The Bongo guy is Dean Cuadra of Santa Monica, California.
I make my living in electronics. My mother tells me that I became fascinated with electricity as a rug rat, when I stuck a paper clip into a wall outlet (they hadn't yet invented baby-proof outlets). The shock didn't scare me away from wall outlets-- it just made me want to learn about what comes out of them. A few zillion electrical shocks later, I think I'm starting to get the hang of it!  Here are my specialties in Electronics and Computers: | ||||
Serial Data Communications | ||
RS-232 troubleshooting, interfacing and circuit design | Asynchronous serial data communications analysis and troubleshooting, including complex flow control issues | Troubleshooting and configuring of high-speed and leased-line modems |
Installing and configuring Fiber Optic RS-232 and RS-422 multiplexers | Adapting IBM PC serial peripherals for use with Apple Macintosh® computers, and vice versa | Communications software script programming |
Component Research & Procurement | ||
Research and selection of active and passive electronic components; through-hole and SMT; samples procurement | Price negotiation and purchasing of electronic components | Arranging scheduled shipments of components for volume manufacturing |
Arranging design and fabrication of polyimide flex, rigid-flex and multilayer rigid PCBs | Designing and arranging prototyping and production of custom-molded cables, custom shield brackets, solder preforms and polyimide PCB labels | Managing and tracking $200K+ surface mount component inventory |
Knowledge of electronics distribution, dealing with manufacturers, manufacturers' representatives and distributors | Arranging procurement of components during worldwide shortages and allocations | Dealing effectively with (shudder) electronics component brokers, when necessary |
Electronics Design, Prototyping and Manufacturing | ||
Interfacing microprocessor circuits to outside-world peripherals | Analog and digital circuit design | Arranging EMI/RFI certifications |
DFM (Design for Manufacturability), DFT (Design for Testability), and ESD- and EMI-supression engineering | Equipping electronics laboratories with test equipment, prototyping tools and supplies | Precision kitting and labeling of components for contract assembly |
Writing assembly procedure documentation for use in contract assembly | Inspection to IPC standards, test, troubleshooting, rework and repair of contract-assembled products; turning scrapped assemblies into sellable product | Electronics prototyping per IPC-A-610/J-STD-001, Pb- and Pb-free soldering; experienced with low-outgassing epoxies, thermally and electrically conductive epoxies, light-curing adhesives, cryogenics and cleanroom procedures |
Surface Mount | ||
Fine-pitch (including 0201 and 01005 passives) surface mount prototyping, troubleshooting, rework and repair (both contact, hot-air and nitrogen-inerted soldering under microscope) | Establishing IPC-7351B land patterns for PCB designs | SMT sample and production quantity component procurement (see Procurement table above) |
Tack soldering and micro-labeling scores of connections to testpoints on surface mount PCB assemblies for logic analysis | Conducting introductory training seminars on surface mount electronics | Arranging for elevated-temperature desiccation and hermetic sealing of SMDs |
Embedded Systems |
| |
Embedded Systems hardware design, software design, programming and construction | Design of products and systems based on Motorola 6805 and Atmel AVR microcontrollers, and writing firmware for same | Rapid design and programming of devices and systems based on Parallax BASIC Stamp® microcontrollers |
EPROM and Flash ROM duplication and editing | Implementing Flash ROM programming algorithms in 68K assembly language | Interfacing microprocessor circuits to outside-world peripherals |
| Computers and Programming | |
Hardware configuring, troubleshooting, installation and interfacing of Apple Macintosh® computers and Alpha Microsystems® super-micros; RS-232 serial interfacing | Systems-level programming of Alpha Microsystems computers (68K assembly language) | Designing and programming of extensive systems for uploading data from portable barcode readers to Alpha Microsystems computers (programming in 68K assembly, Intermec IRL barcode language and Autolog script language) |
Serial data communications script language programming (Autolog, Dialog, Procomm Plus and ZTerm) | Developing systems for remotely controlling and acquiring operational data from high-end uninterruptible power systems | 68K, Atmel AVR, 6805 and Z80 assembly language programming |
Networking and |
| |
Fiber Optic RS-232 and RS-422 communications systems design, installation and troubleshooting | Fiber Optic cable installation and testing | Ethernet hardware installation |
X-10® carrier-current control system planning, installation and troubleshooting | Wireless narrowband and spread-spectrum RS-232 modem installation and troubleshooting | Telephone system installation, programming and troubleshooting |
| Satellite and RF | |
Specification research and selection of numerous types of coaxial cable types, precision connectors, and tooling for cable preparation and termination | Configuring devices for autotracking inclined-orbit satellites (including operating a pair of 24-foot TVRO dishes) | Installing Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) TVRO equipment. |
Installing and terminating exotic cabling, including hardline coaxial cable | Packet Radio Communications Systems | |
(see also Halloween Technology page) |
|
|
|
