The Bongo guy is Dean Cuadra of Santa Monica, California.
I make my primary living in electronics and computers. My mother tells me that I became fascinated with electricity as a rug rat, when I stuck a paper clip into a wall outlet. 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 manufacturing runs |
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 | DFM (Design for Manufacturability), DFT (Design for Testability), and ESD- and EMI-supression engineering |
Arranging EMI/RFI verifications and certifications for FCC/VDE/DOC/VCCI | 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 | General electronics prototyping |
Surface Mount | ||
Fine-pitch (sub 15-mil) surface mount prototyping, troubleshooting, rework and repair (both contact and hot-air soldering, with and without microscope) | Establishing appropriate SMT land patterns for PCB designs based on assembly methods- reflow or wave solder | 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 |
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Embedded Systems hardware design, software design, programming and construction | Design of products and systems based on Motorola MC6805 and MC68HC05 microcontrollers, and writing firmware for same, in assembly language | Rapid design and programming of devices and systems based on Parallax BASIC Stamp® subminiature 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; IBM PC serial interfacing | Systems-level programming of Alpha Microsystems® computers (68K assembly) | 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, ZTerm, and others) | Developing systems for remotely controlling and acquiring operational data from high-end uninterruptible power systems | 68K, MC68HC05 and Z80 assembly language programming |
Networking and |
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Fiber Optic RS-232 and RS-422 communications systems design, installation and troubleshooting | Fiber Optic ATM cable installation and testing | 10-BASE-2 and 10-BASE-T Ethernet hardware installation |
X-10® carrier-current control system planning, installation and troubleshooting | Wireless narrowband and spread-spectrum data networking | Telephone system installation, programming and troubleshooting |
| Satellite and RF | |
Specification research and selection of numerous types of broadband and baseband 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 | (This space reserved for more stuff, when I remember it!) | |
(see also Halloween Technology page!) |
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