Bill Knopp
Instructor - Electronics Technician - Computer Technician - Network Technician
Aviation Enthusiast - Vintage Computer Collector - Maker
Previous Employment
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
2023 - 2024
Instructor in Network Engineering Technology, Computer Network Administration and Computer Engineering Technology
Instruction in Network Engineering Technology and Computer Network Administration Programs
- COMP-1200 Server Administration
- COMP-1300 Virtualization
- COMP-1400 Service Desk Fundamentals
- CMPE-1100 Workplace Skills and Safety
- CMPE-1300 Fundamentals of Programming
Halliburton Oilfield Services
2010 - 2019
Electromechanical Technician
Although my roll at Halliburton was officially assembling and maintaining down hole tools, I took on several related projects, including the following.
- Using my new-found talent as a maker, I was able to design, laser-cut, and assemble a jig that allowed the assembly of multiple pieces of equipment that we were previously assembling 4 at a time. We were now able to complete the curing process on 12 units in a single oven run, effectively saving 75% of the cure time.
- As a project to teach myself programming in C#, I decided to build a database/Windows Forms application to record the heat test results from testing one of our newest tools. This program allowed us to have a more consistent looking test result sheet, and saved about 45 minutes per tool in transposing time (from test results sheet to computer form), as the form was created during the test. We were also able to look-up and reprint any test result that was recorded using this program.
- Building on my C# experience from the above program, I was able to look at the another testing procedure, and automate that procedure. This automation saved at least 8 hours of technician time on each tool, if the calibration procedure was required to be done more than once, that time savings grew substantially.
MicroAge
1996 - 1998
2002 - 2004
Inside Sales Representative
- Developed and deepened customer relationships to drive revenue growth.
- Maintained up-to-date knowledge of all available products.
PC Corp Edmonton
2005 - 2010
Inside Sales / Technical Services Manager / Network Technician
- Consistently met or exceeded customer expectations, resulting in a strong and loyal customer base.
- Solidified relationship with specific hardware vendor to increase warranty repair revenue significantly
- Awarded "Employee of the year" for my ability to collaborate with both sales and services teams to deliver exceptional service to our clients.
- Implemented automated "pro-forma" invoicing system, increasing accuracy of these invoices, while reducing time to produce them significantly.
The Sony Store
1992 - 1996
2005 - 2007
Retail Sales / Assistant Manager
- Implemented up-selling strategies such as recommending accessories and complementary purchases to boost revenue.
About Me...
If you have come to this page, I guess that for some reason you want to know a little bit more about me personally. Well there is not much to tell, but here is what I have to say...
I reside in Sherwood Park, Alberta, with my wife of 29 years, and our Son who is now 24 years old. As you may have seen, above, I am a computer, electronic, and network technician by trade, and my hobbies include aviation, vintage computers (actually vintage technology of most types), website design, and most recently making.
Through the years in my career, I have worked for several technology re-sellers and service companies in both technical and sales rolls, and sometimes both combined. I also ran a computer repair business when I first completed the Computer Engineering Technology program at Westerra Institute of Technology. Following that I worked in retail sales/service for a number of computer retailers, who are unfortunately gone. Eventually I moved into corporate computer sales with MicroAge, Logicorp Data Systems, and PC Corp, finally ending my IT employment as a network technician at PC Corp.
Well that is enough about my work history, lets talk about the fun stuff! I have always been interested in aviation, and even started the training to get my pilots license. Unfortunately, my spare time, and cash, proved to be insufficient to complete my training at that time - I will get back there some day! My passion for aviation continued in the form of photography, and I make every effort to attend at least 1 airshow every year, and have also had the privilege to fly with and photograph the great guys at Yellow Thunder. You may view some of my pictures on the Photos page.
A few years ago, my son showed an interest in some of the old computers that I had just kicking around. This has led to a bit of a collection growing. These computers and video game systems are in various states of restoration. Our collection includes systems from Kaypro, Radio Shack/Tandy, Commodore, Apple, Toshiba and Compaq. More information on our collection can be found on the Collections page.
As you can see from this site, I have taken to website design. Although I do not do the graphic design, I have started to become quite familiar with the CMS called "Joomla!", and have used it to create several sites, including this one.
Finally, I have most recently become interested in Making. Taylor, my son, and I had run a wedding DJ business for a few years and made enough money to pay off the investment in the equipment. It was getting to be a bit much, so we sold the DJ Gear, and purchased a 60W laser cutter and a 3D printer. That is where the Making began. As I am still new to this, I don't have a big showcase of completed projects to share, but some of our creations can be found on the Projects page.
About some of my current projects
This Website
I design websites as a hobby, and this is my latest. I thought it only appropriate that I design a site for myself.
Vintage Computer Restoration
My latest computer project is a Commodore SX-64. It runs but is in need of some TLC. So far I have cleaned/refurbished the keyboard, and printed a new clip to hold the keyboard on the front of the case as the original clip was broken when I received the unit. Future plans include cleaning and refurbishing the disk drive, and possibly mounting a drive emulator in place of the "Glove Box" so I don't have to use original floppy disks in the drive.
This project is seen here with an 8-bit ISA CF-HDD card, an Amiga 2000-PS/2 keyboard adapter, a Pi-1541 drive emulator and a board for a battery capacity testing project that my son is working on.
Active Bookshelf Speakers
I am currently designing a set of bookshelf speakers for use in my office. I am using a miniDSP as an active crossover, and laser cut Baltic Birch plywood construction. The results so far have been very nice, but it is still a work in progress.
Flight Simulator Deck
Another project that has been on hold for many years is a flight simulator deck for my basement. The intent is to build a modular cockpit, first based roughly on a Cessna 172, but configurable enough to be changed to other aircraft as I wish.
Another interest of mine
- some may call it an obsession -
All things aviation!
For as long as I can remember, I have had a fascination with all things flying. When I was a child we lived in the arctic for two years, and to go anywhere involved flying. We would fly down to Edmonton in the company operated Electra, or out to some of the nearby mountain lakes to go fishing in a Cessna float plane.
I have been attending airshows and taking pictures at every opportunity since I was about fourteen years old. Unfortunately, all of the prints from the film camera that I used back then have been lost, but in the photos section of this site, you will see some of the digital photos I have taken over the years.
I also started taken lessons, and completed ground school in the 1990s, but poor planning resulted in this ending short of my PPL, as I ran out of money available for training. I hope to get back to it some day!