XMG-51

DMX Merger
User Manual

XMG-51
DMX Merger
User Manual
XMG-51 DMX Merger
User Manual
Issue 1.01 (2017-08-30)

Copyright © 2017 SWISSON AG

No part of this documentation may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying and recording, without the prior written
permission of SWISSON AG.
The information in this documentation is supplied without
warranty of any kind, either directly or indirectly, and is subject
to change without prior written notice. Swisson, its employees
or appointed representatives will not be held responsible for any
damages to software, hardware, or data, arising as a direct or
indirect result of the product(s) mentioned herein.

Issued by

SWISSON AG
Fabrikstrasse 21
CH-3250 Lyss
Switzerland

E-Mail: welcome@swisson.com

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Table of contents
Overview ................................................................................... 4
Bypass ...................................................................................... 7
Manual switching ...................................................................... 7
The main menu ......................................................................... 8
Keyboard lock / password ......................................................... 9
Restore the XMG-51 ................................................................10
Change merge mode ...............................................................10
HTP .........................................................................................11
LTP ch .....................................................................................11
LTP line....................................................................................13
The Single mode......................................................................14
Offset .......................................................................................16
Overview of the menu ..............................................................18
Technical data .........................................................................19
Safety notes .............................................................................20

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4
14 16 17 18 19 20 21
Overview

22 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 12 10 12 10 12 10 12 10 12
8 11 11 11 11 11
With the XMG-51 you get a powerful DMX merger with
numerous options. The merger is suitable for many
applications.
This manual familiarizes you with all the functions of the XMG-
51 and introduces you to the topic of merging light control data.

1 LEFT
With this button, the cursor on
the display is moved one
position to the left
2 RIGHT
With this button, the cursor on
the display is moved one
position to the right
3 UP
This button is for scrolling up in
the menu or to increase a
number
4 DOWN
This button is for scrolling down
in the menu or to decrease a
number
5 DISPLAY
LCD display with LED backlight
6 YES/OK
Pressing this button will confirm
any entered value or choose a
selected menu item
7 NO/CANCEL
Pressing this button will cancel
any entered value or exit from
the currently active menu
8 MERGE
Pressing this button will
activate the merger
9 MERGE ACTIVE
This LED shows if the merger is
active

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10 SIGNAL
This LED shows if there is a
signal on the corresponding
input
11 ERROR
The error LED will glow red if
there are any errors in the DMX
data of the corresponding input
12 ACTIVE
When there is a value that is
currently being propagated
through to the output from the
corresponding input, this LED
will light up
13 INPUT
Pressing one of these buttons
will switch the corresponding
input directly to the output

14 DMX OUTPUT
XLR socket for the DMX output
signal

15 DMX INPUT 1
DMX input line 1

16 DMX INPUT 2
DMX input line 2
17 DMX INPUT 3
DMX input line 3
18 DMX INPUT 4
DMX input line 4
19 DMX INPUT 5
DMX input line 5
20 USB SOCKET
This USB link is for
downloading software updates
21 POWER INPUT
Power input
85-275 VAC
22 POWER ON
As soon as the internal power
supply is stable, this LED will
light up

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Bypass
If the XMG-51 is powered down, DMX input line1 is switched
directly to the output:
X-MG-51

merger

Manual switching
• With the button the merger is activated:
X-MG-51

merger

• When one of the buttons is pressed, the

corresponding input line is directly switched to the output.
In this state, the merger is deactivated:
X-MG-51

7
The main menu
About two seconds after powering up the merger, the following
information will appear on the display:

If the menu is locked by a password (see section keyboard lock

/ password) the following information will appear on the display
if any menu button is pressed:

The password can be entered with the menu buttons and

confirmed with the OK button. If the password is wrong, the
value on the display will be set back to 0000. If the correct
password was entered, the XMG-51 will go to the main menu.
The main menu contains the following 4 options:

The UP and DOWN buttons are used to navigate through the

menu. The following text --MENU-- will always appear on the
top line of the display when in the menu mode.

8
Keyboard lock / password
To activate the keyboard lock or to change the password,
choose LOCK in the main menu and press OK. You are now in
the password menu. There are 3 options to choose from:

MENU - If you choose this option, the menu will be locked but
the switch buttons can still be used.
Press OK to enter a new password.

COMPLETE - In this option, the whole keyboard of the merger

will be locked; the XMG-51 can’t be manipulated by anyone
other than the person who knows the password. Press OK to
enter a new password.

UNLOCK - This option unlocks the whole merger. The menu

and the switch buttons are unlocked and can be manipulated by
anyone.

