Litepanels Apollo User manual

Users Manual
EN www.litepanels.com
Apollo Wireless DMX Bridge
Apollo Wireless DMX Bridge
Part No. 900-4014
Powered By Lighticians

Copyright © 2020
All rights reserved.
Original Instructions: English
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Group Plc.
Disclaimer
The information contained in this publication is believed to be correct at the time of printing. Vitec Production Solutions Ltd reserves the right to
make changes to the information or specications without obligation to notify any person of such revision or changes. Changes will be incorporated
in new versions of the publication.
We are making every e󰀨ort to ensure that our publications are updated on a regular basis to reect changes to product specications and features.
Should this publication not contain information on the core functionality of your product, please let us know. You may be able to access the latest
revision of this publication from our website.
Vitec Production Solutions Ltd reserves the right to make changes to product design and functionality without notication.
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Published by:
Vitec Production Solutions Ltd
Email: [email protected]

Contents
Safety.....................................2
Intended Use .......................... 2
Health and Safety....................... 2
Features...................................4
Introduction............................ 4
Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Operating Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
LED Indicators ............................. 7
Operation..................................8
Initial Setup and Connections.............. 8
Unlinking.............................. 8
Device Conguration ................... 10
Updating Firmware..................... 11
Radio Frequency, Interference Management . 12
Selecting a WiFi Channel................ 13
Dense WiFi Environments ............... 13
High Gain and Other 3rd Party Antennae.... 13
Troubleshooting ........................... 14
Kits / Spare Parts .......................... 15
Specications ............................. 16
General Notices ........................... 17

2
Safety
Health and Safety
!
WARNING! Risk of personal injury or injury to others. All
personnel must be fully trained and adhere to correct manual
handling techniques and Health and Safety regulations. It is
the responsibility of the local organisation to enforce safe working
practices at all times.
Humidity and Condensation! Risk of electric shock
and re.
Maintenance
!
WARNING! The tting of non-approved parts and or
accessories or servicing by non-approved personnel could
e󰀨ect the safety of the product. It may also invalidate the
terms and conditions of the product warranty.
!
CAUTION! Never expose the product to rain or moisture as
condensed moisture may damage the product electrically
when switched on
!
CAUTION! Never cover the Apollo Wireless DMX Bridge
during operation. Keep a minimum clearance of 4 inches
around the housing for ventilation and air circulation
!
CAUTION! Avoid direct illumination by other luminaries or
other heat sources. Check the mains cable and connector
cable prior to every operation for damage.
!WARNING! In case of visible damage to the mains cable or
the housing, the device must not be operated any longer.
Damaged components must be replaced by a Litepanels
service center.
Intended Use
This product is intended to transmit and receive lighting control data
in a dry environment. Always follow the safety guidelines.
Not for use as a router or access point for life saving applications or
for medical equipment
There are no user serviceable parts inside the enclosure. Only a
Litepanels qualied service center may open the Apollo Bridge.
The Apollo system is intended for professional use and may only be
operated by qualied persons.
Please read these instructions carefully before using the product for
the rst time. The following text contains important information for
safe handling.
NOTE! To check for updates to the Operators Manual,
visit:
www.litepanels.com

