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Radio Shack branded sensors...are they produced by Parallax — Parallax Forums

Radio Shack branded sensors...are they produced by Parallax

Too_Many_ToolsToo_Many_Tools Posts: 765
edited 2013-10-24 10:18 in General Discussion
As the Radio Shack clearance ends, the company is restocking its shelves with RS branded product.

As we see RS branded PING and PIR sensors appear on the shelves the question is raised...are these items produced by Parallax for Radio Shack?

Anyone know?
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Comments

  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2013-10-20 14:51
    It's not a rebranded Ping))).

    pRS1-16542906w345.jpg

    A Ping))) doesn't have a crystal mounted on the topside.

    -Phil
  • RDL2004RDL2004 Posts: 2,554
    edited 2013-10-20 16:16
    Wow, that looks just like the ones you can get from China for under 5$, except it's missing the trigger pin... and the ones from China aren't pink and white :)
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2013-10-20 16:23
    Here's one of the Chinese sensors where they have three pins, but put ground and power on the outside. Bzzzzt. At least Radio Shack was smart enough not to select this one.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/DYP-ME007TX-Non-contact-Distance-Ranging-Ultrasonic-Sensor-Module-Serial-Port-/171101453583?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27d670fd0f
  • Martin_HMartin_H Posts: 4,051
    edited 2013-10-20 16:33
    Radio Shack has a tendency to do that. Sometimes you can tell it's a private label of a manufacturer, other times it's a clone.
  • Too_Many_ToolsToo_Many_Tools Posts: 765
    edited 2013-10-20 17:17
    FWIW..I was told by a RS manager that their RS PING is made by Parallax.

    Whether it truly is...well that is up for debate...perhaps Parallax can chime in here.

    How about the PIR sensor...Parallax or clone?
  • FranklinFranklin Posts: 4,747
    edited 2013-10-20 17:26
    Does it matter? whoever made it the support will be from Radio Shack.
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,392
    edited 2013-10-20 20:58
    Too_Many_Tools wrote: »
    FWIW..I was told by a RS manager that their RS PING is made by Parallax.

    Whether it truly is...well that is up for debate...perhaps Parallax can chime in here.

    How about the PIR sensor...Parallax or clone?

    Nope, not our stuff. Far from it.

    Now we're starting to see their true colors (both in their PCB and character)!
  • W9GFOW9GFO Posts: 4,010
    edited 2013-10-20 21:31
    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    Now we're starting to see...!

    Uh oh....
  • doggiedocdoggiedoc Posts: 2,243
    edited 2013-10-21 03:42
    You won't catch me buying that counterfeit Smile.
  • Martin_HMartin_H Posts: 4,051
    edited 2013-10-21 06:29
    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    Nope, not our stuff. Far from it.

    Now we're starting to see their true colors (both in their PCB and character)!

    I imagine they'll be carrying private label Freeduinos in short order too. You never see any name brand goods at Radio Shack for very long.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2013-10-21 07:23
    Fair enough. When you got your own brand identity, why not try to use it to increase your profit margins on products everyone makes? And everyone wants.

    I just hope they realize that selling the Propeller will also create visits from some who would rather do their shopping in a more or less one-stop mode where they can get their core items.. as well as the accessories.

    Don't throw out the baby with the bath water.

    Some franchises never get their key features right. Here in Kaohsiung we have a major Japanese doughnut and coffee franchise that opened next to a Starbucks. It did well for a while just because it was new and cheaper, but their coffee is awful. Any doughnut franchise worth its salt recognizes that it has to have excellent coffee. RIght next to Starbucks makes that even more important.

    We also have a lot of Subway Sandwitch outlets and I was pleased with the one that opened near me... for a while. Everything seemed to be right, easy motorcycle parking and clean bathrooms. But it suddenly relocated a block away to be closer to the hospital.. with heavy parking restrictions and no bathrooms. I suspect the rent was a bit higher as well.

    If Radio Shack wants to shut out brands and products that have a very strong following, they may just go through another cycle of suffering. It is always about giving the customer what they want (what they are looking for and asking for). Under-cutting cost and rebranding are a bit of a tough row to hoe. Tandy has done this before. It may work somewhat, but somewhat is never quite enough.

    IOW, Parallax products can help Radio Shack's profits... if allowed to do so. Just ask them where they think they are going to get thier walk-in customers from. Use every kind of customer draw you can get.
  • RobotWorkshopRobotWorkshop Posts: 2,307
    edited 2013-10-21 07:49
    GordonMcComb wrote: »
    Here's one of the Chinese sensors where they have three pins, but put ground and power on the outside. Bzzzzt. At least Radio Shack was smart enough not to select this one.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/DYP-ME007TX-Non-contact-Distance-Ranging-Ultrasonic-Sensor-Module-Serial-Port-/171101453583?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27d670fd0f

    That sensor on ebay is an odd one and shows that all the sonars with the 3-pin connector aren't equal. It looks like that one has a continuous serial data output of the sonar readings. Anyone who tries to use that in place of a Ping sensor wouldn't get too far....,.

