I find the blatant religious iconography on the Maxbotix circuitboards personally unprofessional and offensive. I respect their right to free speech, so no need to make this a debate. I just don't want to support this kind of enterprise. Surely this is just a made in china sensor with a simple circuit board on it. Are there others that are pretty much identical and for which the drivers work equally well? I need something equivalent to the EZ1. Thanks!
If you use a Dremel and a stiff brush, I imagine the offensive logo could be easily removed.
I had a good laugh when I got my sensor.
you must have seen this one,Militant atheism | Richard Dawkins - YouTube
Well, actually it isn't as simple as removing the logo, at least to me. It isn't seeing the image, it is propagating the dogma. I don't want my money going towards something that might directly or indirectly go towards a cause that I see ultimately harmful. We vote every day with our dollars and I wouldn't want anyone to think I support someone by giving them my money when I don't.
Ok, I sympathies.
I like the Devantech sonars.
what is the difference between these sensors with 2 sensors and those with one big one? The Devantech SRF02 seems like the EZ1, but it doesn't appear to have an analog output.
Why would you want an analogue output?
The ones with two transducers have a potentially shorter minimum range than the single transducer ones.
That is rather tacky.
You could use a Diavolino to help offset it I suppose.
I don't have any actual help to offer, but I wanted to post in support of you anyway, because I agree.
I cant find any logo in that sensor, can someone enlighten me?
On the back side there's a cross and a fish.
flightrisk:
Well, actually it isn't as simple as removing the logo, at least to me. It isn't seeing the image, it is propagating the dogma. I don't want my money going towards something that might directly or indirectly go towards a cause that I see ultimately harmful. We vote every day with our dollars and I wouldn't want anyone to think I support someone by giving them my money when I don't.
I think your being a little extreme/dogmatic in your thinking. One would buy the board because they feel it performs a function they require at a price they feel is fair. The fact that there is a logo on it that you don't believe in can be solved with a marking pin. I too don't buy into superstitions, but I don't let that factor in my parts procurement decisions. I don't agree on all the things our government spends money on, but I don't try and withhold partial taxes for those things. 
Actually, I don't think you are making the correct analogy. What if you knew that one of the parts you procure was run by a middle eastern group and there was a good chance that money was going to support terrorist camps in Syria? Would you still buy it? How about all the people who buy pot every day and think it is a minor issue and a "victimless crime"? They are directly or inderectly supporting drug cartels. Difficult choice if you are really attached to your weed
I would argue that somone who is that fanaticized that they feel the need to "minister" by advertisement on a business product is also either directly involved in trying to "spread the word", or putting money in the pot on Sunday to further the spread of their agenda. I don't want my money going to support a "mission trip" where impoverished and uneducated peoples are roped into abandoning their own culture to follow some white, anglo myth.
I agree that it could seem over the top to care about something seemingly so small. But I'm trying to not take the easy path anymore just because it is expedient. Expecially watching current events and seeing a person running for president running a prayer meeting ala Jerry Falwell, I am reminded of that famous quote with the line "Then they came for me".
Thanks for you comments. This allows me, the founder and CEO of MaxBotix Inc., to shed light on these things in an open form.
First, the transducer used on the EZ1 cannot be purchased. It is not available to anyone other than MaxBotix Inc. Our quality standards do not allow generic transducers to be used (where a three to one variation in performance is common). While this costs more than otherwise, putting out a product that really does actually perform consistently is our goal.
Next, we do not purchase our LV-MaxSonar-EZ1 transducers from China. (We did in fact try, but the quality was not high enough). In addition, all of our product engineering, assembly, and test is done here in the USA. While outside assembly would be less expensive, outside assembly removes quality from the products. Product quality is frist for us here at MaxBotix Inc.
The EZ1 product reading stability is incredible for such a low cost product. The standard deviation in our sensor outputs is 0.5 meaning that the sensor outputs range information, so consistent, that with stable targets and air, the range is so consistent that unless changing from one inch to the next, the readings do not vary. This is true for all of our products and all of our products receive this test before leaving our factory. (Just try our swinging ball test on other sensors to find out for yourself.)
As for our long term goals at MaxBotix Inc., we have a community mission statement, "better jobs for a better community". What this means is that in our area of the country (beautiful Brainerd Lakes area in central MN) we pay and offer benefits that are above what is expected in this area. In addition, the number of employees at the company are more than doubling every year (this is required when you don't use China). We consider it an honor to be making a difference in our community.
We just added another high speed pick and place to our factory floor. It is fun to see the growth.
Even so, as Founder and CEO I currently am making less than half of my pay as my previous engineering job. Instead the income is building the company, hiring people, building buildings for future site... This said, my current tax rate seems to be 3 to 5 times my current take home pay. When you pay for legitimately needed things to run a business the government can require that the cost not be deducted, sometimes over the course of 38 years. Funny that we could hire more people that would pay tax, but instead they take the money directly (I think they call this "taxing the rich", but it could more accurately called, at least for our company, taking away jobs...)
As for the cross, and the fish, and the first symbol, this is the case for my life. In 1980 I was instantly healed of a medically incurable disease just by someone praying for me. If I had not been healed I could not have done most any of the things I have done. I would not have had a company, been an engineer, etc. So for the things I design, I just acknowledge my thanks. (I have been healed instantly for other things as well.). So while I am as you say "religious", I am also an American, an employer, a business owner, a dad, a husband, and actively volunteering my time and cash to help change my community.
In every area we try as a company to put these principals into practice. We hope it comes through to our customers.
Sincerely,
Bob Gross
CEO MaxBotix Inc.