Interactive Electronics Design, LLC | Asheville, NC
Interactive Electronics Design in Asheville, NC  

IED History

The foundation for IED was laid in 2002 when owner, Brett Pierce, reconnected with Phil Hall, a fellow co-worker from when both engineers worked for Lutron Electronics in Coopersburg, PA in the late '80s. Both left Lutron in the early '90's to continue their careers elsewhere. Hall started his own company to design and market a product idea he had come up with. Pierce stayed on the corporate path and lead new product development projects at leading companies in the medical and transportation industries. In late 2002, Pierce felt powerless when his employer, Welch Allyn, announced that the operations of his facility would be moved to upstate New York. Unwilling to uproot his family and move, Pierce began looking for other opportunities he could pursue without moving. That's when he crossed paths once again with Hall, who then encouraged him to start his own company.

In 2003, Pierce began working part time on electronic design projects with Hall. In February of 2004, Pierce started his own company and began to work part time as an independent design contractor. By May of 2004, there was enough work to do that Pierce made the decision to leave his corporate job and focus full time on his company. At that time, Pierce designed the control boards for the Treehouse attraction at Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta, GA and he designed the original electronic wand and game board for MagiQuest.

In 2005, Pierce finished Magiquest electronic design and went to the jobsite to do set up and installation. The first MagiQuest facility opened in July of 2005 in Myrtle Beach, SC. Later in the year, Pierce designed and built custom electronics for two exhibits for the Colburn Earth and Science Museum in Asheville, NC. The first was an interactive map with touch sensors and a moving spotlight. The second was an interactive mine with a simulated explosion and an educational narration. In addition to the electronics, Pierce applied his woodworking skills to design and build a laminated cabinet with oak trim for the map exhibit and a matching cabinet for another exhibit.

In 2005/2006, Pierce worked with the Director of Exhibits at the Catawba Science Center in Hickory, NC on new exhibits for the "Energy Avenue" area. Pierce created a digital voice recorder with variable speed playback. He built a variable speed motorized mirror assembly to create complex images from a laser beam. And he created a laser exhibit simulation for the museum's website using Flash. During this time, Pierce also worked with John Payne to design and build the electronics to automatically control Payne's large metal dinosaur sculptures.

In 2006, the MagiQuest technology Pierce helped develop was used to create 2 other attractions across the country.

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Copyright 2007 Interactive Electronics Design, Asheville, Fairview, NC