Hi guys,
I have always played this game as a nice guy. Not talking about the random insane customer though, I’m referring to how I have treated other companies. I have done my best to do my own thing and never do anything to anger anyone. Parallax and I have a good relationship. I made it clear Lynxmotion would be a source for high end robotics, and they have left me alone to do my own thing. I moved away from carpet rovers and the like and they made a bazillion dollars with the BoeBot. My relationship with Basic Micro is strained. I used the Atom and then the Atom Pro because at the time there were no other viable solutions. A few years into the relationship Dale decided to put Basic Micro on the back burner and make CD/DVD copiers/printers. Easy CD Print was born.
My customers suffered as bugs went unfixed for years and years. I did my best to act as an in-between, emailing problems and hoping for fixes. Maybe a year or two ago Dale decided it’s time to get out of the printer business and do Basic Micro again. He asked me if there were any electronics he could make for Lynxmotion. We had many long discussions. I told him I have discontinued the IRPD and Tracker both products were very good sellers, but they needed some updating and I couldn’t manage it myself any more. I told him there are many sensors and special boards that I could move for him. I told him I would do my best to help him out.
So he makes the ARC-32. Why? I have no clue. It’s too similar to the Bot Board/Atom Pro-28. Dale, I buy the Atom Pro’s from you, you will not gain any sales by replacing the Atom Pro in my kits… Then he makes the Dimension Engineering attack. Copies the LED flasher, the bit switch and battle switch, and all the motor controllers. Then he wants to know when I will replace the DE stuff with his motor controllers… What!? I told him I’m not comfortable with this on any level. It’s come to my attention that he has plans to make high end robotics.
This has taken me by surprise, but it shouldn’t have. I have seen him do this over and over. So what do I get for keeping Basic Micro alive for these long years? A huge knife right in the middle of my back! Maybe it’s true that nice guys finish last. I just can’t believe what is happening. My plans are to sell the remaining Basic Micro DE copies and not to reorder. I know they are struggling, and it’s a shame, but I have devoted the last 20 years of my life to Lynxmotion. I put every penny back into the business and have just recently been able to draw from the investment. He has gone off on a tangent on a regular basis, thinking this new project will be the one, but he does not have any staying power.
For the majority of our relationship I have had to worry if the Atoms would ship or not. I’ve had to keep a huge stock of them to prevent running out. What a nightmare. And he wanted me to give him the SSC-32 to make for me. LOL Really Dale? I fear the reputation of Lynxmotion has been hurt severely by my relationship with Basic Micro due to their lack of any morals or ethics whatsoever. I need to rid myself of the dependency of their products. I should have done this a long time ago. It will happen over time.
It is my hope that the Botboarduino will be the new standard, and we will make a serious attempt to get the Propeller board on the kits as well. I can’t adequately describe the hurt I feel. He doesn’t know that I know what he is up to. It’s not important how I know this, and my lips are sealed. I’m writing this because you guys are at the core of Lynxmotion, and you deserve to know the truth.
