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This website was originally created and is currently managed by an individual named Andrew L DuBuc also known as Ydna on the internet and otherwise. I hail from Michigan, USA. The site is maintained by me and the gang of assorted ZDS thugs. I've been involved with the industry since the year 2000 and am glad to have amassed many associates and connections throughout the myriad of developers since that time. I hold no specific "allegiance" to any one company in particular. I hold the belief that most paintball products have their own distinct advantages and disadvantages, and I make a point to avoid quantifying anything as being wholly better or worse than something else. Is a Shocker better than a DM? Who knows; they're both quite good items. Regardless of what I might personally think, you won't find many generalized opinions like that on this website. As an engineer myself I respect the opinions and experiences of others, and am fully aware that few others want to hear babblings about personal experiences, so I simply leave them out. I provide the facts and you can form your own opinions. Beyond that, I'm more than happy to share my thoughts and experiences if asked. I consider myself an independent entity and enjoy helping others regardless of their background or alleged affiliation (whatever that means). I'm automatically friends with all players, tinkerers, airsmiths, and anybody else with very little exception. About Me: By trade I work as a design engineer for high-level paintball product development and production. My specialties are dealing with machined components and assembles, electronics integration, and pneumatics applications. I do work by contract for whomever is paying me at the moment. I've been asked many times how I got started working in the industry. The short answer is, it took many years of time and dedication above everything else. From the very beginning I've been a repair tech for virtually every marker available to me, and am certified or authorized for most of those modern-era ones that are common these days. My repairs lasted for several years until such time that I begun experimenting with my own customized parts and modifications for markers, which then branched into designing new components for them, and eventually blossomed into the creation and manufacturing of entirely new markers and technologies from scratch. Presently I work out of my own home toward this goal and prefer total control of the entire production process myself, from the conceptual phase all the way up to prototype CNC machining and later testing and refinements. I spare no effort when it comes to my product development whether it's for paintball or anything else, and as such I am highly trained in a myriad of production methods including computerized simulation, automated production, and the like. This allows not only the design of new products but also virtual deconstruction and analysis leading to enhancements later on before the items are even made a reality. My website is zdspb.com, which exists half as a business ad in the retail store section, while the rest is a technical resource for advanced paintball equipment in the tech section. Accordingly, the site has become a support resource for thousands of people each day. See the site statistics page for more information. In the past I've worked for many other industries in region, including automotive, robotics, hard automation, sheet metal shops, and even food manufacturing facilities. I also work for the local Community College as an instructors' assistant in the industrial department. Formally, I have extensive experience in the following trades: machining, welding, electronics theory and design, fluid power concepts (pneumatics in particular), CAD development including design, drafting, and computational design analysis (FEA), related mechanical engineering, and general research and product development in all of the above. Most of my projects take place in a larger industrial setting, but I've found many of the same concepts can be applied to paintball as well, on a slightly smaller scale of course. This has lead to some interesting developments that are commonplace in other areas of trade, but new to paintball. In addition to this website I am also administrator for shockerowners.com and ionowners.com, moderator for nerveowners.com and smartpartsowners.com, and moderator for several pbnation.com forums (DLX, PGi, Michigan regional, and all Smart Parts forums). Contact me using the contact page if you have any questions or comments.