Consulting

IT & Technology Projects and Consulting

With more than 45 years experience in the field our team leader can leverage his expertise and our consulting resources to help you make sense of any IT or technology project. No project is too big or too small for our team and we will rapidly give you a cost and time estimate for completing your project. We can help you find the proper IT solution to fill a special need, analyze your business processes and suggest and/or design methods to streamline them and make them more cost effective. We can help you maximize your ROI on your existing technology investments. We can research available technology and perform competitive analysis of your products, or suggest new products or business opportunities based on your existing technology. Overall our team can help you with all your technological needs.

Electronic Hardware Design and Integration, Embedded Systems, Robotics

A lot of business or manufacturing processes can be aided by automation. In these days where every penny counts due to a difficult economy it is often difficult to replace existing technology with costly new technology that might be difficult to repay in a timely manner. Our experts can help you find innovative solutions that can leverage older production hardware solutions integrated with avant-garde software applications that can increase production capabilities and control. We also can help you integrate existing or new products with software controls, or help your existing software control new products.

IT and Technology Project Analysis

If you have defined project needs our team can help you with the in-depth analysis of them and provide you with a full project analysis report that reviews the technical and financial aspects of your projects and defines the best methods to develop and deliver a completed solution both on time and on budget. We can help suggest alternate development methods, how to leverage existing technology, and various other ways to decrease development costs.

Embedded System Design and Programming

We are experts in designing and programming embedded systems using a wide variety of platforms and microcontrollers. Whether your needs are a simple design using an off-the-shelf prototyping platform like the Arduino or the PIC, or you need to integrate a microcontroller into a complex product we are here to help you.

Custom Electronic Hardware Design and Sourcing

We can help you in the design, prototyping, and sourcing of new electronic hardware solutions or we can help you research and integrate existing off-the-shelf technology into innovative products. We can also help find manufacturing partners for your designed products, and help in compliance testing.

3D Real-Time Animation, Photography, Video

• 3D Real-Time Animation
• Photography
• Professional Graphic Design
• Video
• Advanced Video Editing And Screen Recording
• Video Transcoder
• Convert Text To Speech
• Audio Software And Recording
• Etc…

Consultant Professional Art

• Furniture
• Wood Box
• Speaker
• Art
• Props
• Diorama
• Steampunk
• Wearable
• Metalsmith
• Etc…

Consultant Professional Food, Wine, and Beer Business

• Kitchen
• Cooking
• Recipe
• Ingredients
• Food
• Wine
• Beer
• Spirits
• Etc…

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If you have a great idea that requires design and development, our specialty is in researching the possible ways of implementing it, selecting the top potential solutions and then bringing your idea to the prototype stage. We can also help you in bringing your final prototype to production. We focus on delivering to our clients fully integrated solutions to real-world needs.

I am a highly skilled with over 45 years of experience in various industries; A skilled in developing cutting-edge technological solutions including desktop applications, mobile applications, web applications, social media programming, content management systems, bulletin boards, eCommerce, RFID Tag & Reader, microcontrollers, robotics, kiosk software, photography, professional graphic design, video capture and processing systems, advanced video editing, video transcoder, convert text to speech, audio software and recording, 3D real-time animation, security systems and multimedia systems, etc…

I have seen many trends come and go, good and bad, and lived through many major industry changes. I do deplore some of the current state of the industry, and applaud some of the new trends. My wife had been telling me for years to write about the the industry as we discuss things a lot and she always tells me that I was born to teach, or preach when I get excited about a subject. Since my motto has always been to learn something new daily, and that a wasted day is one where you learn nothing new, I decided to share some of that hard-earned let’s call it “Wisdom” for lack of a better term.

I know that I am considered as a dinosaur in this business where you are considered old when you hit 25, but there are some of us old fogies at over twice that, that are still active and can still provide a full contribution to this or these fields.

At an early age, in the days he was spending his summers at the lake, he used to take apart everything mechanical around the cottage and actually put it back together in a working and improved condition. When electricity finally arrived with the new road deep in the woods, he started taking apart old radios and built himself a simple sound system from an old donated stereo turntable he mounted in a frame made of a few planks of wood, and the cassette recorder he had received that year as a Christmas gift.

I got into electronics when I could not afford to buy a proper darkroom timer and I saw some article, probably in some electronics magazine, that explained how to build a simple timer that blinks a LED at one second intervals. After a trip, probably to Radio Shack, to buy a 555 timer IC, a LED, some resistors, wires and a small perforated circuit board. It was the start of an interest in technology that lasted until today.

CompuServe

CompuServe was an online service provider, the first major commercial one in the United States and Canada. It dominated the field during the 1980s and remained a major influence through the mid-1990s. CompuServe was known for its online chat system, message forums covering a variety of topics. CompuServe is offering a video-text-like service permitting personal computer users to retrieve software from the mainframe computer over telephone lines.

