Behrend alumnus Richard Schmiedecke ’72 designs and sells kits and models of miniature carnival rides.
As a young man, Richard Schmiedecke ’72 would spend a week every year working at a summer carnival near his home in Pittsburgh. Those few weeks kicked off a lifelong fascination with carnival rides.
“I’ve always been interested in carnival rides and how they are designed to be taken apart, racked, and driven over the road to the next stop,” he said.
Now, after a thirty-year career as an electrical design engineer, first at Proctor & Gamble then at Folgers Coffee, Schmiedecke, who graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering Technology, has a hobby that combines his skill set with his interests—designing and building miniature operable carnival ride models.
“I retired in 2002 and had a lot more time to do things,” he said. “I had always been a model maker, so I started hand carving parts that I would then cast in plastic to build the carnival ride models.”
Eight years later, he got his first 3D printer, which allowed him to streamline the process, designing the parts and then printing them.
His first creations were static, but he wanted them to move like the real rides. This is where his career working with control systems using programmable logic controllers came in. He knew just how to bring life to his models using microcomputers and DC motors.
Today, he owns his own small business—Carnivalkits LLC—designing and selling kits, parts, and sometimes complete models for other collectors who share his enthusiasm for carnival rides. See some of his models in action at youtube.com/carnivalkitmaker.