    Robert
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-10-21 08:28
    Data sheet on that DYP serial-output ultrasonic sensor at http://www.dypsensor.com/en/showproducts.asp?id=107&title=Ultrasonic%20sensor%20module

    Good for somebody!
  • Beau SchwabeBeau Schwabe Posts: 6,566
    edited 2013-10-21 15:02
    Looks like Radio Shack (aka Rat Shack) is selling the PING mounting kit

    http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12988589

    ...But no sign of a PING sensor to go with it when I do a search. ..
  • Martin_HMartin_H Posts: 4,051
    edited 2013-10-21 17:30
    Beau Schwabe (Parallax) wrote: »
    Looks like Radio Shack (aka Rat Shack) is selling the PING mounting kit

    http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12988589

    ...But no sign of a PING sensor to go with it when I do a search. ..

    The cheap sensors don't use the same mounting holes as the Ping))), so people will be unhappy if they try to mix and match.
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,392
    edited 2013-10-21 17:42
    Martin_H wrote: »
    The cheap sensors don't use the same mounting holes as the Ping))), so people will be unhappy if they try to mix and match.

    Yeah, I'll contact them and see that this product is removed from their web site.
  • Too_Many_ToolsToo_Many_Tools Posts: 765
    edited 2013-10-21 18:13
    Franklin wrote: »
    Does it matter? whoever made it the support will be from Radio Shack.[/QUOTE

    Well it does matter.

    Unless the RS PING is electrically and functionally equivalent to the Parallax product, an user will need to modify circuits and code...after they figure out it isn't equivalent = wasted time and hair pulling.
  • Too_Many_ToolsToo_Many_Tools Posts: 765
    edited 2013-10-21 18:21
    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    Nope, not our stuff. Far from it.

    Now we're starting to see their true colors (both in their PCB and character)!

    Thanks for the confirmation Ken.

    FWIW...I told the RS manager that he confirm his statement on it being made by Parallax.

    I assume all the other Parallax products (like the PIR) that are now being RS labeled are also non Parallax of origin?
  • Too_Many_ToolsToo_Many_Tools Posts: 765
    edited 2013-10-21 18:23
    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    Yeah, I'll contact them and see that this product is removed from their web site.

    Or maybe additional holes for clone PING units so your potential buying audience is larger?
  • Too_Many_ToolsToo_Many_Tools Posts: 765
    edited 2013-10-21 18:27
    Beau Schwabe (Parallax) wrote: »
    Looks like Radio Shack (aka Rat Shack) is selling the PING mounting kit

    http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12988589

    ...But no sign of a PING sensor to go with it when I do a search. ..

    Many retailers (and including RS) will sell one item that is dependent upon another to work...drives me crazy.

    Either the supplier did not educate the retailer about the need for both items or the buyer at the retailer dropped the ball.

    A recent example at RS is selling soldering stations without having the related soldering tips available.
  • Too_Many_ToolsToo_Many_Tools Posts: 765
    edited 2013-10-21 18:34
    Martin_H wrote: »
    I imagine they'll be carrying private label Freeduinos in short order too. You never see any name brand goods at Radio Shack for very long.

    Maybe...the trend does seems to be to eliminate all licensing fees per products they sell.

    Selling generic product is a time honored approach to increase overall profits...and every company sell China produced product for even more profit margin.
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2013-10-21 18:48
    Too_Many_Tools wrote:
    Selling generic product is a time honored approach to increase overall profits ...
    Time-tested, maybe. "Honored" is hardly an adjecteive I'd use to describe, "Buy from a domestic supplier to test market something, then undercut them when the product succeeds by purchasing a similar product off-shore."

    -Phil
  • Beau SchwabeBeau Schwabe Posts: 6,566
    edited 2013-10-21 19:00
    A scenario I see playing out , is that someone will purchase a knockoff ultrasonic sensor thinking that it is a PING or compatable, and perhaps the mounting bracket to go along with it.... and who gets the tech support phone call when they can't get their setup to work? ...We could turn this around to our advantage since we happen to have them on the phone, but clearly RS has dropped the ball here.

