Skills

Software:

I have experience in software design and implementation for conventional and digital signal processors. I have years of experience (FLIR) with implementing control loops and other digital signal processing applications in software, both on digital signal processors and conventional processors. I have experience writing high- and low-level code for conventional and DSP processors. I am comfortable writing code in every assembler and high-level language that I have used, with solid experience using ANSI C and C++, and assembler for the TMS320C28xx, ADSP-2183, PowerPC, 80x86 and 68HC11.

Analog Circuit Design:

I have experience and training in analog circuit design. I am familiar with active and passive filter design (Megapulse), high frequency amplifiers using both discrete and integrated componants (CID), non-linear circuits using op-amps or discrete componants (CID), and battery power management electronics (CID).

Digital Circuit Design:

I have experience in basic digital circuit design. I am familiar with designing combinatorial logic, in both asynchronous and clocked applications (CID, Magnavox). I am capable of designing simple microprocessor applications (CID, Magnavox) and can understand designs for more complex ones (FLIR).

Control Systems:

I have training at the graduate level and extensive experience in control systems design. I have experience providing technical direction to and coordinating the efforts of mechanical, electrical and software engineers to design integrated systems that use appropriate technology for improved performance and lower cost (FLIR Systems). I am comfortable designing continuous (electronic) or discrete time (digital) controllers for complex or simple systems. My experience includes various types of high-performance motion control systems (FLIR Systems) and phase-locked loop control of motors (CID).

Communications Systems:

I have experience and training at the graduate level in communications system design. I am familiar with coherent demodulator techniques (Master's Thesis), optimum detection in the presence of non-gaussian noise (Master's Thesis), phase-locked loop design (Master's Thesis), direct digital signal synthesis (Magnavox) and general receiver design (Megapulse).

Imaging:

I have experience in imaging systems, both infrared and visible light (FLIR, CID). I understand the principals of analog and digital video transmission, and am currently involved in a system design that produces both varieties of video. I have practical experience with designing and controlling optical systems, and I understand the theoretical underpinnings of optical design.

Experience

Wescott Design Services, Redland OR (www.wescottdesign.com)

Owner (2003 - current)

• Developed circuit and software for a motor drive board for a therapeutic exercise bicycle. This motor drive board was responsible for receiving high-level commands from the system controller, and controlling motor torque and speed while sending angular position, torque, and power feedback to the system controller
  
• Developed circuit and software for a hand-held specialized data logger for use in assessing the condition of athletic fields.
  
• Developed software to demodulate cell phone base station data for both TDMA and GSM systems.
  
• Consulted with customer to improve motion control of precision photographic printer.  This effort included identifying their plant characteristics, finding improved PID controller parameters, and finding the optimal feed forward settings for their application to allow them to improve their settling times.
  
• Consulted with customer to improve speed regulation of a Diesel generator set.  This effort included finding timing issues in their software/hardware interface, finding truncation issues in their control algorithm, and helping them tune their PID controller for improved performance.
  
• Developed a preliminary design for an FPGA-based digital telephony monitor circuit, which will allow the customer to interface their call-center recording software to proprietary digital PBXs.
  
• Developed control rules for an automatic blood-pressure measurement system. This effort included finding a minimal number of control rules that would work over a range of cuff sizes from tiny preemie cuffs to the largest cuffs for adult thighs
  
• Developed improved data reduction techniques for a grocery-cart tracking algorithm.

FLIR Systems Incorporated, Portland OR (www.flir.com)

Senior Systems Engineer. (1994 - 2003)

• System architect and software lead for FLIR's next generation of thermal imaging equipment.
  • Led the software engineering team, defined processes and standards so development would proceed smoothly,
  • Selected DSP chip used on 12 boards in the system,
  • Designed and coded the data acquisition and control algorithms for lens controllers, gyros, optical dither stages and focus/field of view mechanisms,
  • Worked with the mechanical engineering team to insure the mechanisms will meet the control system goals
  • Designed the image processing architecture.
  
  
• Control system architect and software lead for the Star SAFIRE II product, which features enhanced line-of-sight stability over its predecessor.
• Designed overall control algorithms for the gimbal,
• Designed software and critical analog components of a DSP-based gyroscope control board that allowed for significantly improved noise and DC offset performance.
• Designed control rules and wrote code for the Star SAFIRE lens control software (C++). Participated in making many of the modules common across projects.
• Airborne Software team leader
  • Responsible for providing technical direction to all of the personnel maintaining software for our airborne products (2000, SAFIRE, U3000).
  • Responsible for designing, updating and maintaining software,
  • Provided technical leadership in all areas of software relating to FSI's airborne products.
• Designed upgraded control rules for the SAFIRE 3 & 4 axis gimbal.
• Designed and implemented the software for a new version of an Imager Controller Unit, including control software for DC and stepper motors in the telescope.
• Assisted in major upgrades to the software for the Broadcast Camera product line, including designing and implementing an adaptive control rule which compensated for severe lag and nonlinearities in a third-party lens focus mechanism.

CID Inc., Vancouver WA (www.cid-inc.com)

Hardware/Software/Systems Engineer (1992 - 1994)

• Responsible for development and manufacturing engineering. I designed products and saw the designs through to production, I supervised technicians and production personnel, and I assisted in setting up systems to streamline the production process.
• Designed the electronics (analog and digital) and software for the CI-203 Laser Leaf Area Meter.
• Maintained the CI-301 gas analyser / photosynthesis rate meter software and electronics.

Wygant Scientific Inc., Portland OR (www.wygant.com)

Hardware Engineer (1991 - 1992)

Responsible for hardware development. Design analog and digital peripheral circuits for IBM PC-based voice response systems. Principle engineer on ISDN integration, Data Follow-Me switch and T1 integration. Supervised junior staff in product testing, system evaluation and reliability testing.

Consultant for Megapulse, Inc., Bedford MA

LF / MF Radio Receiver (Sept 1990)

Designed and breadboarded the front end of a 285 - 550kHz Differential Global Positioning Service (DGPS/Radiobeacon) data link receiver.

Consultant for Magnavox Navigation and Survey division, Torrence CA

LF / MF Radio Transmitter (June 1990)

Designed and built a prototype dual channel microprocessor controlled modulator for DGPS/Radiobeacon service.

Publications

PID Without a PhD, Embedded Systems Programming, October 2000

Sigma-delta techniques extend DAC resolution, Embedded Systems Programming, June 2004

Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems, Elsevier, 2006

Education

Masters of Science degree in Electrical Engineering

Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester MA (1990)

My master's program placed emphasized communications circuits and statistical communications theory.

My master's thesis describes a radio that I designed and built which allows for near-optimal detection of recieved data plus bitwise estimation of detection reliability for a 50-400 baud MSK Differential Global Positioning Service data link. This radio was the third of it's kind in existence, and was used by my thesis advisor for several years in his research.

Bachelors of Science degree in Electrical Engineering

Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester MA (1988)

My bachelor's program emphasized control theory, communications theory and circuits.

My senior thesis describes the design of a system to stabilize the motion of triple-trailer tractor-trailer rigs against wind gusts and other unpredictable phenomena.

Interests:

I am currently improving my knowledge of nonlinear and adaptive systems, both control and communications.