9
Restore the XMG-51
The XMG-51 has many adjustable parameters. In some cases,
it may be practical to set back all parameters to their default
settings.

Select RESTORE in the main menu and press OK. Once that is
done, the XMG-51 will display the following:

If the OK button is pressed again, all parameters will be set

back to their original default settings:
• Merge mode of all channels is HTP
• All offsets are set to 1

Change merge mode

To change the merge mode, go to MERGE in the main menu
and press OK. There are now 4 options to choose from:

The following chapters will give you a brief overview about

these modes.

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HTP
HTP (Higher Takes Precedence) means that the highest value
of all inputs always takes precedence. The following picture will
explain this in more detail. You can see a simplified DMX data
stream on every input. The highest value of each channel is
marked in green:
DMX DMX DMX DMX DMX DMX
In 1 In 2 In 3 In 4 In 5 Out
0 0 254 255 45 255 Ch 1
10 0 0 100 0 100 Ch 2
90 78 0 46 32 90 Ch 3
200 100 54 0 100 200 Ch 4
48 0 35 41 0 48 Ch 5
0 50 78 0 5 78 Ch 6
135 128 0 10 150 150 Ch 7
18 255 0 0 0 255 Ch 8

87 36 255 0 0 255 Ch 511

25 0 0 0 0 25 Ch 512

As illustrated above, the highest value of each DMX channel

takes precedence over other values of that same channel.

To choose HTP, select MERGE in the main menu, press OK

and then select HTP and press OK again.
After two seconds, a confirmation is displayed and all the
channels are set to HTP.

LTP ch
LTP ch (Last Takes Precedence - channel) means that for each
output channel, the merger selects the corresponding input
channel whose value changed most recently. The depiction
below shows how this works using an example of four
sequential DMX packages. The changed values are marked in
yellow.

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 DMX DMX DMX DMX DMX DMX
In 1 In 2 In 3 In 4 In 5 Out
0 0 254 255 45 0 Ch 1
10 0 0 100 0 10 Ch 2
90 78 0 46 32 90 Ch 3
200 100 54 0 100 200 Ch 4
48 0 35 41 0 48 Ch 5
0 50 78 0 5 0 Ch 6
135 128 0 10 150 135 Ch 7
18 255 0 0 0 18 Ch 8

87 36 255 0 0 87 Ch 511
25 0 0 0 0 25 Ch 512

DMX DMX DMX DMX DMX DMX

In 1 In 2 In 3 In 4 In 5 Out
0 0 254 255 45 0 Ch 1
10 0 0 100 0 10 Ch 2
90 78 0 46 32 90 Ch 3
200 110 54 0 100 110 Ch 4
48 0 35 41 0 48 Ch 5
0 50 78 0 5 0 Ch 6
135 128 0 10 150 135 Ch 7
18 255 0 0 0 18 Ch 8

87 36 255 0 0 87 Ch 511
25 0 0 0 0 25 Ch 512

DMX DMX DMX DMX DMX DMX

In 1 In 2 In 3 In 4 In 5 Out
0 0 254 255 45 0 Ch 1
10 0 0 100 0 10 Ch 2
90 78 0 46 32 90 Ch 3
200 110 54 0 100 110 Ch 4
48 0 35 41 0 48 Ch 5
0 50 100 0 5 100 Ch 6
135 128 0 0 150 0 Ch 7
18 255 0 0 0 18 Ch 8

87 36 255 0 0 87 Ch 511
25 0 0 0 0 25 Ch 512

DMX DMX DMX DMX DMX DMX

In 1 In 2 In 3 In 4 In 5 Out
0 0 254 255 45 0 Ch 1
10 0 0 100 0 10 Ch 2
90 78 0 46 32 90 Ch 3
199 110 54 0 100 199 Ch 4
48 0 35 41 0 48 Ch 5
0 50 100 0 5 100 Ch 6
135 128 0 0 150 0 Ch 7
18 255 0 0 0 18 Ch 8

87 36 255 0 0 87 Ch 511
25 0 0 0 0 25 Ch 512

To choose LTP ch, go to MERGE in the main menu, press OK

and then select LTP CH and press OK again. After 2 seconds, a

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confirmation will appear on the display. At that point all the
channels of the XMG-51 will be set to LTP ch.

LTP line
LTP line (Last Takes Precedence line) is very akin to LTP ch.
With LTP line, the line (input) on which any value has changed
last takes precedence over the other lines.

