User:Blundar
Hi, I'm also Dave. #teamdave FTW. You'll see me on the list as "Dave B." It's a good name. We'll try not to wear it out.
I don't remember exactly when I joined the hive but I think it was around 2010. I think I was the 24th member? I served as CTO for a year and board member for a year. I let my membership lapse for while but have been active again since around 2017. I run the monthly electronics meetup @ the Hive, Sparks! I don't normally make a lot of Tuesday weekly meetings but I do stuff(tm). I help out a lot with the learn to solder outreach and I have a big truck which means that I volunteer to haul stuff around a lot.
My current "dayjob" is doing technical support and product development for a company that makes automotive aftermarket electronics and tuning gear. Another side of how I support myself is selling various automotive-related electronic devices that I've designed/built/manufactured. I've worked with local contract electronic manufacturers for commercial projects. I supported myself tuning engine computers / running cars on dynamometer machines for about 10 years before focusing more on product development stuff. Before that I was an IT Manager. In high school, I sold AMPS cellphones for Ameritech Cellular. (ha!)
I'm extremely good with electronics, soldering, PCB design, Design-For-Manufacture for electronics, automotive control systems. I'm a decent enough mechanic - slow moving but very good on the diagnostic side of things. I'm a reasonably competent embedded systems developer, mostly C, AVR assembly and a little VHDL. I'm fairly familiar with IT stuffs, particularly networking, TCP/IP and infosec stuff. I'm slowly learning robotics / motion control and becoming more familar with 3D printing. I can stick pieces of metal together with a stick, MIG or TIG welder but I don't think I'm talented enough to call myself a professional. I'm comfortable enough with the machines at the hive that I could probably teach you to weld in a pinch. If my escape from an island required me to operate a mill, lathe, laser or CNC machine I probably would not be stuck but I'm not the expert on any of them.
As of 2020, current projects include building a Ender3 3D printer, an OpenPNP based pick and place machine, sanitizing / improving a T962A reflow soldering oven, building a small coffee roaster and repairing / refurbishing / cannibalizing a box of broken espresso machines obtained from my uncle. I just bought a 1992 Nissan Skyline R32 GTS-4 that I'm still trying to figure out what to do with. I have a 1991 CRX HF that now has a motor, turbocharger setup ready to go in it that might get worked on this year. I am always messing with the tune on my 05 F350 diesel truck. Tinkering with cars is starting to get fun again now that I'm not doing it 40+ hours a week for a living...
I like food, coffee, dark beer, fast cars and the great outdoors. I spend most of my time not-work related doing family stuff. Sometimes you'll see one or both of my daughters with me at the Hive and extremely rarely my wife.
If you need to get in touch with me either email blundar at gmail or hit me up on Slack / google hangouts. I don't do slack on phone so email/hangouts will reach me faster.