New Job, Old Role?

So, out here in Grand Rapids, I've been floating around a little for the past couple weeks, applying to too many places from bookstores to Guitar Center to coffee shops, and I finally got something!  I'm teaching and fixing things at Grand River Music in Grand Rapids, so if you send your guitar or amp or anything there to have some electronics fixed in it/them, I'll likely be the guy doing it!  I've been doing this kind of thing for a long time for friends (and family), so I probably won't break your stuff. :)  There's a fun bench where I've worked so far too!  Check it:

I'm really quite pleased with the whole situation. :)  Maybe some fun stories of fixing will turn up here too!  More soon!

And also (if this isn't enough of a plug already) here's more about them: grandrivermusic.com

evo-electro Conglomeration

This is a new project for me, and I'm very excited about it. It'll be a pile of broken electronics that were compacted together and left to rot for decades, except instead of rotting, it all grew together and came back to life in a conglomeration of intermittent functionality and mis-mapping.


This is the thing so far. It is four Apple towers (G3 and G4) cut up and hinged together in a shifting but stable frame. With the changing position, the mapping of different input (answering machine buttons, computer and MIDI keyboards) will change to connect to different output (sounds in computer speakers, lights on different devices, flashing of computer monitors).

I have many goals with this project. One of the main ones is to spend as close as possible to no money and use entirely recycled material (except for the driving Arduino and rechargeable batteries).

What's next:

• put the top tier on - likely to be the side panel to a G5 tower
  
• hack all the electronics in the basement and take note of what input and output I have
• start breaking and attaching things
• probably have to collect more wire
  

Things to learn:

• output from PS/2 keyboards
• sending information over VGA to a monitor (that may be broken)
• programming a Sanguino
• how to make this look corroded without damaging my house or my relationship with my roommates

(click here to see a gallery of the project so far)