The following picture will explain this in more detail. You can
see 4 sequential DMX packages; the changed values are
marked in yellow:

DMX DMX DMX DMX DMX DMX

In 1 In 2 In 3 In 4 In 5 Out
0 0 254 255 45 0 Ch 1
10 0 0 100 0 Ch 2
90 78 0 46 32 90 Ch 3
200 100 54 0 100 200 Ch 4
48 0 35 41 0 48 Ch 5
0 50 78 0 5 0 Ch 6
135 128 0 10 150 135 Ch 7
18 255 0 0 0 18 Ch 8

87 36 255 0 0 87 Ch 511
25 0 0 0 0 25 Ch 512

DMX DMX DMX DMX DMX DMX

In 1 In 2 In 3 In 4 In 5 Out
0 0 254 255 45 0 Ch 1
10 0 0 100 0 0 Ch 2
90 78 0 46 32 78 Ch 3
200 110 54 0 100 110 Ch 4
48 0 35 41 0 Ch 5
0 50 78 0 5 50 Ch 6
135 128 0 10 150 128 Ch 7
18 255 0 0 0 255 Ch 8

87 36 255 0 0 36 Ch 511
25 0 0 0 0 0 Ch 512

13
 DMX DMX DMX DMX DMX DMX
In 1 In 2 In 3 In 4 In 5 Out
0 0 254 255 45 254 Ch 1
10 0 0 100 0 0 Ch 2
90 78 0 46 32 0 Ch 3
200 110 54 0 100 54 Ch 4
48 0 35 41 0 35 Ch 5
0 50 100 0 5 100 Ch 6
135 128 0 10 150 0 Ch 7
18 255 0 0 0 0 Ch 8

87 36 255 0 0 255 Ch 511

25 0 0 0 0 0 Ch 512
DMX DMX DMX DMX DMX DMX
In 1 In 2 In 3 In 4 In 5 Out
0 0 254 255 45 0 Ch 1
10 0 0 100 0 10 Ch 2
90 78 0 46 32 90 Ch 3
199 110 54 0 100 199 Ch 4
48 0 35 41 0 48 Ch 5
0 50 100 0 5 0 Ch 6
135 128 0 0 150 135 Ch 7
18 255 0 0 0 18 Ch 8

87 36 255 0 0 87 Ch 511
25 0 0 0 0 25 Ch 512

To choose LTP line, go to MERGE in the main menu, press OK

and then select LTP LINE and press OK again. After 2 seconds,
a confirmation will appear and all channels of the XMG-51 will
be set to LTP line.

Single mode
With the XMG-51, it is possible to configure each DMX channel
separately to one of the described merge modes. With this
feature it is possible to solve almost any DMX merging problem.
The following picture shows a possible merge configuration on
each DMX channel:
Only Only Only Single
HTP LTPch LTPline Mode
HTP LTPch LTPln HTP Ch 1
HTP LTPch LTPln LTPch Ch 2
HTP LTPch LTPln LTPch Ch 3
HTP LTPch LTPln LTPln Ch 4
HTP LTPch LTPln LTPln Ch 5
HTP LTPch LTPln HTP Ch 6
HTP LTPch LTPln LTPch Ch 7
HTP LTPch LTPln HTP Ch 8

HTP LTPch LTPln LTPln Ch 511

HTP LTPch LTPln HTP Ch 512

This Single mode list can be saved. Once saved, this list can
always be recalled.

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To enter the Single Mode, go to MERGE in the main menu,
press OK and select SINGLE and press OK again. You are now
in the Single mode menu where you can select from 3 options:

RECALL - This recalls the saved Single list.

RESET - The Single list will be cleared by choosing this option.

The user can choose on which merge mode the Single list will
be cleared.

EDIT – This option allows for the Single list to be edited.

If you want to change the Single list, the following information

appears on the display:

With the arrow buttons you can choose the DMX channel on
which you want to set a certain mode. When you have entered
your choice, press OK:

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Now you can choose a merge mode for this channel. After
choosing the mode by pressing OK, the display will show the
channel number, which will be incremented by 1 automatically.
Thus, all channels can be set separately to a merge mode.
When you are done with editing the Single list, press CANCEL.
You will see the following information on the display:

If you now press OK, the just entered Single list will be active
and saved.
If you press CANCEL instead, the just entered Single list will be
active but not saved.

