About Random Wire
Curiosity at the bench.
People at the center.
I’m Patrick Shields, founder of Random Wire Technologies. I work at the intersection of software, hardware, and the everyday problems technology can help solve.
A practical kind of technology.
Random Wire began with a simple belief: technology should improve life for the people using it. That might mean automating a mundane task, connecting two systems, or making something physical respond to software.
My consulting work follows that same idea. Start by understanding what someone needs, look closely at the parts, and work toward a solution that’s useful in the real world.
Why “Random Wire”?
While I was at WPI, I joined the amateur radio club. We were building small transmitters for a fox hunt—an event where participants use directional antennas to find a hidden radio transmitter.
We had built ten circuits on breadboards, and none of them worked. While probing one of the circuits, I added a wire and it suddenly came to life. Another member called it my “random wire technology” and used the discovery to investigate the actual fault.
A lucky connection is a beginning. Understanding why it works is the useful part.
The phrase stuck. It’s a reminder to stay curious, investigate what’s really happening, and turn the unexpected into something you can understand and use.
What could work better?
Bring the problem, the half-built idea, or the system that’s getting in your way. Let’s find a useful next step.