PulseWorx UPB 6-Button Controller (WMC6/DTC6) — Firmware Specification

Firmware specification (V1.4) for the PulseWorx (Powerline Control Systems) UPB 6-Button Controller — available in wall-mount (WMC6) and desktop (DTC6) versions. This is the engineering reference covering pushbutton behavior, LED indicators, and UPB Setup Registers used by installers configuring custom scenes with the UPStart software.

Overview

The 6-Button Controller is a pushbutton device that transmits Universal Powerline Bus™ (UPB) commands onto the 120VAC powerline. It has six horizontal pushbuttons (ON, OFF, A, B, C, D), six LED indicators, two vertical pushbuttons (UP/DN, split into a single rocker), and an IR remote receiver. It can also receive UPB commands from the powerline to control its own LEDs.

Modes of Operation

• Normal Mode: Default operating mode; Setup Register Write Protection is enabled.
• Setup Mode: Entered via a powerline "Start Setup Mode" command, or by a special pushbutton sequence. LED indicators blink to show Setup Mode is active. Automatically times out after ~5 minutes.
• Factory Default Mode: Resets all Setup Registers to factory default values. Only enterable from Setup Mode.

Pushbutton Switches

Eight momentary pushbutton switches, grouped as:

• ON Button (Button #1) and OFF Button (Button #2) — large horizontal buttons
• A, B, C, D Buttons (Buttons #3-6) — the "middle four" small horizontal buttons
• UP Button (Button #7) and DN Button (Button #8) — split vertical rocker

Each pushbutton can detect four event types: Single-Tap, Double-Tap, Hold (pressed ≥¾ second), and Release. Each event on each button can be independently configured (via a UPB Setup Tool) to transmit a different UPB command.

LED Indicators

Six LEDs (behind ON, OFF, A, B, C, D buttons) show device status; each can be set to one of four brightness levels or off. LED behaviors:

• Setup Mode: all six LEDs blink alternately at a 0.5-second rate
• Factory Default Mode: only ON and OFF LEDs light up
• Special Linking: the relevant pushbutton's LED blinks at 0.5-second rate during link add/delete sequences
• Firmware Version Indication: on power-up, the four middle LEDs (A/B/C/D) flash a binary pattern showing the firmware version's least-significant digit
• Power-Up Light Show: LEDs light top-to-bottom, then turn off bottom-to-top, twice

UPB Setup Registers

The WMC6 implements 256 non-volatile 8-bit UPB Setup Registers, organized into three groups:

Factory Default Transmit Commands

Each of the 15 Command IDs maps to a 3-byte UPB message. Factory defaults:

Special Linking Transmissions

• Adding a Link: Pressing a pushbutton 5 times quickly transmits a command to add that button's Transmit Link ID to any device in Setup Mode, plus a "Store Preset" command so linked devices save their current light level.
• Deleting a Link: Pressing a pushbutton 10 times quickly transmits a command to delete that button's Link ID from any device in Setup Mode.

UPB Transmit Control Register

An 8-bit register controlling transmission behavior — Link vs. Direct packets, Acknowledge/ID/ACK pulse requests, and transmission count (1-4 times, factory default is 2).

Manufacturer

Powerline Control Systems, Inc. (PulseWorx), 19201 Parthenia Street, Suite J, Northridge, CA — www.pcslighting.com