Can we have an "Ask Sean" catagory?

If Sean is a "genuis", maybe he should manufacture something?

Thanks to everyone for the kind words. I appreciate it, even though i know that i'm "like a rose". That is, nice to look at from a distance, but up close, you have to watch out for the thorns : )

Jes45: According to IQ tests that i took 25 years ago in high school and other testing that i took for a job ( you wouldn't believe what this place put you through ), Sean is a genius. He is also Irish, making him unmotivated and willing to let others benefit from their efforts.

If you wonder why i bring up being Irish as an "excuse", look at Ireland as a Country. How many other Countries in this modern day and age are still governed by another Country? Irish people are all great talkers and deep thinkers ( just ask them ), but we just aren't motivated enough to follow through with all of our "brilliant ideas".

As such, many of the ideas and research that i come up with end up in other people's product lines. I've done research and development for over a half dozen different manufacturers in the past and still do work for some today as needed. I hope to change that soon for my own financial benefit, but i'm not starting with audio related gear.

Many of my ideas are quite diverse and nothing that i myself would like to market. Given that i don't know how to approach a manufacturer with an idea without having them steal it out from underneath me, i've sat on these ideas / potential products.

If you're wondering how i could design or research a product for other manufacturers and not know how to go about approaching one with an idea, those manufacturers always contacted me first. As such, they presented the idea of what they were looking for / wanted out of a product, we worked out the facts and figures and i gave them what they were asking for. To be honest, many of these "opportunities" came about after they got to know me. How did that take place? Simple. I called them up on a regular basis to yell at them about how they were screwing up their products and offered insight as to how they could make them both better and less costly to manufacture. After getting several earful's and following through on a few of my suggestions, they saw the value in what i had to offer and took advantage of the experience that i have in the field that i work. That field is RF communications.

Walking in off the street with an idea for a marketable product and not having your intellectual properties stolen from you is another matter all-together. I'm not a lawyer, have never played one on TV and don't sleep at a Holiday Inn Express on a regular basis. As to why i haven't contacted a lawyer to go about doing this, figure it out for yourself. I'm Irish : ) Sean
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PS... I've had offers from various audio related manufacturers to work as part of a R&D team on several different occassions. I've always turned them down. The reason ? I love audio. I used to love RF communications before it became a full time job. I still like RF, but it is no longer my main source of enjoyment. On top of that, i enjoy communicating and working with people on the subject of audio and would like to continue to do so without any limitations. Working for audio related companies and then discussing various products from different manufacturers would be a conflict of interest as far as i'm concerned. As such, i'm willing to turn down money in order to maintain what i enjoy as a hobby and source of enjoyment. How much longer that will last, i don't know.

PPS... While talking to Arnie of Audiogon a few years back, i mentioned that i had a very specific audio related business in mind and was working towards making that a reality. Given that it was a few years ago, you can see how well i've followed through on those plans?

Damn that Irish blood. Maybe i need a transfusion. Or a drink : )

Hi Sean. Nice to see you getting recognition so richly deserved.

I know what you mean about fear of intellectual property theft. I been sitting on an idea for a decade due to lack of connections/experience (I'm Scottish -not far removed from Irish. Probably have that "Lazy" gene too).
I've looked into the patent process and learned:

1. When you file a patent, it is viewable by the public until approved (effectively spilling the beans).
2. Unless your application is PERFECT (by gov standards), it will be rejected.

The implications are obvious. If you mess up your application, anyone can co-opt your idea by filing a corrected application (Jeez, not TOO stressful!).

I also have a question today:

Mine ARC VT-100 has been in storage for 8-9 months.
How long before its capacitors start to go south?
Also have a preamp and CDP in limbo.
When should I start to worry?

Thanks again for your nobel service!

Where have I seen something that was an original idea of yours that has been implemented by a manufacturer? Not being mean, just wondering where you handywork lies?

Well, in the vein of trying to give something back, you might try a simple nondisclosure agreement (NDA). The idea is to preclude a receipient of confidential info from disclosing or using it. Not perfect, since usually NDAs also have exclusions for things already in the public domain or things the receipient already knew about (which gets a bit tricky). On the other hand, they are enough of a stick that some companies won't sign them for fear of getting sued for something they already had in development. But, a decent lawyer and a good NDA might make it worthwhile to make some pitches.