Internet

CompuServe was the first online service to offer Internet connectivity, albeit with limited access, as early as 1989, when it connected its proprietary e-mail service to allow incoming and outgoing messages to be exchanged with Internet-based e-mail addresses. In the early 1990s, CompuServe had hundreds of thousands of users visiting its thousands of moderated forums, forerunners to the discussion sites on the Web.

CompuServe (1980 – 2000)

Forums

• BASIC
• Microsoft Visual Basic
• Microsoft Visual FoxPro
• C
• Microsoft Visual C++
• Clipper
• COBOL
• dBase
• Fortran
• Java
• Game Editor
• Etcetera…

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Don Luc Electronics

The Alpha Geek – Geeking Out

Instructor: Computer and Electronic and Microcontrollers and Prototyping Platform

www.donluc.com

Desktop or Laptop Computer

A desktop computer is a personal computer designed for regular use at a single location on or near a desk due to its size and power requirements. The most common configuration has a case that houses the power supply, motherboard, disk storage, a keyboard and mouse, and a computer monitor, speakers, and etc…

Gaming or Laptop Computer

A gaming computer is a specialized personal computer designed for playing video games at very high standards. Gaming PCs typically differ from mainstream personal computers by using high-performance video cards and high core-count central processing units with raw performance. Gaming PCs are also used for other demanding tasks such as 3D real-time animation or video editing.

Microcontrollers

These beginner-friendly microcontrollers are easy to use and program with just a computers or laptop, a USB cable, and some open-source software. All the projects, here we come. Whether you are looking to build some electronic projects, learn programming, or wanting to teach others about electronics, this tutorial will help you figure out what microcontroller is right for your needs, goals, and budgets. Here is some helpful content to start you on your electronics journey.

A microcontroller is a small computer on a single metal-oxide-semiconductor integrated circuit chip. A microcontroller contains one or more CPUs along with memory and programmable input/output peripherals. Microcontrollers are designed for embedded applications, in contrast to the microprocessors used in personal computers or other general purpose applications consisting of various discrete chips.

A microcontroller is a “Simple Computer” that runs one program in a loop. They are designed to perform a single, specific task. In this guide, we’ll be focusing on microcontrollers that have breakout boards, or a board that makes it easier to connect to and program the microcontroller. On a breakout board, the microcontroller pins are soldered to a printed circuit board, headers or other connectors are added to the PCB, and some basic firmware, or permanent software, is loaded to prep the microcontroller to receive signals.

There are different microcontrollers and it can be daunting to get started, especially if you’re just getting into electronics.

• PIC MCU 8-bit (1.8V to 5.5V/2MHz to 20MHz)
• Arduino Uno – R3, SparkFun RedBoard, Arduino Fio, LilyPad Arduino, Adafruit METRO 328, Arduino Pro Mini 328, Adafruit Metro Mini 328, Adafruit Pro Trinket, Adafruit Feather 328P, Moteino, etcetera, is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328 (5V/16MHz, 3.3V/8MHz).
• Pro Micro, Fio V3, Adafruit ItsyBitsy 32u4, Adafruit Feather 32u4, FLORA, Teensy, Circuit Playground Classic, etcetera, is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega32U4 (5V/16MHz, 3.3V/8MHz).
• Arduino Mega 2560 R3 is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega2560 (5V/16MHz).
• Arduino Nano Every is a microcontroller board based on the ATMega 4809 (5V/20MHz).
• Arduino Due is a microcontroller board based on the AT91SAM3X8E (3.3V/84MHz).
• SparkFun RedBoard Turbo, SparkFun SAMD21 Mini Breakout, Adafruit METRO M0 Express, LilyPad Simblee BLE, etcetera, is a microcontroller board based on the ATSAMD21G18 ARM Cortex M0+ (3.3V/48MHz).
• SparkFun ESP8266 Thing, Adafruit Feather HUZZAH ESP8266, etcetera, is a microcontroller board based on the ESP8266 (3.3V/80MHz).
• SparkFun Thing Plus – SAMD51, Adafruit Metro M4 Express, Adafruit Feather M4 Express, etcetera, is a microcontroller board based on the ATSAMD51 Cortex M4 (3.3V/120MHz).
• Raspberry Pi Pico RP2040 – is a microcontroller board based on the Dual ARM Cortex-M0+ (3.3V/133MHz).
• SparkFun Thing Plus – ESP32 WROOM, Adafruit HUZZAH32 – ESP32 Feather Board, etcetera, is a microcontroller board based on the Espressif Xtensa® dual-core 32-bit LX6 (3.3V/240MHz).
• Teensy 4.X – is a microcontroller board based on the Cortex-M7 (3.3V/600-912 MHz).
• Raspberry Pi Zero W is a microcontroller board based on the Broadcom BCM2837B0 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 Quad Core Processor SoC (5.1V/1GHz).
• Raspberry Pi 3 Model B is a microcontroller board based on the Broadcom BCM2837, an ARM Cortex-A53 64-bit Quad Core Processor System-on-Chip (5.1V/1.4GHz).
• Raspberry Pi 4 Model B is a microcontroller board based on the Broadcom BCM2711, quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC (5.1V/1.5GHz).
• Etcetera…

