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Most of the projects expert has been involved with have been real-time dependent. He has designed high-speed bit-slice-based data acquisition units for military aircraft radar, high-speed machinery controls, home automation, cordless telephones, fitness equipment, arcade games, and other consumer products. These products require response times ranging from nanoseconds to milliseconds.

Expert was the lead Software Designer and System Hardware Architect in the development of AT&T's highly successful HT5000 series of cordless telephones. First introduced in 1985, these telephones were the first microcontroller-based cordless telephones ever marketed. Expert played a larger role than mere software development--he was active in product planning, feature definition, cost reduction, and hardware design of the HT 5000 series and its derivatives. He is also co-inventor of an award-winning battery-life-extending patent that has generated significant income to AT&T via cross-licensing.

In addition to his involvement in AT&T's cordless telephone design, Expert has also been involved with wireless control development using diffuse infrared (IR). He is also active in AC power-line control techniques (X-10 and related interfaces, vendor ICs for Powerline Modems). He tracks developments and devices involved with the recently introduced IrDa standard for infrared data transmission.

Expert's favorite design projects are those centered around a microcontroller-based control element. He has been involved in a wide variety of microcontroller-based designs for consumer, industrial, and military applications. His firm provides complete turnkey development facilities for microcontroller hardware and software development using devices made by Intel, Motorola, Texas Instruments, PIC Microchip, National, and others. In addition to software design, Expert's participation typically includes involvement in real-time operations, hardware design, system design, product conceptualization, and PCB design. His broad technical exposure combined with his business perception and experience allow him to contribute significantly in product definition, design-to-cost, and design-for-manufacture activities.

Expert has been an engineering "generalist" for 20 years and has expertise designing control systems, switching power supplies, data acquisition circuitry, sensor conditioning, and TTL/CMOS digital logic circuitry. He has designed dimming control devices for HID and HPS lamps in the high-voltage lighting ballast field. About the only area he has not had significant design experience is RF design. As a result of his broad design exposure, he has been retained as Electronic Design Magazine's Consulting Editor for its most popular regular feature, Ideas for Design.

Expert has been involved with custom and OEM-based embedded systems. On the OEM side, he has experience with STD-BUS, PC/104, MicroMint, and Z-World control cards. He has developed, debugged, and consulted on hardware and software aspects of these systems. His software experiences have been in assembler, Microsoft C, and Archimedes C.

In addition to his hardware-based, real-time, and OEM systems solutions, expert has been involved with system-level software design. He recently developed a PC-based, menu-driven support application ("Custom Software Generator") for an alarm company that allows field personnel to select devices and define the system configuration and system options in a menu-based environment using a laptop. This application then compiles the configuration and performs a download to the hardware host. His software experiences in this area have involved 80x86 Assembly and Microsoft C.


