Overview
Parallax is an American distributor and manufacturer specialising in electronic components, microcontrollers and educational solutions. Based in Rocklin, California, the company offers a comprehensive range of products including micro:bit modules, Propeller boards and educational robots. Parallax reinvests part of its revenue into the development of free educational resources and maintains substantial stock levels to ensure product availability for customers and educational institutions.
Services and expertise
Distribution and sale of components
Parallax is the largest American distributor of micro:bit modules, maintaining stock of 20,000 units with no markup. The company also offers Propeller microcontrollers and FLiP development boards for commercial, educational and hobby applications.
Educational resources
The company develops and distributes tutorials, teacher resources and complete curricula. It provides free access to educational materials and offers a support line for educators, a forum and a ticketing system for support.
Robotics and educational projects
Parallax markets programmable robots such as the Mai-Z MouseBot, designed for primary education with screen-free programming or MakeCode. It also offers cyber:bot kits integrating machine vision and artificial intelligence, with tutorials in MakeCode and Python.
Manufacturing and sensors
The company manufactures sensors at its Rocklin, California facilities, including the Ping))) ultrasonic sensor and LaserPing laser sensor. These products offer quality assurance and long-term support to customers.
Methodology
Parallax provides an integrated educational approach combining hardware, curriculum and technical support. Products are designed to enable accessible programming, from screen-free format through to advanced languages, and are accompanied by detailed technical documentation and tutorials.
https://www.parallax.com
