13. Income taxes (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of Components of Income Tax Expense (Benefit) [Table Text Block]

	Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands)	2013		2012		2011
Current:
Federal	$	1,479	$	1,973	$	1,695
State		38		46		74
Foreign		33		40		44
		1,550		2,059		1,813
Deferred:
Federal		80		(116)		448
State		(34)		21		71
Foreign		-		-		-
		46		(95)		519
Income tax provision	$	1,596	$	1,964	$	2,332

Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities [Table Text Block]

	December 31,
(In thousands)	2013		2012
Deferred tax assets:
Foreign net operating losses	$	242	$	186
Capitalized research and development		68		136
Inventory reserves		1,050		961
Deferred revenue		59		79
Warranty reserve		127		96
Stock compensation expense		956		1,036
Foreign tax and other credits		45		34
Other liabilities and reserves		491		705
Gross deferred tax assets		3,038		3,233
Valuation allowance		(242)		(216)
Net deferred tax assets		2,796		3,017
Deferred tax liabilities:
Depreciation		175		365
Other		46		37
Net deferred tax liabilities		221		402
Total net deferred tax assets	$	2,575	$	2,615

Summary of Valuation Allowance [Table Text Block]

	Year ended December 31,
(In thousands)	2013		2012		2011
Balance, beginning of period	$	216	$	176	$	125
Additions charged to income tax provision		56		40		51
Reductions credited to income tax provision		(30)		-		-
Balance, end of period	$	242	$	216	$	176

Schedule of Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation [Table Text Block]

	Year Ended December 31,
	2013		2012		2011
Federal statutory tax rate		34.0%		34.0%		34.0%
State income taxes, net of federal income taxes		0.1		0.8		1.4
Tax benefit from tax credits, net of valuation allowance		-		-		(2.7)
Valuation allowance and tax accruals		0.9		0.9		0.7
Permanent items		(8.3)		(0.8)		(0.4)
Other		(2.3)		0.3		0.3
Effective tax rate		24.4%		35.2%		33.3%

Summary of Positions for which Significant Change in Unrecognized Tax Benefits is Reasonably Possible [Table Text Block]

(In thousands)	2013		2012
Unrecognized tax benefits as of January 1	$	251	$	228
Tax positions taken during the current period		79		23
Lapse of statute of limitations		(224)		-
Unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31	$	106	$	251