not using BLE, it is recommended to disable it under the 'CRMX Settings' menu.  Having it enabled brings some impact to the refresh rate of the CRMX data.  This is a limitation of the TimoTwo system from LumenRadio.