I started in audio when I was 9 years old.  Built a crystal radio and used my bedsprings as the antenna.  Could only get two stations - KDWB and WDGY AM (KFAN now) but those were the "Top-40 Puberty Pulse Pounders"  in the early to mid-60's in Mpls, MN.

As a teenager, I built many electronic projects and thankfully never electrocuted myself or any of my friends (well not many anyways).  Five tube short-wave radio, jiggle shock boxes, motors, black-light fluorescent strobe lights, VOM's, amplifiers and other gear.  Used to gut old TV's for parts behind the repair shop.  I'd buy parts and old computer boards at the local Radio Shack to stretch my money.  I interned as a Program Director for WTCN-TV in Mpls in 1970 while I was still in high school.  Got to meet all the local 'personalities' (Mel Jazz, Casey Jones, Round House Rodney) and learn what it took to put a show on the air.  Did some public radio also during this time - produced some public service announcement commercials. Pretty neat stuff for a 17 yr old.

Had to do my time in the Army as a combat medic during 'Nam in the early 70's.  My draft number was 30...  I knew I was in trouble when the Marine recruiter started calling and I got my letter from Unca Sam.  I  spent my time in Colorado at FT. Carson (U.S. Army) driving an ambulance as a combat medic and EMT/LPN - preventing people from becoming road kill.  Nothing like running red at 120 mph in those old cruisers with the 455 engine with 400+ ponies. I have the utmost respect for any vet from any era and now that is serving their country.  I was in the 4th Infantry Division - same dudes who caught Saddam.  Met a lot of great people during my time in the Army.  I got selected to go to West Point which is a real hard thing to do when you're a boot and don't have an appointment. After a lot of soul searching (5 minutes), I decided an Army career wasn't for me so I put my years in and got out.  It was a very valuable experience though and I'm glad I did it.

After dicking around at the U of Mn studying chemistry and doing pre-med for a couple of years, I decided I hated Chemistry. So I dropped the U and went to a private school called Northwestern Electronics Institute (NEI) and received a first rate electronics education.  Got my AAS and a 1st Class Commercial FCC license (to do anything in radio and TV broadcasting with electronics- they have watered the license down since then. Used to be a real hard SOB) and went to work for Honeywell doing industrial control engineering and maintenance.  I worked on a very early version of an internet like product in the late '70's - designing control layouts and specifying systems for buildings.  We networked buildings for HVAC controls via telephone leased lines to a central hub computer center. The computer operator back at the office could then monitor and control just about anything wired into the system.  Very ancient now but very cool. 

During this time in the late 70's and early 80's, I was active in consumer electronics for repair (everyone wants you to fix their stuff - and for free!) and kit building as a hobby.  Built my own mono-amps and pre-amps and modified existing amps.  Some of the gear was from a company called South West Technical Products (SWTP).  Guess they went out of business long ago.  I did this for the love of amp design and also cuz it was lots cheaper than buying the gear that I am now selling!  I used the 90 watt mono-amps with my guitar and some guys that I'd play with on weekends. Worked good til I turned 'em up to '11' (Spinal Tap - what a hoot!) and blew 'em out.

Did a turn at NEI teaching basic and industrial electronics for two yrs.  Was a blast but didn't pay much.  So I had to find a better paying job and went to work for a robot company down in Shoreview, MN.

Taught at the robot company for six months on their overhead gantry and pedestal robots.  Learned the products so well they made me an applications engineer (the guy who figures out how all the crazy crap fits together and works and changes the stuff that doesn't).  Was fortunate to work on many interesting robot systems as a Project Engineer (he's supposed to know more than the applications guy but we were all fumbling in the dark with the bleeding edge technology).  These included handling Ford Taurus bumpers, wiring Super Computers at Control Data (remember them?) and General Dynamics, super-secret B2 stealth bomber work (had to have a guard escort you to the bathroom with an M16 machine gun - not much fun especially when it's a gal MP) and a bunch of other crazy projects, some of which if I told you about, the govt would have you killed (kidding) and probably me.

I also designed and built a robot system for testing the decontamination of nerve and mustard gas weapons. You may have seen the whole system on History.  But before they put it in production, my robot system was used to test what happens when the VX gets out into the robot. After the testing, they buried my system in a very deep hole with concrete over it somewhere out in Utah I think.  I told them fine - bury it, I don't want it back!

Click to enlarge above picture.  I made the sign "Reel Fun" for the boat.

I've had my own robot company since 1990 designing robotic systems for manufacturing.  Some of these include x-ray inspection of car parts, CNC machine loading, hot-shot aluminum ladling, 2100 degree hot metal forming with robots and robotic routing. 

Every Polaris sled, jet ski, ATV, Satellite urinal (the part where you pee was cut out by my  robots :) ), Coleman generator (Y2K mania), and many other consumer products has had a hole cut in it by my robots.  Cool huh? 

In the Minnesota area I've designed and built robot routers and CNC robot machine loaders for the plastics industry.  Most of the Rigid and Craftsman screwdrivers over the past 6 yrs have been made by my robot systems.  Just finished  an 8-axis machining system for processing 20-foot fuel tanks for F-18 Hornet aircraft that I designed and built myself.  Robots put the food on my table, not audio gear. 

I do the audio gear out of love for the vintage equipment and want to pass it on to other people.

I have a design studio and fabrication shop on my property. 

Reed