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(619) 460-4760 Bruce Brentlinger www.c-lab.com
1991 - 2004 Cornerstone Lab, San Diego CA
Projects are listed in rough reverse chronological order. Most of the designs
involved a team of other engineers and scientists of various disciplines. The
last sentence of each listing describes the level of involvement in each
individual project.
* Modified existing Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) that charged
capacitors to discharge them. The tester tower had eight levels; each level
tested 256 10 Farad capacitors. Re-routed power, modified circuit cards,
corrected the control panel to add the discharge feature and notify the user
of charging status. Involved reverse engineering, redesign and some
electronic circuit design.
* Designed a card to combine two 5 Farad ultracapacitors into one
package (PC5-5) with integral active balancing circuit. Then combined
these cards into a panel of 195 cards with stiffener for mass production.
Involved concept development, electronic circuit design, schematics and
printed circuit card (PCB) (PCB) layout.
* Developed a Mobile Visibility Transmissometer (MVT) test
instrument for measuring laser performance at three different wavelengths in
the field. Designed a card to drive the lasers and a card to receive the laser
transmission. The receiver used an innovative signal magnification circuit
that measured small variations in signal strength. The system features
uniform laser output over time using a feedback control circuit,
thermoelectric cooler controls for laser cooling; heater controls for coping
with outdoor environmental conditions; data collection via a programmable
data logger; wireless data communication via cellular telephone. Involved
concept development, electronic circuit design, system engineering, block
diagrams, schematics, printed circuit card (PCB) layout, cabling, harness,
interconnects, test and integration.
* Developed a general-purpose smart-card reader circuit card.
Featuring an Atmel AT91 ARM Thumb microcontroller; universal serial bus
(USB); designed in four 1.1" square cuttable and stackable sections; copper
trace antenna embedded in circuit card; radio frequency and microcontroller
circuits on the same card. Involved collaborative electronic circuit design,
schematics and printed circuit card (PCB) layout.
* Designed two cards for a 48-channel Automated Accelerated
Characterization Test Station (AACTS) that distributed power and signals
for low noise measurement over tri-axial controlled-impedance paths
embedded in the circuit card. The station tested RF semiconductors such as
discrete (MESFETs, HBTs, Diodes, etc.), monolithic microwave integrated
circuits (MMICs), hybrid microwave integrated circuits (HMICs) at
temperatures up to 250 degrees C. Involved concept development,
electronic circuit design, system engineering, block diagrams, schematics
and printed circuit card (PCB) layout.
* Developed an interface card for a Free Space Optical (FSO)
communications system based on Long Wave Infra-Red (LWIR) all-weather
optical wireless (AOW) technology. Featuring multimode 1300nm fiber-
optic or copper inputs and conversion of these inputs to a level (Emitter
Coupled Logic [ECL] or Positive-referenced ECL [PECL]) compatible with
a Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) input; temperature sensing and control of
laser temperature using thermoelectric coolers; control of laser power, bias,
and modulation; conversion of outputs from a proprietary laser detector to
multimode 1300nm fiber-optic or copper outputs; high-gain automatic gain
control (AGC) amplification,
limiting or direct connection of the detector signal; signal processing of the
detector signal using adaptive clock and data recovery with a programmable
continuous non-return-to-zero (NRZ) frequency coverage from 10 megabits
per second to 2.7 Gigabits per second; continuous non-invasive bit error rate
monitoring; communication protocol independent - gigabit Ethernet,
Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) Optical Carrier (OC) OC-1
(51.84Mbps) /OC-3 (155.52Mbps) /OC-12 (622.08Mbps) /OC-48
(2.488Gbps); in-circuit programmable microcontroller; test mode for
alignment; user control panel interface with buttons and 8-character dot
matrix alphanumeric programmable display. Involved concept
development, electronic circuit design, system engineering, block diagrams,
schematics, printed
circuit card layout, firmware, cabling, harness, interconnects, test and
integration.
