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Capabilities

Solving technical problems with precision.

Technical challenges are boundlessly diverse,
but their solutions have a lot in common.
Here are some of the ways that I can help you,
regardless of the nature of your challenge.

Project management

It's common wisdom that schedule overruns are unavoidable, but I don't agree. Schedules can be achieved if they start with realistic estimates, and more importantly, due respect for uncertainty.

Projects are a lot like fractals: it's impossible to see all the details from a high-level view. I can help you account for that.

  • Planning, estimation, and scheduling

  • Risk management

  • Breaking down complex goals into modules and tasks

  • Planning for iteration

  • Cost analysis & NPV estimation

  • Bayesian probabilistic forecasting and decisionmaking

  • PERT & GERT methods

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Software, automation, & data analysis

Python is my preferred tool for handling most tasks and calculations.

A Python script distills one's thought process into a explicit and reproducible form.

  • Python / Conda, C++

  • Project organization: version control, etc

  • Testing

  • Documentation

  • numpy, sympy, pandas, matplotlib, networkx, pytest, sphinx, etc

  • Scripting

  • Numerical & symbolic optimization

  • Modeling, simulation, and system identification

    • Bode plots, Nyquist plots, etc

    • Step & impulse response

    • Sensitivity analysis

    • Signal flow graph & network analysis

    • Laplace domain and Z-domain analysis

    • Automatic controller tuning

    • Plotting & data visualization

Firmware

I can help you implement or improve your process with high-performance digital control.

  • Embedded C & C++ programming

  • MISRA compliance

  • Project documentation & organization

  • ARM, MSP430, C2000, etc

  • ADC, DAC, PWM peripheral configuration

  • Data IO: SPI, I2C, UART serial, RS-232, etc

  • DSP programming

    • Real-time digital control loops

    • PI, PD, PID, feedforward, etc

    • Fast, accurate IIR & FIR filter implementation

    • Anti-aliasing filters

    • Fixed point and floating point optimization

    • Numerical error minimization & robustness

    • Mixed sampling rates

    • Integrator saturation and anti-windup

    • Phase-locked loops

    • Adaptive feedforward cancellation

    • Field-oriented motor control

    • Space-vector modulation

Electronics development and testing

Close attention to noise filtering and parasitics can make all the difference in a high-performance system.

  • Power electronics

    • DC-DC converters

    • H-bridges

    • Three-phase inverters

    • Current & voltage sensing

    • Motor controls

    • Gate drivers

  • Differential signalling

  • AC & DC coupling

  • Transmission lines

  • Low-power design & leakage current analysis

  • Discrete transistor designs: MOSFET, JFET, BJT, etc

  • Negative-resistance circuits

  • Analogue controls, active filters, & amplifiers
  • Op-amps, instrumentation amps, differential amps

  • Impedance matching

  • Solar energy & MPPT tracking

  • Battery management

  • Schematic design and PCB layout with Horizon EDA

  • Testing and measurement assistance

  • Prototyping and small-scale assembly

Motors & Actuators

I have particular experience with electromagnetic machines. Whether it's selecting the right motor winding from a manufacturer's catalogue, or designing a new motor from scratch for your niche application, I'm here to help.

  • Magnetic circuit analysis

  • Permanent magnet devices

  • BLDC motors

  • Switched reluctance machines

  • Stepper motors

  • Servomotors

  • Linear motors

  • Voice coil motors / Lorentz actuators

  • Reluctance actuators

  • Lamination design

  • Loss analysis

  • Efficiency testing

  • Noise reduction

Sensors & Feedback

If a process can be measured, it can be controlled. The key to a good feedback system starts with a good sensor, with a bandwidth and signal-to-noise ratio appropriate to the task. Whether you're developing a novel sensor technology or looking to get better performance with an off-the-shelf solution, I can help.

  • Direct & remote temperature sensing

  • Optical sensing

    • Photodiode & split-diode

    • Laser interferometry

    • Moire interferometry

  • Resistance measurement

    • Kelvin & wheatstone bridge

    • Resistive strain measurement

  • Capacitive & inductive sensing

  • Position sensing

  • Drift compensation / auto-nulling

  • Back-EMF based estimation

Mechanical design

With mechanical components more than anything else, your available options will depend strongly on your production scale. But whether a simple spot-welded enclosure or a fully-actuated robot, mechanical design always offers an opportunity for a mix of creativity and disciplined analysis that can cut costs and improve performance.

 

  • CAD/CAM: SolidWorks, FreeCAD

  • Drafting

  • Rapid prototyping

  • Design for manufacturing (DFM)

  • Materials selection

  • Accuracy and repeatability measurement

  • Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T)

  • Strength & stiffness optimization

  • Vibration isolation & dampening

  • Sheet metal design

  • Kinematic design

  • Precision machine design

  • Thermocentric design

  • Flexures

  • Lightweight & inflated structures