Ron Amundson

I’m an analog designer

Even the most digitally based system depends upon analog inputs or analog outputs of one type or another. As a highly experienced analog guy, I can get your signals safely into the digital domain with a minimum of fuss and headaches. My speciality is sensors, but I also do some work in audio, and RF. On the digital side, I have over 20 years experience with embedded microprocessors, albeit my focus is 8 bit and smaller. I do most of my coding in assembly and Basic.

I can get prototypes and arrange for low volume manufacturing just for you!

Through a team distributed across Southern MN, NE Iowa, and Western WI I can get prototypes and low volume production of nearly any product off the ground in short order. We have a significant amount of automotive, tech, and craft business in the area, combined with a very independant work ethic; the cottage industry and industrial skunkworks albeit hidden away from every day view is alive and well. Everything from mylar overlays, to machined parts, to leather goods, to injection molded parts, to thermoformed parts, to electronic assembly can and does happen on a near weekly basis. Granted, the CNC folks generally dont like to run one off parts, but if it means excess capacity is being used, they are more than happy to run them. Its very much the same with the leather goods manufacturers. For a while I was even getting parts anodized at one vendor, and other parts vacuum plated at another, all in the same day to finish an assembly. Its all a matter of scheduling combined with personal connections with the go getter type folks to make things happen.

I’m a radiation thermometry design and applications engineer

I’m a radiation thermometry designer and applications engineer. Its a very narrow field, although with the advent of ear thermometers in medicine, much more common place than years ago. I’ve designed over 50 different radiation thermometers, with applications ranging from drug analysis, formula one racing, food service, and to steel mills. I’ve also spent ,many years as an apps engineer troubleshooting radiation thermometry problems in a wide range of industries. Radiation thermometry is not a cure all, nor is it always a viable solution, but when it is, I can easily optimize your application for the very best performance.

I’m a tech firefighter, got a problem, need a fast solution, give me a holler!

Did you just get your first pre-production order, or production order, and you find the yields are not what was expected? Do you have an ongoing quality or process problem. Tech firefighting may be in order. No one wants to be in that situation of course, but it happens, and with the economic downturn, its likely to happen more and more as upfront spending is reduced. Let us help get you back up and running.

I build teams on demand to solve R-D challenges

Do your new ideas get put on the backburner, as all your time goes into maintaining existing programs? Virtual R-D may be a solution. Just as the entertainment world brings in experts on an as needed bases, I do the same tech domain. In many ways virtual teams parallel the movie industry, where in a group of experts gets together for a few weeks or months to solve a specific problem, where upon they then go their separate ways in between times. The advantage is one of extreme specialization and razor focus, all without the huge burn rate and significant opportunity costs of having full time specialists on site. Also, with a virtual team, the risk of loose IP is less, as critical information is doled out on a need to know basis, rather than the blanket disclosures which so often occur with full time employees.

Electronics Repair

I earned a journeyman certificate [WI-214] in the mid 80’s, after completing a 4 year experience requirement plus a couple of written exams. At that time, electronic products were not quite to the point of being disposable, in that it actually made sense to bring in ones gear for periodic cleaning and service, rather than tossing it into the dumpster after a year or two. Today, with the commodity pricing of most electronics, repair is often times no longer a viable solution if one only looks at upfront economics. On the other hand, there are many intangibles, for example spending 2 weeks to reload and set up a new computer may make a $300 mobo/pwr supply upgrade in ones existing machine a bargain, especially if one is time stressed. Its not the computer itself that provides the value, it is the data. Its the same with a lot of other legacy gear… the unique legacy functions provide the value. The problen of course, is that parts are often times no longer available, but thats where my skills as component level repair and designer shine. It may mean I need to fabricate a custom circuit, or even code a new microprocessor to emulate a legacy function should their be enough demand to make it worthwhile. I’ve even made one off flex circuits for vintage audio gear that just had to be repaired.

Flight Instruction
I’ve been flying since the early 80’s, and have worked at various flight schools on and off since 1983. I currently hold a flight instructors certificate, and a commercial pilots license with an instrument rating. My website aeroinstructor, focuses on the needs of CFI’s and flight school operators, albeit even a primary student is likely to glean some useful information.

Music
Yes, I’m a musician as well, albeit as an older fellow, my focus is much more so on education and consulting than performance as it was in my younger days. If you need bass guitar lessons, my music page has a lot more detail.

Web Development — the cleanup and education guy

My focus on websites is three fold. First, there are a lot of half baked websites out there, You know the ones where the brother in law’s kid cranked out something on the weekend, or perhaps the plumber is just too busy to fix his own pipes. Or worse, the type of deal where the latest and greatest startup website company built a proprietary site for a client, and then fell off the planet. I fix broken pages, links, CSS, browser problems, and can even restore and/or migrate database driven sites in some circumstances. Second, I follow up with education, such that a client can maintain their own site, or at a minimum has the knowledge base necessary to make an informed decision where outsourcing such services. My third website focus is very specialized, namely physical hardware/web interaction. If you need an embedded webserver, such that you can put your toaster, hairdryer, or even incense burner online, I can integrate the hardware, the firmware, and software with ease using a number of COTS(commerical off the shelf) devices.