* Developed access control smart-card reader circuit cards for a wall
mount application to control building access. Featuring an Atmel AT91
ARM Thumb microcontroller; optically isolated Wiegand interface;
universal serial bus (USB); Ethernet; copper trace antenna embedded in
circuit card; radio frequency and microcontroller circuits on the same card.
Involved collaborative electronic circuit design, schematics and printed
circuit card (PCB) layout.
* Developed and built an over-voltage protection card that protected
Ultracapacitor testers from the test power supply. It could handle a 20A
load and had a fully adjustable trip point. Involved concept development,
electronic circuit design, system engineering, schematics, test and
integration.
* Designed a power backplane for a front replaceable modular DC
(direct current) 300-watt power supply used in a Z-ATX rugged military
computer workstation. Involved some electronic circuit design, schematics
and printed circuit card (PCB) layout.
* Designed a backplane for the TranzPak 7 hot-pluggable IDE hard
drive used in a Z-ATX rugged military computer workstation. Involved
some electronic circuit design, schematics and printed circuit card (PCB)
layout.
* Designed a flexible circuit for use inside a TranzPak 7 hot-pluggable
IDE hard drive used in rugged military computer workstations. Involved
some electronic circuit design, schematics and printed circuit card (PCB)
layout.
* Developed concept and designed five cards (backplane, motherboard
docking card, front panel, motherboard I/O, and rear I/O panel), for a Z-
MPU rugged high performance military multi-processor computer system.
Featuring hot-swappable environmentally Sealed Computer Modules (SCM)
and TranzPak 7 disk modules; multiple platforms (Intel, Sun, IDE, SCSI)
and multiple operating systems can run together simultaneously; access to
Shared Peripheral Clusters through a matrix-switched array of USB
peripherals that can be dynamically switched to any SCM; an embedded
processor for monitoring system health and watch-dog activity. Involved
concept development, electronic circuit design, system engineering, block
diagrams, schematics and printed circuit card (PCB) layout.
* Investigated and evaluated new lasers, detectors, modulators and
electronic devices; generated characteristic curves, eye diagrams, and
researched the feasibility of electronic circuit designs to incorporate these
new devices into an all-weather optical wireless (AOW) communications
system. Designed electronic related portions of lab setups for research and
demonstrations that required Bit Error Rate Testers (BERT), Digital
Phosphor Oscilloscopes (DPOs), TEC (thermoelectric cooler) controllers,
acousto-optic modulators and drivers, thermal imaging equipment, CO2
lasers, Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCL), Helium-Neon lasers, and other
types of lasers, proprietary detectors, optical tables, various lenses,
reflectors, beam splitters, and optical power meters. Set up and integrated
electronic and optical
equipment; directed lab personnel, performed optical alignments (visible
and invisible), and verified performance with comparison to competitors
equipment. Involved concept development, consulting, reverse engineering,
redesign, electronic circuit design, system engineering, block diagrams,
cabling, harness, interconnects, test and integration.
* Developed an access control smart card reader concept for a wall
mount application to control building access. Featuring a MachZ (x86
system-on-a-chip) microprocessor; 16Mb DRAM; 16Mb Flash; Ethernet
interface; optically isolated inputs/outputs for door control, motion
detectors, door switches; several types of serial interfaces. Involved concept
development, collaborative electronic circuit design and block diagrams.
* Developed access control smart-card reader circuit cards for a wall
mount application to control building access. Featuring an MCORE 2107
microcontroller; optically isolated outputs, copper trace antenna embedded
in circuit card; radio frequency and microcontroller circuits on the same
card. Involved collaborative electronic circuit design, schematics and
printed circuit card (PCB) layout.
* Wrote device drivers for a real-time broadcast-quality digital video
over Internet protocol (IP) gateway. Based on the Intel strong-arm
1200/PCI processor, it involved C programming of device drivers for the
Jam Player - for JTAG (Joint Test Action Group) programming of FPGAs
(Field Programmable Gate Arrays); buttons; LCD; video, sound, and Inter-
IC (I2C) two-wire serial bus chips. Involved firmware, test and integration.
