You might want to hang on to your IR543 because the PMC10 described is not meant to replace the IR543. The PCMC10 can learn 27 IR codes from your exiting remotes, that will trigger up to 42 macros. The macros can send unit codes on all 16 housecodes (a nice feature). This is a good product to supplement the IR543, although may not be necessary if you are using the Lighting Scene features of the PCS switches and modules. Lighting Scenes function the same as a macro but they are maintained in the switches memory and do not require an external macro handler. The PMC10 does not have any scheduling capability. The macros are triggered by an IR or X-10 power line signal.

The IR543 has almost the same amount of IR code capability as the PMC10. The IR543 has 16 unit codes, on, off, dim, bright, all on, and all off. That adds up to 22 separate IR codes that it can send. If you only used the PMC10, and wanted direct control of 16 separate X-10 modules, you would use up a lot of its capacity emulating what the IR543 does.

In summary, the PMC10 is beneficial if you want to supplement a IR543, and trigger macros involving other housecodes. It has no scheduling capabilities or conditional logic so it really can't be compared to a home automation controller. If you are interested in creating macros without purchasing an external macro handler (like the PMC10), you might look into purchasing PCS light switches and lamp modules. These products allow you to create up to 16 lighting scenes (i.e. macros) where you can program not only the exact brightness level of each light, but even how fast the light ramps up to that level. All the programmed functions are maintained in the PCS products non-volatile memory. We are an authorized PCS product dealer if you would like more information on these products.

Robert
RCI Automation
rciautomation@compuserve.com
[Link: ourworld.compuserve.com]