- Our 2008 Product Catalogs are in stock. If you would like to receive a printed catalog e-mail mktg@parallax.com with your first name last name and mailing address. The subject of the e-mail should be "Product Catalog Request." Catalogs will be mailed to U.S. addresses only.
- This year we will be releasing the new Propeller QuadRover which we gave a sneak peek preview of in the November edition of the Parallaxian. Stay tuned for release dates.
- Parallax will be in Salt Lake City on February 21-23 for the ITEA (International Technology Education Association) Conference and Expo. Please stop by and say hello to someone from our Education and Technical Support departments if you are at the show.
Customer Spotlight by Paul Bouchard
In the first few editions of the Parallaxian you got to meet a few of the people here at Parallax. Each day those individuals work to bring you new and innovative products to enjoy in your everyday business or hobbies. This month we thought it would be fun to meet one of the individuals who use those Parallax products. This month we feature Mike Peckham. Like many Parallax customers, Mike is a very talented individual with many skills that allow him to design, build, repair or just dream of the possibilities that Parallax and our customers can build together. Please enjoy meeting Mike and learning about the many different aspects of his life by visiting some of the links listed.
Hello, My name is Mike Peckham, I live in New Zealand with my wife Carol and my son Jamie, age 13. I have been in NZ for over 34 years after emigrating from the UK in 1973. Our Creative Laminated Woodcraft business was established in 1993 and has been responsible for providing outstanding laminated products ever since.
I have been woodturning for over 33 years and have specialized into laminated woodturning in the past ten years. My specialty is salt and pepper shakers and I have established regular business throughout NZ.
I have been a Joiner/Boat builder for the past 30 yrs, but I have also been a computer tech for 10 yrs, I re-trained into this area after a back injury due to heavy lifting in the joiner trade. But my main job is boat building (installing joinery in luxury yachts and power cats).
http://www.dicksonmarine.com/ My interest in Parallax was mainly due to experimenting with robotics. I have always experimented in electronics and this led me into robotics. I bought a few items and experimented more in the fascinating world of robotics, and over the years have accumulated a large collection of Parallax products. Quite a few designs on my web site have Parallax products in them. I am not a great programmer, but learning. And I have an insatiable thirst for building bots.
Q: Why did you start using Parallax products?
A: I started using Parallax products after doing a search on the internet for robotic accessories, There were so many neat products on the site and I just had to acquire some and test them out.
Q: What’s your favorite Parallax Product?
A: My favorite Parallax product has to be your HB25 motor controller (I have 4), I love how versatile they are.
Q: What other places in the world have you called home?
A: I originally come from the U.K so I guess this is my second home, I lived there until we came to New Zealand when I was 21.
Q: What type of music do you like and who?
A: Music…m’mmmm, I do like most types of music except for country and western. But my favorite is Jean Michel Jarre and Vanessa Mae [Electronic violin].
Q: What is your favorite food?
A: I love Chinese food, But I also like good old fashion cottage pie.
Q: What is the most unusual story or stories you have experienced while working in your current business?
A: Well I can remember one incident that I will not forget for a while: whilst working on a boat for a number of weeks, we had just finished masking up a boat on a Friday ready for painting on Saturday. During the refurbishment we had 18mm MDF covers over ALL the hatches for safety, During the masking process we had to remove them all and remember that they were not there and brown paper was in it’s place. On the Saturday I had to mask up the handrails, and you guessed it, I forgot about the brown paper and went through the hatch. One of my arms went through but the other caught the top part of the hatch and swung me to the right and smashed into my rib and broke it. The pain was so intense that I barley made it out to the roof. I couldn’t shout so had to wait until the painters arrived to take me to the hospital.
Tech Corner by Dave Andreae
Have you ever wanted to organize a collection? Some time ago I was going through my old CD’s and DVD’s wondering “how many of these do I have now?” As I looked at this large mountain of plastic and titles in front of me I thought how nice it would be to know the answer to this question whenever I wanted without hours of sorting and counting. To take it a step further I also wondered how old my collection is, was there any duplication etc. I asked myself “what would be the easiest way to do this without creating another pile of paperwork with endless pages of data? That’s when the idea came to me. This could all be accomplished using the RFID Reader and RFID sticker tags. RFID tags come with a unique number that could be used to identify my CDs or DVDs. You can use the RFID Reader with your BASIC Stamp to view the identification number on your PC/LCD to read tags. This information could be stored on my PC and reviewed at a moments notice when someone asked me if I had a particular Def Leppard or Scorpions CD!
The RFID reader can also be implemented as a security device to allow access to unlock doors using the card tags. You can set it up where certain tags give you access to certain doors. This is a great way to monitor traffic that goes in an out of certain areas.
Identification (RFID) Reader Module is the first low-cost solution to read passive RFID transponder tags. The RFID Reader Module can be used in a wide variety of hobbyist and commercial applications, including access control, automatic identification, robotics, navigation, inventory tracking, payment systems, and car immobilization.
Features:
- Fully-integrated, low-cost method of reading passive RFID transponder tags
- 2400 baud TTL serial interface (output only) to PC, BASIC Stamp module and other processors
- Requires single +5VDC supply
- Bi-color LED for visual indication of activity
- 0.100. pin spacing for easy prototyping and integration
There are a variety of transponder tags that come in different packages. Each tag has a specific range that is within 10% of the given distance for each type of tag. The reason for the 10% is due to environmental conditions and RFID modules. Parallax carries five types of tags:
Note: No tags are included with the RFID Reader Module. This device can be connected to a PC serial port using a MAX232 line driver. The circuit isn't supported by Parallax, but it's possible to make this connection with a few dollars of parts.
Did You Know? by Paul Bouchard
In this addition we focus a little more on great inventors in honor of those dreamers out there. Keep on dreaming!
- From the smallest microprocessor to the biggest mainframe, the average American depends on over 264 computers per day.
- Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, also invented plywood.
- The abacus was not an Asian invention. It originated in Egypt in 1000 BC, almost 1,000 years before it reached the Orient.
- The shoestring was invented in England in 1790. Prior to this time shoes were fastened with buckles.
- Nils Bohlin, a Swedish Volvo employee, invented the three-point safety belt based on his experiences working in the aerospace industry. He noted that the human body endures incredible stresses during a high-speed crash, and that current restraining devices were uncomfortable and difficult to operate. After a year of testing and engineering, Bohlin reached the conclusion that straps across the chest and hips were the most effective way to restrain vehicle occupants. In addition, this invention enabled users to fasten the restraining device using only one hand.
- Back in the mid to late 80's, an IBM compatible computer was not considered a hundred percent compatible unless it could run Microsoft's Flight Simulator, probably because of the fact that it is one of the hardest programs to get running.
- The first portable calculator, placed on sale by Texas Instruments in 1971, weighed only 2-1/2 pounds and cost a mere $150.00.
- The Super Ball® was born in 1965, and it became America's most popular plaything that year. Wham-O sold 7 million balls at $0.98 apiece in just six months. Norman Stingley, a California chemist, invented the bouncing gray ball by compressing a synthetic rubber material under 3,500 pounds of pressure per square inch, giving it a resiliency of 92% (about three times that of a tennis ball). Presidential aide McGeorge Bundy had 60 Super Balls shipped to the White House for the amusement of staffers.