    "Many retailers (and including RS) will sell one item that is dependent upon another to work...drives me crazy." - The key word here is ONE item. ....drives me nuts also.
  • Too_Many_ToolsToo_Many_Tools Posts: 765
    edited 2013-10-21 19:13
    Loopy Byteloose wrote: »
    Fair enough. When you got your own brand identity, why not try to use it to increase your profit margins on products everyone makes? And everyone wants.

    I just hope they realize that selling the Propeller will also create visits from some who would rather do their shopping in a more or less one-stop mode where they can get their core items.. as well as the accessories.

    Don't throw out the baby with the bath water.

    Some franchises never get their key features right. Here in Kaohsiung we have a major Japanese doughnut and coffee franchise that opened next to a Starbucks. It did well for a while just because it was new and cheaper, but their coffee is awful. Any doughnut franchise worth its salt recognizes that it has to have excellent coffee. RIght next to Starbucks makes that even more important.

    We also have a lot of Subway Sandwitch outlets and I was pleased with the one that opened near me... for a while. Everything seemed to be right, easy motorcycle parking and clean bathrooms. But it suddenly relocated a block away to be closer to the hospital.. with heavy parking restrictions and no bathrooms. I suspect the rent was a bit higher as well.

    If Radio Shack wants to shut out brands and products that have a very strong following, they may just go through another cycle of suffering. It is always about giving the customer what they want (what they are looking for and asking for). Under-cutting cost and rebranding are a bit of a tough row to hoe. Tandy has done this before. It may work somewhat, but somewhat is never quite enough.

    IOW, Parallax products can help Radio Shack's profits... if allowed to do so. Just ask them where they think they are going to get thier walk-in customers from. Use every kind of customer draw you can get.

    We need to remember that the clock is running out for Radio Shack...unless they can get more financing they only had enough cash to run through Christmas season.

    Considering the downer the Government shutdown/fiscal cliff is likely to have on the Christmas buying season, Radio Shack is walking on very thin financial ice.
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,392
    edited 2013-10-21 19:24
    Too_Many_Tools wrote: »
    I assume all the other Parallax products (like the PIR) that are now being RS labeled are also non Parallax of origin?

    Thank you for correcting the store manager. And you're right - the clones with the white PCB and red silkscreen are not of Parallax origin.

    I wrote a letter to the RadioShack CEO today to express my dissatisfaction with their course of action.
  • Too_Many_ToolsToo_Many_Tools Posts: 765
    edited 2013-10-21 20:06
    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    Thank you for correcting the store manager. And you're right - the clones with the white PCB and red silkscreen are not of Parallax origin.

    I wrote a letter to the RadioShack CEO today to express my dissatisfaction with their course of action.

    LOL..the CEO will be getting a letter from us also on a related matter.
  • Too_Many_ToolsToo_Many_Tools Posts: 765
    edited 2013-10-21 21:53
    It was just announced that Radio Shack has successfully gotten additional credit from GE Capital.

    Looks like they may be around after Christmas after all.
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2013-10-22 09:47
    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    I wrote a letter to the RadioShack CEO today to express my dissatisfaction with their course of action.

    Good on the letter, but this is nothing new in RS-land. In days of yore they regularly purchased a random collection of overstock, packaged it with an app note, and left customers to figure out the rest. This worked pre-Internet, but really doesn't work today. They must be getting these super-cheap to make it worthwhile to take on the support role as well.

    This particular ultrasonic sensor is a terrible choice for robotics, if I'm understanding its specs, in that it's constantly pinging. Heaven help the poor soul who wants to put two of these on their bot, and tries to use them in a small space. It'll take them a while before they figure out why you don't want a sensor that can't be externally triggered. RS should have thought of this before they bought their stock. No one here tell them. Let them find out the hard way.
  • blittledblittled Posts: 681
    edited 2013-10-22 10:21
    Gordon, I looked at the sketch and it looks like it sets the trigger pin low then high for a couple of mSecs then low again then after that sets the trigger for input then measures the time it takes to receive the high from the echo. So it looks like it does not continuously pings. The microcontroller drives the trigger pin.

    Too Many Tools. I had the problem that Parallax's brackets also do not conform to the SRF-08 I have. Gordon does sell a bracket that works with the SRF-08. I wonder if Radio Shack's sensor uses the SRF-08 dimensions.
  • BeanBean Posts: 8,129
    edited 2013-10-22 11:18
    Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) wrote: »
    "Buy from a domestic supplier to test market something, then undercut them when the product succeeds by purchasing a similar product off-shore."

    -Phil

    Phil,
    I assume that is EXACTLY what is happening here.
    Shame on Radio Shack.

    I also notice that the document does not explain how it works, you need to look at the code and figure it out for yourself.

    http://www.radioshack.com/graphics/uc/rsk/Support/ProductManuals/2760342_PM_EN.pdf

    Bean
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