Q - What
made you think of building this?
A few years a go, it started with visiting eBay
where I discovered that I could buy all these neat
toys I had or never had as a kid. I bought a
Johnny Astro ( never had one) and ultimately
registered the domain name and now operate
JohnnyAstro.com. Then I found another one of
my favorites that I never had, Vertibird. I
felt they were too expensive until Chopper Command
came out. This was a close clone. I
now have 8 of them and 2 Vertibirds. I then
began watching some arcade helicopter machines
sell on eBay and decided I had to have one!
Luckily I found one locally that I could
restore. It was a Midway Chopper.
After I restored it, I sold it because it was not
as exciting as I imagined. I then pondered
building my own. Then, in July 2001, I was
struck by a car while riding a bike. I ended
up with a bad concussion and major post concussion
symptoms which I still have to this day, but much
milder. I was incapable of doing anything
for 2 months. My mind was mush and my hands
and vision were like that of a very old man.
To challenge and retrain myself, I decided to take
on a difficult project.
Hence the project began.
Q -
What is you're background?
A - I am an Electronics Engineering Technologist,
a graduate from the Northern Alberta Institute of
Technology. I dabbled in electronics and was
interested in building things all of my
life. After graduating, I worked in SCADA
(Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) for a
major utility company designing and building
telemetry sites. The other half of my job
was research and development for instrumentation
and other specialized equipment. At the same
time, I began
subcontracting services to design and build PIC based control systems for interactive
displays. I have
done a lot of that for 10 years now. I am 40
years old with a great wife and a Pug.
Q -
Have you ever done something like this before?
A - I've done bits and pieces but nothing all
encompassing and nothing of this magnitude.
I have done some carpentry but nothing as
precision as this. I had to learn a
lot. The router was the best tool I learned
how to use. I have had lots of experience
with spraying equipment from the days I was
restoring antique radios. I knew some things
but the stuff that I learned from Wes
Basingthwaight (Spelling??) of C-Sharp
Pianos about refinishing and restoration was
priceless. It is the reason I can give the
cabinet a professional commercial finish.
The electronics I am comfortable with. Also,
I learned a lot from watching the construction techniques
that Ellis Associates use when they build
working models, displays and exhibits. This
is the company which I often build interactive electronics
for.
Q -
When do you think you will complete the project?
A - I Don't have a clude. I had no
Idea I would make this machine so compleX.
Q - How
many hours have you spent so far and what about
costs?
A - I haven't really tracked my hours or costs but
I am guessing several hundred hours and $3,000 to
$4,000 so far.
Q -
Would you sell your machine once it is completed?
A - I would rather keep it but if someone wanted
to pay me a lot, I might sell it. I do a lot
of work for a company that designs and builds
working models and exhibits. In a much earlier
stage of this project, they said they would charge
$30,000 to build one. They haven't seen is
lately so I suspect their price would go up.
I am not saying they would build it. I am
just saying that this company is qualified to
quote on such a project and that's what they would
charge. Prototypes are time consuming and
inherently expensive.
Q -
Would you build another one or do you plan to?
A - If I sold this one I would likely build
another one but who knows? I have other
thoughts such as the ultimate shooting gallery, an
electric vehicle or perhaps a commercial version
of this machine somewhat simplified and
smaller. One fellow from New York wants me
to commit to building him one. He calls me
often. I am hoping we can strike a deal but
first I need to finish this one.
Q - How
do you find the time to do these things?
A - Well, we don't have kids for one thing.
I have always made hobbies and science an important
part of my life. My wife says it beats
watching sports!
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