3
Dimensions
104mm
5.7”
144mm
5.7”
42mm
1.7”
Maximum spread:
190mm
7.5”

4
Features
• Modern Quad Core ARM CPU and custom Router SoC with
Enterprise Grade WiFi and Ethernet to support low latency high
performance networking.
• WiFi 5 (802.11ac Wave2 with MIMO) with full support for all
related security and encryption standards.
• Simultaneous Dual Band 2.4/5 GHz WiFi.
• Dual 1Gbps Ethernet Ports supporting two separate networks,
WAN/LAN routing functionality, or bridged as a switch.
• LumenRadio TimoTwo CRMX transceiver.
• Web based conguration and advanced provisioning features.
• Multiple physical and virtual ports for DMX distribution:
• E1.11 DMX on 5-Pin XLR.
• LumenRadio CRMX.
• E1.31 sACN over Ethernet and WiFi.
• USB 3.0 on USB-A connector for external expansion.
• Firmware updates over Ethernet and WiFi using the Web GUI.
• USB-C Power Input.
• Rugged design.
• 1/4”-20 threaded mount for rigging hardware.
• Highly visible indicator LEDs for power, mode, LumenRadio, and
device status.
• Compatible with any E1.31 sACN control application or lighting
console.
• Compatible with any LumenRadio CRMX wireless receiver.
Introduction
Thank you for choosing the Apollo Wireless Lighting ecosystem from
Litepanels: Powered by Lighticians. The Apollo Wireless Lighting
Bridge is the ultimate “Swiss Army Knife” of wireless lighting control.
This universally compatible bridge connects to any DMX xture
via wireless DMX, Ethernet, 5-pin XLR, or WiFi. It connects to any
LumenRadio CRMX receiver and integrates the state-of-the-art
TimoTwo module for robust wireless DMX transmission even in the
most crowded radio frequency environments.
The Apollo Bridge also is an enterprise grade network router that can
be congured for sophisticated data networking. Conguration and
provisioning is performed using an intuitive web based interface from
any web browser including on mobile devices and tablets. WiFi is
supported simultaneously on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, giving
the user enhanced and automatic interference avoidance with other
on-set wireless equipment.
Apollo is a two-part system that enables wireless DMX
communication to Litepanels xtures, such as the Astra and Gemini,
along with most other DMX controllable lighting devices. The Apollo
Bridge uses LumenRadio CRMX for wireless DMX communication to
xtures and E1.31 sACN over WiFi or Ethernet for direct control from
a mobile device, computer or lighting console.
Operators nally have a device that can be trusted on any location
and implemented into existing data workows, regardless of what
equipment or protocols are being used. Meanwhile, rst time wireless
customers have an intuitive and reliable solution that enables more
powerful control without needing to be a DMX or networking expert.
When used in concert, along with Litepanels xtures, these two
products complete a lighting ecosystem that seamlessly and without
interruption empowers lighting creatives with fast uid control that
maximizes their craft.

5
Elements
Antennae
The Apollo Wireless DMX Bridge includes 2× RP-SMA antennae for
dual band WiFi, and 1× RP-TNC antenna for CRMX transmission.
Power Supply
The Apollo Wireless DMX Bridge uses the included 9V/2A USB-C
universal power supply. 5V USB power is insu󰀩cient for this device.
Only USB Type-C PD compliant power supplies will boot the device.
Insu󰀩cient power will be indicated by a rapidly ashing red power
LED.
Control
The Apollo can receive and route sACN from any mobile device,
tablet, computer or console with that supports the E1.31 sACN
standard. Control signals can be mapped to any or all available
outputs including physical XLR and LumenRadio ports.
Conguration Options
The Apollo Wireless DMX Bridge can be congured using an intuitive
web GUI by entering the device’s IP address into a web browser
while connected to the Apollo network. The default IP address is
10.1.0.1. CRMX Link/Unlink actions can be done both remotely in the
LumenRadio CRMX Toolbox App or locally using the physical Link
button.
Printed Label (Bottom of the Device)
The printed label on the bottom of the device contains all of the
information pertaining to initial access including the default password.
Please take a photo, record, and safely preserve this information.
When at some future time you reset the device to factory defaults (for
example after wrapping a show or upon checking out a new location
rigging package) you will need this information to re-provision your
Apollo Bridge.
For additional CRMX transmitter settings, download the free CRMX
Toolbox app from the app store, scan the QR code with your iPhone
or iPad to install the app.
Download the free CRMX Toolbox app
Download the “free Lighticians Apollo Control App”
To control all of your Litepanels lights and other lighting xtures in
your kit, scan the QR code with your iPhone or iPad to install the app.
Note! This product contains software licensed under various
free software licenses, please refer to the “License Notices”
section in Apollo’s integrated web based control portal for
more information.”

