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RS Components (RS) and Allied Electronics (Allied), the trading brands of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), the world's leading high service distributor of electronics and maintenance products, have signed a global distribution agreement with Parallax Inc., a specialist in the design and manufacture of microcontroller development tools and small single-board computers. Under the terms of the agreement, RS will support customers throughout Asia Pacific and Europe, while Allied will service the North America region.
Located in California, USA, Parallax Inc. is an acknowledged technology innovator, which develops microcontrollers, robots and associated components and accessories suitable for commercial engineering, hobbyist, and educational applications.
RS and Allied have begun ramping up inventory of the Parallax product line, which includes the BASIC Stamp microcontroller module and development software, so-called due to its small size and use of the PBASIC programming language. Other microcontroller products include the more powerful multi-core Propeller chip and tools, which are designed for the rapid development of embedded applications. A selection of robotics kits, educational tools, and sensors completes the range.
"The diversity of the Parallax product range has broad appeal to engineers and enthusiasts across the world," said Jonathan Boxall, Global Head of Semiconductors, RS Components.
"This distribution partnership will enable customers to quickly and easily source and purchase the range direct from stock, with a guarantee of same-day despatch from our local warehouses. Parallax also has strong educational resources to support the teaching of microcontroller programming and interfacing. This is very much in line with our own initiatives to provide engineers at all levels with a trusted and reliable source of technical knowledge and information."
Ken Gracey, Parallax CEO, said, "Partnering with RS and Allied is a significant boost to our worldwide distribution network. Our customers will benefit from faster product deliveries thanks to the widespread presence of the RS and Allied distribution centres. They will also gain from the availability of the free online tools and resources that are continually being developed by RS to simplify product sourcing and selection, and to accelerate the design process, saving time and money for engineers."