The Hours Exchange

The Services of Johnathan Vail

Last update 3 Jan 1996 JV

Computer/Electronic/Mechanical Hacks

Want your toaster connected to your PC? Want your clock to run backwards? Need a new gizmo-tron for X Y or Z? MacGyver learned it all from me. PC interfaces, software, microcontrollers, audio/video, whatever you want. After setting up my own web-cam at home I am eager to help other people set them up.
Some of my recent projects include:

The Web-Steerable Live Newt Camera
which while similar to the famous Fish-Cam is actually superior in two important ways: 1) it allows you with your browser to move the camera in different directions and 2) it features Newts. Hacked together in a couple of afternoons with parts from a VCR and and an answering machine and software in C, PERL, HTML and DOS (batch file).

Radio Guard-Box:
I was approached by a local Police department to design a temporary device that they could use to alert them to tampering or vandalism at remote devices. I came up with a 3 chip 68HC11 design that interfaces to their HT (Walky-talky) and uses a pre-recorded voice chip to call an alert on a tactical or dispatch frequency of their choice.

Tiny Repeater Controller:
Using the same circuit as the guard-box I am making a small controller for a radio repeater to fit into a sub-briefcase size package. Features include remote DTMF control, voice ID, and autopatch (phone interface).

8530 SCC Interface:
Designed to control a 9600 baud TAPR/G3RUH modem for wireless TCP/IP networking over amateur radio this was a simple interface on a ISA card.

While these projects might be outside the scope of the time swap concept I am quite willing to look at smaller projects or provide advice to help you start your own similar project.

T-Shirts and Screen Printing Art

Anvil Graphics was originally created to share my T shirt ideas with the talk.bizarre community. Since then I have worked with Joel Furr on the Serdar Argic shirts. I have also helped create several differnt shirts for volleyball teams and Kristen's Shirt of Monsters.

Specifically I am offering my services for:

T-Shirt Consulting
for help on generating your art for submission to a vendor or referral to my vendor.
Making the 1:1 film positives from your postscript file
Since my day job is writing firmware for laser film recorders for high end color work it's easy for me to image something for such a low res job like a silkscreen.

Simple PC/UNIX setup and Configuration

I'm not looking for a career here. I just think I can help people with some of the things I've set up for myself. This includes Windows and Windows 95 and Linux. Along with Linux I should mention: Samba, DNS, CERN http server and INN/news. I will specifically *not* mention XF86Config.

DTP/Prepress/Graphics

Anvil Graphics Besides for being employed in the prepress industry, I have been involved with several projects and might be useful to someone entering into the field with a project. I have helped with prepress work on a part color pornography magazine, various newsletters, and CD label art and liner notes.
HTML and Graphics

Yeh, who doesn't? Check out <URL:http://www.iii.net/users/anvil> and see what you think. For simple HTML stuff give me a call.

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