About Chris

I learn the system, trace the problem, and build the practical fix.

My work crosses telecommunications, military leadership, a veteran-owned service business, electronics and HVAC diagnostics, and self-hosted software. The common thread is understanding how the full system works.

Louisiana Army National Guard Minuteman 139th Regional Support Group patch Louisiana military-owned business

Sergeant · Louisiana Army National Guard

Owner · HandyHounds, LLC Greater New Orleans

One troubleshooting mindset

Different systems. Same discipline.

Build. Solve. Automate. Improve. is less a slogan than a working loop: understand the problem, make the solution useful, and leave the system better documented than I found it.

01

Field systems

Telecommunications work in homes and multi-dwelling units built a habit of tracing the complete path, testing assumptions, and explaining the fix plainly.

  • AT&T wire technician
  • MDU troubleshooting
  • Low-voltage installation
02

Leadership and ownership

Service as a Louisiana Army National Guard Sergeant and ownership of HandyHounds reinforce preparation, accountability, clear standards, and responsibility for the outcome.

  • Team leadership
  • Veteran-owned business
  • Greater New Orleans
03

Electronics and HVAC

Electronics repair and HVAC diagnostics use the same discipline: inspect at high magnification, trace power and signal paths, measure components under the right conditions, and prove a fault before reaching for a replacement.

  • PCB diagnostics and rework
  • ESR, LCR, and powered testing
  • EPA Section 608 Universal
04

Software and infrastructure

Laravel applications, Raspberry Pi services, Docker, Linux, and Cloudflare turn practical needs into maintainable tools that can be operated and improved over time.

  • Laravel and PHP
  • Docker and Linux
  • Raspberry Pi self-hosting
Circuit-board artwork for Chris Darden's CD909F AT&T 101.4 kilohertz frequency generator
CD909F active conduit locator I designed this board to generate a strong 101.4 kHz locating tone from a 3-volt supply. It is being fabricated for field testing with the utility locator I use in AT&T work, with the goal of tracing conduit roughly 1–6 feet underground and pinpointing breaks or collapses before a new fiber run. Where an orange marker puck is detected through passive resonance, this design actively drives an inductor to produce its own tone.

Electronics bench

Repair starts with evidence.

Circuit-board work combines visual inspection, electrical measurement, controlled power, and careful rework. The goal is not merely to make a board turn on—it is to understand why it failed.

Inspect
High-powered microscope · traces · solder joints · heat damage
Measure
Multimeter · ESR meter · LCR testing · diode and continuity checks
Trace
Power rails · relays · connectors · signal paths
Power
Current-limited bench supply · controlled fault isolation
Repair
Soldering · hot air rework · through-hole and SMD replacement
Verify
Post-repair measurements · functional testing · documented findings

Working principles

How I approach the work.

Understand the whole path

A symptom is only the starting point. Follow power, signal, data, or workflow from end to end before deciding where the failure lives.

Measure before replacing

Use evidence, repeatable tests, and documented observations instead of treating parts replacement as diagnosis.

Build for the person using it

Whether it is a customer connection, business workflow, field manual, or private app, the result should be clear and practical at the point of use.

Own the outcome

Leadership and business ownership mean communicating clearly, protecting the work, and staying accountable after the first version ships.

Proof over claims

See what that approach has produced.

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