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Projects

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Project #16: Sound – Mk18

• Arduino Pro Mini 328 – 5V/16MHz
• Mountable Slide Switch
• LED Green
• Rotary Potentiometer – 10k Ohm
• Knob
• Audio Jack 3.5mm
• Speaker
• Battery Holder

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Project #16: Sound – Mk20

• SparkFun Thing Plus – ESP32 WROOM
• SparkFun Qwiic MP3 Trigger
• microSD Card
• Panel Mount 10K Potentiometer
• Knob
• Rocker Switch
• Dayton Audio Reference 3″ Full-Range Drive

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Project #12: Robotics – XBee S1 – Transmitter – Mk13

• Fio v3 – ATmega32U4
• XBee S1
• Lithium Ion Battery – 850mAh
• Thumb Joystick
• SparkFun Thumb Joystick Breakout
• Slide Pot
• Slide Potentiometer Knob

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Project #19: Time – Mk11

• SparkFun Thing Plus – ESP32 WROOM
• Adafruit SHARP Memory Display
• Adalogger FeatherWing – RTC + SD
• SparkFun Environmental Combo CCS811/BME280
• Pololu MinIMU-9
• Telescopic Antenna SMA – 300 MHz to 1.1 GHz
• NeoPixel Stick
• Pololu Adjustable Step-Up Voltage Regulator
• LED Green
• RGB Smart NeoPixel
• Rocker Switch
• Terminal Block Breakout FeatherWing
• Lithium Ion Battery – 850mAh
• GPS Receiver – GP-20U7
• Rotary Switch – 10 Position
• SparkFun Rotary Switch – 10 Position
• Knob

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Project #12: Robotics – Mk23

• Fio v3 – ATmega32U4
• Arduino Pro Mini 328 – 5V/16MHz
• USB/DC Lithium Polymer Battery Charger
• Mountable Slide Switch
• XBee S1
• Lithium Ion Battery
• Thumb Joystick
• SparkFun Thumb Joystick Breakout
• Slide Pot
• Slide Potentiometer Knob
• RGB Smart NeoPixel
• DRV8835 Dual Motor Driver Carrier
• Solarbotics RM2
• Pololu Ball Caster – 1 Inch Plastic Ball
• Pololu Wheel 90 mm × 10 mm

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Project #23: E-Textiles – Mk08

Project #23: – Mk08

• FLORA – Version 1.0a
• SparkFun Environmental Combo CCS811/BME280
• DS3231 Precision RTC FeatherWing
• MicroSD Card Breakout Board
• LED Red
• Coin Cell Battery Holder

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Project #22: Synthesizer – Mk07

• Arduino Pro Mini 328 – 5V/16MHz
• HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Sensor
• 1M Ohm Potentiometer
• Knob
• Audio Jack 3.5mm
• SparkFun Audio Jack Breakout
• SparkFun USB Mini-B Breakout
• SPDT Slide Switch
• Speaker

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Luc Paquin Artist

Art, Drawing, Photography, Jewelry, Metal, Wood, Paint, 3D Animation, Video, Electronics, Etc…

www.lucpaquin.com

Being an avid photographer and highly interested in the creative arts, Luc in the early years of his consultancy, also offered graphic design, 3D animation, and multimedia creation services as the technology at the time was in its infancy and still very complex. Most businesses could not afford having both the expensive equipment and the qualified personal to operate it on their staff so Luc offered those services to fill this gap. Now he mainly uses his creative talents for relaxation, and occasionally for some interesting project from one of his customer.

Those early experiences also lead him to build fine wood furniture, wood box, speaker, art, props, diorama, steampunk, fantasy, wearable, metalsmith during the years.

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Nefertiti – Digital Drawing

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Sasquatch – Sculpture – Wood

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Kokopelli – Sculpture – Wood

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iGourmand – Eat, Drink, Man, Woman

…Where ‘La Gourmandise’ is not a sin!

www.igourmand.com

A Gourmand is a person who takes great pleasure in food and drinks. Different than the Gourmet who is someone that has a sophisticated palate, the Gourmand enjoys the pleasures given by good food and drinks, without the complication normally associated with the Gourmet world.

I have also been a food/wine consultant and teacher for over 45 years. I have a long-standing passion for food and wine that I want to share with the world with the help of Normita, my wonderful wife, and some of our friends. Welcome to our home on the Internet and please feel free to let us all know what you think of our efforts. I offer consulting services to the food and wine industry worldwide.

He was involved in the professional side of the wine, beer, spirit and food business both as a consultant and a buyer for a variety of private. It permitted him to travel the world extensively. A renowned British wine merchant was his business partner at the time, and he sponsored many of Luc’s business trips during that period and through various contacts in the wine business in Europe and other parts of the world Luc learned a lot about the wine industry in general and wine as an investment in particular.

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Wine

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Strawberry And Cream

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