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dmXLAN F!X

Overview

dmXLAN F!X is a lightweight fixture maintenance & note logging application. It builds a maintenance history per physical fixture by logging notes together with the fixture’s RDM UID (unique identifier).

Note – Scan – Logged!

dmXLAN F!X is designed to work in three ways:

  • Standalone: enter maintenance notes directly into F!X (manual typing + UID entry or barcode/QR scanning).
  • Integrated with dmXLAN: fixture notes created in dmXLAN are automatically logged into F!X.
  • Integrated with dmXLAN QR: QR notes scanned on a mobile device go to dmXLAN, and are then forwarded into F!X.

Use cases

dmXLAN F!X is useful for:

  • Rental companies / warehouses: track recurring issues, lamp/module replacements, repairs, and service actions per fixture UID.
  • On-site technicians: capture faults and notes quickly during prep, load-in, or troubleshooting.
  • Maintenance handover: export/import logs between site and warehouse systems.

System components

A complete dmXLAN F!X workflow can consist of:

  • dmXLAN F!X (Windows / macOS)
  • Optionally: dmXLAN v4 (on the same LAN)
  • Optionally: dmXLAN QR (iOS / Android) for scanning notes into dmXLAN
  • Optional: QR / barcode scanner (USB) for fast UID input in the workshop
  • A shared drive / network / cloud location to store the log file (recommended for multi-user)

How it works

Key concept: the Fixture Notes Log

dmXLAN F!X stores data in a single CSV file with a fixed filename:

FixtureNotesLog.csv

This file is a shared time-series log: every note becomes a record that can be searched, exported, imported, merged, and shared.

What gets logged

Depending on what information is available, entries can include:

  • Timestamp
  • UID
  • Note text
  • Username
  • (When coming from dmXLAN) fixture number and showfile name

Getting started

Installation & downloads

Download dmXLAN F!X from the ELC product page (Windows / macOS).

Choose your log location (important)

dmXLAN F!X always uses the same filename (FixtureNotesLog.csv), but you choose where it lives (local disk, shared drive, cloud folder, etc.).

Recommended setups:

  • Single-user: local file (simple, portable).
  • Team / warehouse: shared network/cloud folder so multiple computers share one history.

Workflow 1 — Standalone logging in dmXLAN F!X

Use this workflow when you are in a workshop or doing maintenance without a live dmXLAN system.

Manual entry (keyboard)

  1. Open dmXLAN F!X.
  2. Open/select your log file location (File → Open…) and point to where FixtureNotesLog.csv is or should be stored.
  3. Enter the UID and type a maintenance note (e.g., “fan replaced”, “pan encoder intermittent”, “cleaned optics”).
  4. Save/log the entry.

Each entry is stored with timestamp, UID, note, and the logged-on account name.

Scanner entry (recommended)

Attach a USB barcode/QR scanner: 1. Scan the fixture’s RDM-QR label (UID). 2. Type the maintenance message. 3. Log the entry.

Workflow 2 — Logging from dmXLAN into dmXLAN F!X (LAN integration)

Use this workflow when dmXLAN is running on a system (same PC or another PC on the LAN).

How to enable it

  1. Start dmXLAN F!X.
  2. Start dmXLAN.
  3. dmXLAN will indicate it has found F!X (log message such as “Detected dmXLAN F!X Application”).
  4. From now on, fixture notes made in dmXLAN are written into the F!X log file automatically.

What is included

When notes come from dmXLAN, F!X can log (if present):

  • Username
  • UID
  • Fixture number
  • Showfile name

Multi-user / multi-console

  • F!X can run on the same machine as dmXLAN or on another machine.
  • Multiple dmXLAN instances can connect to the same F!X instance and log simultaneously.

Workflow 3 — dmXLAN QR → dmXLAN → dmXLAN F!X (mobile note scanning)

Use this workflow for quick, field-friendly note capture.

  1. Technician enters a note in dmXLAN QR and scans the fixture QR/UID.
  2. dmXLAN QR sends this to dmXLAN.
  3. dmXLAN forwards it into dmXLAN F!X for permanent logging.

This is ideal for:

  • On-site fault reporting
  • Post-show notes
  • Quick “needs service” tagging during strike

Import, export, and merging logs

Import external data

dmXLAN F!X can import data such as:

  • log files created by dmXLAN (FixtureNotesLog.csv)

This makes it easy to:

  • work on-site with a local log
  • then import/merge into the warehouse master log afterwards

Export / import between F!X instances

Logs can be exported and imported between instances of F!X, enabling simple sharing between teams.

Duplicate handling

If importing creates duplicate entries:

  • Use Remove duplicates from the Edit menu.

Deleting single entries

  • Right-click an entry line to delete that single record.

dmXLAN stand-alone logging (when F!X isn’t present)

dmXLAN can log note entries locally even if F!X is not running.

To enable:

  • Assign a FixtureNotesLog.csv location in Preferences → Paths in dmXLAN.

Later you can import that file into F!X and merge it with your main log.

File format (FixtureNotesLog.csv)

dmXLAN F!X uses a simple CSV format (commas as separators) with fields such as:

  • EPOCH Time (13 digits)
  • ISO Date (yyyy-mm-dd)
  • ISO Time (hh:mm:ss)
  • UID (XXXX-XXXXXXXX)
  • Note (string)
  • Showname (string)
  • Fixture ID (number)
  • Username (string)

Interchangeability - FixtureNotesLog.csv files from dmXLAN and dmXLAN F!X are 1:1 interchangeable.

Warning - Imported files are not validated; importing altered/third-party CSV files may cause unexpected results.

Best practices

  • Standardize note wording (e.g., “Lamp replaced”, “PSU swap”, “DMX dropout”, “Needs cleaning”) so filtering/searching is consistent.
  • Use UID-based labels (RDM-QR) on fixtures to avoid confusion when housings/serials are similar.
  • Store your master FixtureNotesLog.csv on a shared drive for team-wide history.
  • Use dmXLAN QR on-site to capture notes immediately, then let dmXLAN/F!X centralize them.

Troubleshooting

F!X doesn’t show the expected log history

  • Confirm you opened the correct FixtureNotesLog.csv location (File → Open…).
  • If your team uses a shared drive, verify you are pointing to the shared master file (not a local copy).

dmXLAN does not detect dmXLAN F!X

  • Ensure both apps are running.
  • Ensure both machines are on the same LAN (if not running on the same PC).
  • Check OS firewall rules if discovery/communication is blocked.

Duplicates after importing

  • Use Remove duplicates from the Edit menu.

UID scanning issues

  • Verify your QR code contains the UID in the recommended format (UID: XXXX-XXXXXXXX).
  • Improve label contrast/size if technicians struggle to scan quickly.