IR543AH - Where to buy?

[Stinger]

Does anyone know of a source to purchase the IR543AH? For those who don't know, this is the modified version of the IR543, which allows you to control all 256 codes via IR (ie. with my pronto) without the need to switch the code dial. I found a couple sites with it for over $100, but I can't justify that cost, when I could buy 9 of the IR543's and get the same effect for less!

Thanks.

 

[electron]

since these are custom modified, I doubt you will find them much cheaper. I found one site selling them for $94, but I assume they are so expensive as they are custom built in the UK.

 

[Stinger]

Yea, the weak dollar doesn't help, does it? Well, I suppose I may just buy 3-5 IR543's and hide them in my cabinet next to my RF base station for my pronto. That would allow me to do just about the same thing for less than $40.

 

[electron]

Why not go with something like a USB-UIRT? Pretty much any home automation package can interface it, so it should be pretty easy and cheap to set up.

 

[Stinger]

I don't want to add another point of failure. Although logic dictates where I'd have it (my theater), I'd have my HTPC running.

Which brings us to another topic.. Those who use their PCs for many of the software and interfaces, how are you backing everything up? I use Ghost 2003 (newer versions don't clone identical) to a External USB drive. However I need to back up my critical machines more often. Of course I never backup my RAID 5 array containing the movies and MP3s, I don't have a 2 TB + external drive

 

[electron]

I use Acronis TrueImage 8.0 to automatically take snapshots of the system drive every night. I do not backup my DVDs as I can just rip those again. As for my homeseer machine, all HA software is on a second partition, which is backed up as well.

 

[ClearToLand]

...I use Ghost 2003 (newer versions don't clone identical)...

Interesting statement - please expand... [Do you have LINKs to any discussions that you've read?]

 

[ClearToLand]

Why not go with something like a USB-UIRT?

Suggestion: Providing a LINK (if available) with your reply is *VERY* user-friendly to readers just discovering different aspects of the HA hobby.

Why not go with something like a USB-UIRT?

 

[ClearToLand]

since these are custom modified, I doubt you will find them much cheaper... ...I assume they are so expensive as they are custom built in the UK.

I found an interesting (old) thread on Remote Central discussing the IR543AH and

• UL Approval (has it been approved yet?)
• Home Insurance
• Lawyers and rejections if a non-UL approved device is discovered to be related to the cause of a fire

Something you may wish to research further...

 

[Stinger]

...I use Ghost 2003 (newer versions don't clone identical)...

Interesting statement - please expand... [Do you have LINKs to any discussions that you've read?]

It's based on first hand experience. I'm sure you can find many references to the issue on google, but when I tried cloning a drive using Ghost 2005 to an identical drive, the drive booted with a blue screen. Attempted 3 additional tries and same result. Other attempts on different XP machine brought not as severe problems, but many applications needed to be re-registered (no, this should not have happened if it was an exact clone to an exact drive).

Using Ghost 2003 for all of the above cases after 2005 failed produced perfect results. My guess is MS put pressure on them to make sure an identification string for the clone was changed somewhere.

Back to the IR543IR-

Although the UL approval is obviously a concern, I would guess that most of our houses may need to be reviewed for compliance with all of the mods we make. I can't believe smarthome hasn't developed something that would accomplish this.