nevadaOZman
Member
Hello to your special world. What's my story?... Well, I'm a retired electronic/electrical design engineer. I joined the "kick-back" club a few years ago but have never in my life been so busy!! For real! I have a history that includes starting out in high school playing the trombone... first chair trombone! in the orchestra, and I was also in the marching band. Had a blast! While going to Amador (in mid CA) as a junior, I actually received an invitation from Tommy Newsom (of the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson - - if any of you remember those guys) to audition. I didn't know him personally, I hadn't met ANYONE famous yet, but my grandparents lived next door to his parents, and one thing lead to another... Even tho' I could literally play ANY piece or type of music, the issue at the time was I literally had zero self-confidence and ended up respectfully declining. OMG did I come to regret that about 10 years later! (and ever since).
Back at high school I was (WHAT?!) failing a typing class. WOW, I had never typed a thing in my life, never even touched a typewriter, and my mid-term grade was a "D"?! Even tho I was typing BY TOUCH, 43 words a minute on an IBM Selectric (I believe it was called), the teach docked a full GP for each error... Yeah, my avg error rate was 3... so, you know, I was a flaming D student. THAT was totally unacceptable to me and I quit that class that very day. I argued with myself: You came, you saw, you conquered. Okay, so I quit, BUT, I definitely could now type!
My counselor placed me into a 1st year electronics class (recall this is mid-term) so I had to dig in , catch up, or... Well, there is no try, there is only DO - right?! My new world was composed of such things as TUBES and "condensers" and point-to-point wiring (of all things) but I was positioned to be square in the middle of all things electric/electronic - through all manner of industry changes... You know: first it was basic transistors, then more types of diodes and caps, then the first IC's (TO-88 potted parts), liquid crystals, LED's, and the real IC revolution which heralded in various "families" and ultimately: microprocessors. (I even taught some on that subject in Jr College and as a pro-bono teacher at a night Tech School in Phoenix). I ended up with a very broad background, and even still design circuit boards... Oh the stories I could expound concerning the evolution of circuit boards!!!
So as not to be too-oo boring: I worked in myriad technical industries and there developed a number of unique products. My short-list of achievements is: Developed a cool: 2-player against the game version of Table Pong (Mirco Games - the best... NO it wasn't Atari, "WE" had the best. My version included a random game miss set of electronics so it WAS possible to beat the game... Unfortunately, the company folded and my version was lost forever before becoming a reality. I finally threw out my last pong boards and working prototype about 20 years ago. ) Developed the 1st G-sensor non-weight-and-mass Safe and Arm electronics package, the 1st microprocessor based seat ejection electronics design for the USAF and USN, worked a bit on Star Wars projects, developed the 1st private microprocessor based payphone, developed a programmable (bunker buster) munition and various types of protective (for our troops) munitions, developed the 1st H2S monitor capable of reading less than 100PPM - (my design could read to less than 1PPM and had a self-cleaning sensor), and designed a multi-sensor RFID based Transducer Alignment System. I was granted a patent for the 1st fully digital control of AC power in '81, and later, was co-inventor on multiple other patents for other products.
I was a Scoutmaster in Arizona, and later moved to Nevada. I was a Staff volunteer at the Reno Crisis & Suicide Prevention Center, and (even tho I considered myself a Rock 'n Roller) I joined a really tight Country dance team and community. We worked many women's and children's charity events to raise funds for the abused, in-need and disadvantaged in the Reno/Sparks area. One SUPER benefit of what we chose to do (help the community, etc) was we got to personally meet great Country stars, many of whom hosted our fundraisers.
I also write and play (and sing... I "think" one could call it singing. Perhaps not...) in my music room (2 keyboards, 3 guitars, mic's and a lot of support equipment in a 6 foot rack) when I have a "chance" these days. (That means about 3 times a year!) I also have a pretty cool electronics lab (with SMT soldering ability and a dual optical microscope) I often tinker in. My other indoor hobby is acrylic painting with bristle brush and airbrush. Been a while since I have been able to do that. I love to read and as a life-long "sensitive" (with numerous very special and unique experiences) I am much attuned to New Age/Higher thought and philosophy. I'm in the process of writing my memoirs (with pictures) for the family and am having fun doing it - THAT effort will take me awhile. (like I have nothing else to do... .... aside from all the consulting tech work I do at the request of others. )
So meeting a few folks from the VFC last year I opted to explore your community by joining. Having done so I'm still finding my way around. I decided to put my Motorola EXORset 35 (no not a '30... she's a rare WORKING! '35) up for sale here. You can see my Feb 2022 post to find out about it if you're at all curious. Any-hoo, my wife says I talk too much, so I better sign off for now. Glad to be part of your community. Thanks.
