For your information...

[Protobyte]

Regarding posts made under the thread; “Your thoughts on the Tormach CNC mill”…

As the owner of Protobyte, I would like to make several brief statements:

1) Tormach LLC has neither influenced nor been associated with any business or product decisions made by Protobyte. Rejection or acceptance of a particular sub-assembly for integration into their system is based purely on internal quality standards established by Tormach LLC.
2) Tormach LLC is one of many OEM’s that we supply. They have the distinction of being the most reputable and responsive OEM that we deal with. It would be a pleasure if more companies functioned with the same level of integrity as Tormach LLC and its staff.
3) Using this forum to discuss grievances between vendors is not only immaterial; it is also libelous, when Tormach LLC is involved.
4) Protobyte will be more than happy to address any substantiated issues emanating from Geckodrive. However, the proper procedure is contacting our attorney at: http://www.sonnenschein.com (Mr. Freimanis, you should call Bryan P. Stanley and register your complaint. And given your recent language, we just might do that for you)…

In closing- my thanks goes to Mr. Jackson for his professionalism and for tolerating these ancillary issues that should never be the focus of his product discussion group. In the future, anyone having issue with Protobyte; feel free to contact me directly, leaving Mr. Jackson to conduct his business.

Regards,
Steve Kelley
Protobyte Inc.

[Richards]

Mr. Steve Kelley, what in the world are you writing about? Please correct me if I'm wrong, but we live in America where Free Speech is guaranteed by the Constitution. Not everyone is going to agree with you. Not everyone is going to accept your viewpoint. Sorry if this offends you, but I will not stand as a spectator when basic rights of citizens are being challenged. Too many of my friends and relatives gave the ultimate sacrifice to preserve those rights. You certainly have a right to say whatever you want to say, and so do I.

Let me make this perfectly clear. I choose not to use your product. I choose not to buy equipment that uses your product. I choose not to associate myself with you or your company. The reasons for my decision do not need to be explained. In this country no one has to give a reason for NOT buying a product and no one is obligated to be a customer of any company. May I again wish you good luck, but please be aware that your potential customer pool has one fewer member.

Michael J. RIchards
Richards Computer Systems

[ViperTX]

Richards....well free speech is only guaranteed as long as it isn't libelous or inflammatory, etc.....Anyway....can we let this "dead horse" just lay dead.

[Switcher]

Why the new thread?

Why didn't you go to Freimanis? Instead of the public show.

Nice first post.


Welcome to the zone.

I'm with Richards!









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[Richards]

Sorry, to me this issue is not a 'dead horse'. Where I came from, copying someone's work was the same as robbing his bank account. Trying to sweep that fact under the rug, is a bit shameful. For the record, I have no idea whether Protobyte copied Mariss's design or whether Mariss copied Protobyte's design; however, I trust Mariss. Period.

To me, it would be very interesting to listen to someone from Protobyte explain the stepper driver design - in detail with supporting documents showing the design process, the testing procedure, and modifications made during that process. Then I'd like to hear Mariss do the same. Since I've had a conversation with Mariss already when I called Gecko for some help when I first bought a Geckdrive, I know that Mariss could answer those questions fully without reference to notes, consulting with others, or guessing. Mariss gave me more information in that ten minute telephone call than I can use in a lifetime. (By the way, just in case some attorney has his ear to the door, during the telephone conversation with Mariss, he only talked about the Gecko drive that I had purchased, stepper motor theory, basic design fundamentals, etc.)

For the life of me, I can't see why anyone would want to close the door on this subject.

[zephyr9900]

I am in a true moral quandry on this subject.

Mariss Freimanis who is Geckodrive, whom I respect greatly and who has a record of innovative product development and excellent customer service and response, has said he has been wronged by Protobyte, and by extension Greg Jackson of Tormach who OEM's Protobyte's drive.

Art Fenerty who is Mach, whom I respect greatly and who has a record of innovative product development and excellent customer service and response, said (in an email) "Tormach is very honest though, Greg's very ethical".

Greg Jackson, who is Tormach, is demonstrating innovative product development and excellent customer service and response (witness his posting/email of response to customer suggestions and criticisms) and I respect him also. He has no problem with using Protoyte's drives in his product.

I do not feel worthy of bringing any of these gentlemen a cup of coffee, much less second-guessing their character judgment. They are all putting their personal reputations on the line with the products they are developing and selling.

The one player in this scenario that I don't have a bead on is Steve Kelly, who is Protobyte. I have a paper by Mariss with objective data why the Protobyte drive is inferior and has a higher failure rate than the genuine Geckos.

I only know that if one or more of my Tormach drives fails, I will buy a replacement from Mariss. The rest of the gameplay will need to evolve between the involved parties (Mariss and Steve-and-his-lawyer) Greg has already stated that he is merely a customer of Protobyte.

Best regards,

Randy (a happy Tormach user but an anal mechanical engineer who always has an opinion of how things can be done better...)