This month we'd like you to meet element14 Community's  Member of the Month for May: jw0752

element14: First of all, congrats on being named element14 Community’s Member of the Month for May.

jw0752:  Thank you Dave, I am really surprised and honored.

element14: I see that you have been a member since September of 2013, what originally brought you to the Community?

jw0752:  At the time I was working to get a new product’s circuit off the bread board and onto a real circuit board so that some prototypes could be made and field tested. Things worked perfectly on the bread board but not when soldered to a circuit board. I had purchased parts from Newark and the salesman suggested that I try the element14 website for help. I posted my question, in the wrong category of course, and Mark Beckett (mcb1) responded. After we exchanged information a couple times I was guided in the right direction to solve my problem. I just never left the site after that and Mark still remains my hero.

element14: Tell me a little bit about how you got interested in electronics?

jw0752:  Electronics, mechanics and science have always been interests of mine. My dear father, though he had no interest or ability in electronics himself, always did all he could to keep me supplied with old radios and other interesting electro-mechanical devices. I took everything I could get my hands on apart to see how it worked. As time went by, this interest evolved into my first income generating work, repairing record players and tape recorders for a local music shop. My mother maintains however that no matter how many things I have fixed or ever will fix I will never make up for all the stuff I broke before the age of eight.

element14: What do you do professionally?

jw0752: I am retired now, which accounts for all the time I have to enjoy element14. Before I retired my wife Millie and I owned a business that specialized in repairing all the equipment that is found in dental clinics. This was a very diverse and interesting range of equipment and technologies. Some of the things that we repaired were compressors, vacuum pumps, electro- mechanical and electro- hydraulic chairs, x-ray equipment, dental drills, sterilizers, delivery systems that control the air, water and power that is fed to the dental drills, as well as lots of small specialized pieces of equipment. Two of my sons currently operate the business but they still give me somethings to repair from time to time.

element14:  I am really enjoying your blog series Shop Tips can you talk a little bit about why you decided to focus on that for a blog series?

jw0752:  One of the things of interest to me is how exchanging ideas and tips can blossom into more ideas and better ways of doing things. I know how much I have learned from the ideas and tips that the other members have posted. Many of the times, seeing or learning about their methods teach me ways I can improve my own operations. The Shop Tips are really simple ideas and undoubtedly have already been thought up by others but I felt that posting them would generate some interest and more exchange.

element14: What else can we expect from the Shop Tips series?

jw0752: As long as there is some interest and I can keep thinking of new things to blog about, I will continue. I am sure there are a few more Shop Tips in the bag. I am really hoping to see some competition on the site from other members with their own thoughts and insights into the tricks of the trade.

element14: Walk me through your routine on the site, what spaces do you check? Who do you follow?

jw0752:  I will usually log onto element14 a couple times during the day but I really begin after 11:00 PM as I am a bit of a night owl. I will check the Activity Stream to see if there are any questions that I can give good answers to. It is always fun to answer questions. I will also stop and read any of the postings that catch my eye and then I will respond with a comment or a “like” if they have made me smile or made me smarter. I will check my mailbox and respond as needed.  As far as who I follow, there are so many excellent men and women on this site who put many hours into providing free education and engineer quality advice that I would not want to miss mentioning even one of them. The people I follow and really respect have all heard from me.

element14: What advice would you give someone new to the element14 Community?

jw0752: This is easy. I would advise them to not be afraid to participate. This is like everything else you will do in your life. You will reap the rewards in proportion to how much you, yourself, are willing to put into it. I know of nowhere else on the web where you can go and ask any question about electronics or related fields and get a respectful answer from a world class engineer or, perhaps in consolation, from an old technician like me. You will know that you have asked a really great question if you can get a few of the engineers arguing over the correct answer. I understand how the new guys feel though as I was intimidated too when I wrote my first questions.  Do not be afraid to share your questions and your projects in pictures and videos. They will be appreciated and respected.

element14: Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions, any parting words?

jw0752: I have always wanted to be on a stage so I could do this:  “Hi Mom!”