Offset
On the XMG-51 there is the option to select an offset on each
input line but on line 1.
With this feature, the DMX data is shifted up in the DMX stream.
See the following illustration for a better understanding:
Offset Offset Offset Offset
=3 =5 =1 =6
DMX DMX DMX DMX DMX DMX
In 1 In 2 In 3 In 4 In 5 Out
2 0 2 Ch 1
10 255 255 Ch 2
90 99 100 100 Ch 3
200 0 46 200 Ch 4
48 0 47 0 48 Ch 5
0 78 254 41 0 245 Ch 6
135 100 0 0 45 135 Ch 7
18 0 0 25 0 25 Ch 8

87 128 35 54 100 128 Ch 511

25 0 78 0 240 240 Ch 512

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In the above example, the merger is operated in HTP mode.
You can see that the DMX values are shifted before they are
merged. Because of the shifting, there is surplus DMX data
which is cut off and will not have any effect on the process.
Input lines 2 to 5 can be configured with an offset between 1
and 512.
The offset number indicates to which DMX channel the first
channel of the corresponding input is shifted before being
merged.

To set offset, choose OFFSET in the main menu and press OK.
You now can choose the input line which you want to configure
with an offset:

Once the desired input line is selected, press OK. The following
information will appear on the display:

Using the arrow buttons, you can select the offset value. Enter
the value and confirm by pressing OK.

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Overview of the menu
The following flowchart shows the entire overview of the X-MG-
51’s menu:
‘C ’

X-MG-51 Any Button, PASSWORD ‘OK’ SET TO

V 1.0 pa ssword req uired 0000 Wrong password
HTP
Any Button,
Password not req uired
‘OK SET TO
Password c orrec t
LTP CH
-SINGLE- ‘C ’
‘OK’ ‘OK’ SAVE ?
‘OK’
SET TO
--MENU-- ‘OK’
-MERGE- -SINGLE- ‘C ’ ‘C ’ LTP LINE
MERGE ‘C ’ HTP RECALL
CHANNEL
-MERGE- -SINGLE- CH 001 ‘OK’ Num ber+ +

LTP CH EDIT ‘OK’

-MERGE- -SINGLE- ‘OK’ SET ALL

LTP LINE RESET ‘C ’
HTP

-MERGE- ‘OK’ SET ALL

SINGLE ‘C ’
LTP CH
‘OK’

SET ALL
LTP LINE

--MENU-- ‘OK’ -OFFSET- ‘OK’ LINE 2

OFFSET ‘C ’
LINE 2 ‘C ’
CH 001

-OFFSET- ‘OK’ LINE 3

LINE 3 ‘C ’
CH 001
‘OK’

-OFFSET- ‘OK’ LINE 4

LINE 4 ‘C ’
CH 001

-OFFSET- ‘OK’ LINE 5

LINE 5 ‘C ’
CH 001

‘OK’
--MENU-- ‘OK’ -RESTORE
RESTORE ‘C ’
SURE ?

--MENU-- ‘OK’ -LOCK- ‘OK’ ENTER PW

LOCK ‘C ’
COMPLETE ‘C ’
0000 ‘OK’

-LOCK- ‘OK’ ENTER PW ‘OK’

MENU ‘C ’
0000

-LOCK-
UNLOCK

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Technical Data
Data 5 DMX inputs / individually
Input galvanically isolated from the DMX
output
1 USB port for software updates

Data 1 DMX output galvanic isolated

Output

DMX Constant 40.3 Hz

Refresh Rate independent from the refresh-rates
of the input lines

Break length 180 us

MAB length 16 us

Merge Modus HTP / LTP ch / LTP line

Each channel can be adjusted
separately

Offset Input lines 2 - 5 from 1 to 512

Bypass Input line1 directly connected to

output

Measurements L=430mm / B=109mm / H=45mm

Weight 1.4 kg

Power input 85 – 276 VAC 50Hz / 60Hz

Current drain 315 mA max

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Safety Notes
Consider and follow these notes when you are setting up,
connecting and using the XMG-51 DMX merger:

• Connect all input and output cables only with appropriate

plugs and sockets.
• Set the cables accident-proof. Connected cables mustn’t
be stressed mechanically too much when connected to this
or any other electrical device.
• Keep this device away from sources of electrical
interference.
• Only connect accessories certified for this device.
• Never open the device yourself. This should be done by
certified SWISSON Technicians. NEVER, UNDER ANY
CERCUMSTANCE SHOULD THIS DEVICE OR ANY
OTHER DEVICE BE OPENED WHILE CONNECTED TO A
POWER SUPPLY. Don’t touch the plug contacts with metal
or pointed instruments.
• Clean the XMG-51 only with a soft, damp cloth. Don’t use
chemicals or other cleaning/ scrubbing agents.
• Protect the device against liquids, dust and wetness.
• Don’t use or place this product in direct sunlight.
• Don’t use the device in a highly combustible area.

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