6
7
2
1
1
345
6
6
8910 11 12
Operating Elements
Front View Rear View
1Dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz Antennas sends and receives sACN Wi-Fi
transmission
2Long LumenRadio CRMX Antenna transmits wireless DMX to CRMX
receivers
3Link/Unlink CRMX press to link CRMX to receivers. Hold 3+ secs to unlink
all receivers
4CRMX Indicator LEDs display CRMX mode, status and data
5sACN Indicator LED displays status of sACN network and network ports
6Corner System Indicator LEDs displays device system status
7Reset Pinhole Button press to reboot or hold for 3 seconds to reset to
factory default settings
8LAN RJ45 Port connect to sACN Local Area Network devices such as
a lighting console
9WAN RJ45 Port connect to Wide Area Networks, such as the internet
10 USB 3 Port for use with future features and accessories
11 5-Pin DMX In/Out connect to hard-wired DMX controlled xtures or to a
DMX lighting board. Defaults to output
12 USB-C Power Port connect from 9V+ USB-C power supply or battery

7
LED Indicators
Four corner “Status LED”
LED Behaviour LED Meaning
White constant on System nished booting, no error
White slow ashing System booting
White fast ashing Press “RESET” button to enter failsafe
Pink fast ashing Contact Litepanels Support
Yellow very fast ashing System is in failsafe mode
Orange very fast ashing Contact Litepanels Support
Red very fast ashing USB-C supply has insu󰀩cient power, try switching to a di󰀨erent
known to be reliable power source or switch power cables
Green constant on Contact Litepanels Support
Blue constant on Contact Litepanels Support
Red constant on Contact Litepanels Support
Cyan constant on Contact Litepanels Support
Extremely fast ashing, alternating blue
and red Contact Litepanels Support
LumenRadio Timo LED
Purple, constant on Port is in TX mode
O󰀨 Port is disabled
sACN LED
Yellow, constant on: Port is in RX mode
O󰀨 Port is disabled

8
Operation
Initial Setup and Connections
Plug in the Apollo Bridge
Attach the appropriate AC power connector to the included 9V USB-C
power supply and then plug the USB-C connector into the female
input on the rear of the Apollo Bridge. Then connect to an AC power
receptacle. The unit will power on and be ready within 90 seconds.
Simply plug any LumenRadio CRMX Receiver into the DMX IN port
on a DMX capable xture.
You can now connect to the Apollo network via WiFi or Ethernet
(using the LAN port).
General Operation
Operating Range
The Apollo Bridge has a range of up to 300m via CRMX transmission
and up to 100m via WiFi. External factors, such as other radio
interference and walls, vegetation, or even people between the
Bridge and Receivers can impact the range. Best practice is to have
an uninterrupted line-of-sight (LOS) between the Apollo Bridge, the
receivers as well was the control device.
Connecting to the Apollo WiFi Network
To log in to the Apollo Wireless DMX Bridge, rst connect to the Apollo
network on your mobile device or computer by nding the “Apollo
Bridge” network in your list of WiFi networks and then joining it as you
would your home router or o󰀩ce access point. Enter the password
when requested.
Note! The Apollo Wireless DMX Bridge default password is found on
the label on the bottom of the bridge’s enclosure. The default Network
SSID is “Apollo Bridge”.
Please note that all passwords are case sensitive.
Linking CRMX Receivers
After ensuring your wireless DMX Receivers are powered and unlinked,
briey press the CRMX Link Button on the front of your Apollo Wireless
Bridge. The Status Light on your Apollo Bridge will blink for several
seconds in unison with the CRMX Status Light on linking CRMX
receivers. Linking is complete when ashing stops.
Receivers will stay linked to their transmitter indenitely until unlinked
and/or linked to another transmitter.
Unlinking
Unlink One Receiver
On a third party CRMX Receiver, press and hold its Unlink button for
more than 3 seconds to unlink it from a transmitter. The CRMX indicator
will extinguish.
To unlink the CRMX receiver in a Litepanels Gemini or Astra in the menu
select:
SETTINGS > DMX SETTINGS > WIRELESS DMX > UNLINK
Unlink All Receivers
On the Apollo Bridge, press and hold the Link button for more than 3
seconds to unlink all receivers currently paired with the Apollo Wireless
DMX Bridge.
Think carefully before taking this action as there is no “undo” in this case.
Unlinking all connected receivers will require you to relink each one to
regain control.
Download the Apollo Control App
Optionally, if you do not have a suitable sACN lighting controller,
download the free Lighticians’ Apollo Control app rst before moving
forward.
Scan the QR code with your iPhone
or iPad to install the app