Back at high school I was (WHAT?!) failing a typing class. WOW, I had never typed a thing in my life, never even touched a typewriter, and my mid-term grade was a "D"?! Even tho I was typing BY TOUCH, 43 words a minute on an IBM Selectric (I believe it was called), the teach docked a full GP for each error... Yeah, my avg error rate was 3... so, you know, I was a flaming D student. THAT was totally unacceptable to me and I quit that class that very day. I argued with myself: You came, you saw, you conquered. Okay, so I quit, BUT, I definitely could now type!
My counselor placed me into a 1st year electronics class (recall this is mid-term) so I had to dig in , catch up, or... Well, there is no try, there is only DO - right?! My new world was composed of such things as TUBES and "condensers" and point-to-point wiring (of all things) but I was positioned to be square in the middle of all things electric/electronic - through all manner of industry changes... You know: first it was basic transistors, then more types of diodes and caps, then the first IC's (TO-88 potted parts), liquid crystals, LED's, and the real IC revolution which heralded in various "families" and ultimately: microprocessors. (I even taught some on that subject in Jr College and as a pro-bono teacher at a night Tech School in Phoenix). I ended up with a very broad background, and even still design circuit boards... Oh the stories I could expound concerning the evolution of circuit boards!!!
So as not to be too-oo boring: I worked in myriad technical industries and there developed a number of unique products. My short-list of achievements is: Developed a cool: 2-player against the game version of Table Pong (Mirco Games - the best... NO it wasn't Atari, "WE" had the best. My version included a random game miss set of electronics so it WAS possible to beat the game... Unfortunately, the company folded and my version was lost forever before becoming a reality. I finally threw out my last pong boards and working prototype about 20 years ago. ) Developed the 1st G-sensor non-weight-and-mass Safe and Arm electronics package, the 1st microprocessor based seat ejection electronics design for the USAF and USN, worked a bit on Star Wars projects, developed the 1st private microprocessor based payphone, developed a programmable (bunker buster) munition and various types of protective (for our troops) munitions, developed the 1st H2S monitor capable of reading less than 100PPM - (my design could read to less than 1PPM and had a self-cleaning sensor), and designed a multi-sensor RFID based Transducer Alignment System. I was granted a patent for the 1st fully digital control of AC power in '81, and later, was co-inventor on multiple other patents for other products.
I was a Scoutmaster in Arizona, and later moved to Nevada. I was a Staff volunteer at the Reno Crisis & Suicide Prevention Center, and (even tho I considered myself a Rock 'n Roller) I joined a really tight Country dance team and community. We worked many women's and children's charity events to raise funds for the abused, in-need and disadvantaged in the Reno/Sparks area. One SUPER benefit of what we chose to do (help the community, etc) was we got to personally meet great Country stars, many of whom hosted our fundraisers.
I also write and play (and sing... I "think" one could call it singing. Perhaps not...) in my music room (2 keyboards, 3 guitars, mic's and a lot of support equipment in a 6 foot rack) when I have a "chance" these days. (That means about 3 times a year!) I also have a pretty cool electronics lab (with SMT soldering ability and a dual optical microscope) I often tinker in. My other indoor hobby is acrylic painting with bristle brush and airbrush. Been a while since I have been able to do that. I love to read and as a life-long "sensitive" (with numerous very special and unique experiences) I am much attuned to New Age/Higher thought and philosophy. I'm in the process of writing my memoirs (with pictures) for the family and am having fun doing it - THAT effort will take me awhile. (like I have nothing else to do... .... aside from all the consulting tech work I do at the request of others. )
So meeting a few folks from the VFC last year I opted to explore your community by joining. Having done so I'm still finding my way around. I decided to put my Motorola EXORset 35 (no not a '30... she's a rare WORKING! '35) up for sale here. You can see my Feb 2022 post to find out about it if you're at all curious. Any-hoo, my wife says I talk too much, so I better sign off for now. Glad to be part of your community. Thanks.