Project experience: For an Industrial Device Manufacturer – firmware porting and hardware review/recommendations for dsPIC33-based gas detection systems, involving EN 50271 / EN 50402 compliance and Functional Safety requirements.
For an Industrial Device Manufacturer – firmware porting and hardware review/recommendations for several PIC-based processors involved in next-generation communications equipment, including CAN bus backplane communications.
For an Instrumentation Manufacturer – firmware troubleshooting and design and hardware recommendations for PIC24-based handheld high-vacuum instrumentation including Bluetooth.
For an Automotice Device Manufacturer – firmware design and hardware recommendations for user-programmable PIC18F-based turn signal/hazard flasher control.
For an Audio Device Manufacturer – system, hardware and firmware design of battery-powered PIC24F-based audio recorder using USB and FLASH memory for SBIR Phase II contract effort.
For Custom Power Supply Manufacturer – emergency redesign of dsPIC30 -based control platform for a custom 560-kW multi-rack high-voltage power supply, followed by three major single-rack custom variants for other clients. (11kW-17kW)
For an Industrial Product Manufacturer – EMI suppression for problematic 3rd party design and subsequent system redesign and hardware/firmware development using dual PIC processor for custom UV lamp sterilization units.Project experience: For a Sensor/Controls Manufacturer – hardware/firmware development, PCB layout and system design for a novel infrared-based 3-dimensional sensor. [PIC and Xilinx FPGA]
For an Industrial Lighting Manufacturer – PIC hardware/firmware development and system design for DMX512-based control module for quartz lamps and dimming fluorescent ballasts used in theatrical applications.
For a Major Equipment Manufacturer – conceptual systems design for a CAN-bus-based intelligent conveyor system and modules, PIC-based firmware development using Hi-Tech C for sorter modules.
For a Major Hygiene Products Manufacturer – conceptual assistance, systems design, hardware and firmware development of a multiple-assembly, PIC-based prototype Infrared ID system using Hi-Tech C.
For an Inventor – conceptual assistance, hardware and PCB prototype design for a PIC-based telephone accessory device.
For a Metrology Tools Manufacturer – consultant on firmware design and hardware debug for data acquisition electronics based on the Intel 80c196Kb processor using IAR C compilers/assemblers.
For a Motorcycle Accessories Manufacturer – analog design consultant for performance accessories and monitoring devices for Harley Davidsons.
For a Telecommunications Manufacturer – consultant on systems architecture and firmware design for a new series of cordless telephones, with advanced features such as digital answering systems and CallerID/Call Waiting, and associated factory test firmware. 6805 Assembly and real-time C (ByteCraft).
For an Intellectual Property Legal Firm – consulted re: an infringement case involving cellular phone features.
For a Military Equipment Manufacturer – firmware development of a Proof-of-Principle prototype using 8051 Assembly and real-time C (American Arium C).
For a Major Software Manufacturer – consultant on systems architecture and design for a proposed wireless PC accessory product.
For an Inventor – conceptual assistance, patent application support, prototype design and development for a PC accessory device.
For an Arcade Game Manufacturer – Sole responsibility for firmware development and hardware support for a new air hockey table design. Short turnaround using Intel Processors.
For a Telecommunications Manufacturer – consultant on systems architecture and design methodology for development of a cordless telephone with integrated fully digital answering machine (6805-based, Assembly).
For a Major Trade Magazine – Consulting Editor for the Ideas for Design feature of ELECTRONIC DESIGN magazine since Feb. 1995.
For an Energy Management Manufacturer – design of 80C51-based multiple port communications multiplexer to allow dial-up and access to multiple serial devices at customer sites using remote serial commands.
For an Industrial Lighting Manufacturer – Developed solid-state incandescent/fluorescent controls/sequencers with touch-switch inputs for high-reliability, high-temperature applications for both 120 VAC and 277 VAC input lines. Also developed auxiliary lighting control accessories for use with HID lamps.
For a Telecommunications Manufacturer – provided circuit design consultation for ring/message detection and filtering in hotel telecom application.
Project experience:For a Fire/Security Systems Manufacturer – Developed a custom software generator for use by end users which allowed menu-style database-like specification of all system configuration and option data, including the development of custom user logic functions. The program also compiled this specification and controlled the downloading of the program via RS485 link to the alarm panel host, providing a completely field-configurable product. Coded entirely in Microsoft C (V20-based).
For a Telecommunications Manufacturer – Implemented a Proof-of-Principle speakerphone adjunct for an encrypted telephone used for secure military conversations.
For a Consulting Group – Participated in brainstorming sessions in a panel of technology experts from different industries as part of a product development effort for a manufacturer of high-tech sensors and materials
For a Fire/Security Systems Manufacturer – Developed a software simulator/test station implementing a proprietary serial data protocol and custom loop interfacing for testing of custom node controller IC's. Coded in BASIC and Assembler for quick and cost effective results.
For a Major Medical Products Manufacturer – Performed design study of automated packaging machinery and presented technical proposals for performance and yield improvements, including a novel impulse heat sealing method.
For a Telecommunications Manufacturer – Consultant on system architecture, electrical design and microcontroller selection for 2-line phone subsystem of a hotel room master control console. Developed software spec and pseudo code for the phone subsystem.
For a Fitness Equipment Manufacturer – Sole responsibility for hardware/software implementation of microcontroller-based displays for use in fitness, medical and home-use applications.
For a Major Telecommunications Manufacturer – Responsible for hardware/software design of advanced cordless telephones using 4-bit microcontrollers. Also designed carrier detector, tone generation and miscellaneous interface circuitry. Heavy participation in product feature definition and overall design architectures.
For a Paper-Processing Equipment Manufacturer – Performed timing analysis and redesign of custom analog I/O board to eliminate performance problems in Z80-based STD BUS controller. Also designed a multi-function utility card for this system.
For an Aerospace Equipment Manufacturer – Involved in high speed signal processor design utilizing the 2901 bit-slice processor and custom CMOS gate arrays in a multiprocessor configuration. Primary responsibility in hardware design, microcode definition and processor diagnostics.
Project experience: For an Industrial Controls Manufacturer – Developed software for a TMS9900-based control system, in Real-Time Pascal and Assembly Language, for the first microprocessor controlled prison in the US.
For a Photographic Equipment Manufacturer – Developed an automated test station for Z80-based PCB's based around an AIM-65 microcomputer (6502-based). Designed custom interface circuitry and firmware.
For a Heating Controls Manufacturer – Worst case analysis, optimization and redesign of an 8048-based residential multizone heating controller.
For an Industrial Controls Design Firm – Acted as technical liason and microcontroller applications consultant during client interfacing and technical requirements definition.
For a Consumer Product Manufacturer – Performed study on system design approaches for solid state moving message displays, outlining performance and economic considerations of various architectures.
For a Major Military Manufacturer – Worst case analysis and redesign of switching power supplies and design of associated test equipment for the Pershing II Missile System.
For a Major Military Manufacturer – Modified hardware of 3870-based Communications Interface for Tactical Digital Facsimile equipment. Also edited technical publications and designed test station for above.
For a Fortune 50 Energy Corporation – Sole responsibility for hardware and software development of Z80-based controllers for experimental solar and energy management systems. Real-time software implemented in Z80 assembler, including CRT graphics, remote telephone link and custom monitor/debugger allowing on-line operating parameter modification.
Prior to current employment: held analog, digital and switching power supply design positions