* Designed a card to combine two 5 Farad ultracapacitors into one
package. Then combined these cards into a panel of 195 cards with stiffener
for mass production. Involved concept development, electronic circuit
design, schematics and printed circuit card (PCB) layout.
* Designed multi-function 20 cell 4 Farad ultracapacitor tester with a
5A peak discharge per cell (100A fully loaded). It is capable of manual
(pushbutton) or programmable automatic charge/discharge cycling and
automatic leakage testing through a programmable data logger. It also has
the flexibility to be connected to a Bitrode cell tester. Involved concept
development, electronic circuit design, system engineering, block diagrams,
schematics and printed circuit card (PCB) layout.
* Designed a backplane for the TranzPak 7 hot-pluggable IDE hard
drive used in a Zxi rugged rack mount military computer workstation.
Involved some electronic circuit design, schematics and printed circuit card
(PCB) layout.
* Designed a low profile Bus Master Ultra DMA PCI to IDE adapter
card for use in rugged military computer workstations. Involved electronic
circuit design, schematics and printed circuit card (PCB) layout.
* Designed the front panel card for a real-time broadcast-quality
digital video over Internet protocol (IP) gateway. Involved electronic circuit
design, schematics, printed circuit card (PCB) layout, firmware, test and
integration.
* Reduced size and optimized design of a smart card reader
connectable to the Internet via a serial connection to a personal computer.
Featuring copper trace antenna embedded in circuit card; 9V battery
powered; radio frequency and microcontroller circuits on the same card.
Involved collaborative electronic circuit design, schematics and printed
circuit card (PCB) layout.
* Designed a portable smart-card reader circuit card that plugged into
a Handspring Visor springboard expansion slot. Featuring 16Mb Flash
memory; AAA battery power; copper trace antenna embedded in circuit
card; radio frequency and microcontroller circuits on the same card.
Involved collaborative electronic circuit design, schematics and printed
circuit card (PCB) layout.
* Developed concept for an embedded system in a Local Multipoint
Distribution Services (LMDS broadband wireless 24/28GHz) network
transceiver. The design involved control and monitoring of proprietary
monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs); telemetry
modulator/demodulator and switch; in-circuit programming, diagnostics and
test; power supply and power distribution. Also worked on an up/down
converter for a cable modem demonstration requiring some microwave
design in the 900MHz range. Involved concept development, electronic
circuit design, system engineering and block diagrams.
* Designed packaging and layout of fiber-optic based triggering
instruments for disarming nuclear warheads. Controlled the impedance
using micro-strip and other high-speed digital design methods. Designed
sheet metal enclosures, front and rear panels, silkscreen and finish. Handled
enclosure fabrication, printed circuit card (PCB) fabrication, and final
assembly. Delivered 12-channel and 4-channel rack mount units and one
tabletop unit completely assembled and ready to use. Involved some
electronic circuit design, schematics, printed circuit card (PCB) layout and
mechanical engineering.
* Developed charge balancing cards for 2700 Farad capacitors used in
multiple cell banks for high current powercache applications. Balancing
was user enabled with a very low quiescent current of 26uA and a maximum
drive current of .5A. Typical units provided 1.6KWm to 2.3KWm (Kilo-
Watt-minutes) of power for telecom, medical, industrial and other industries
that require high reliability bridge power. Involved concept development,
electronic circuit design, system engineering, schematics, printed circuit
card (PCB) layout, test and integration.
* Designed a multi-function 78 cell tester for stacked 10 Farad
ultracapacitors (PC10). It is capable of manual (pushbutton) or automatic
operation through a programmable data logger; charge/discharge cycling;
automatic leakage testing; and user selectable parallel or series modes.
Involved concept development, electronic circuit design, system
engineering, block diagrams, schematics and printed circuit card (PCB)
layout.
* Designed a 256 cell 10 Farad ultracapacitor (PC10) tester card that
resided in 8 rack pneumatic powered tester. The 16" by 18" card was
capable of manual or automatic leakage testing of capacitors through a PC
based data acquisition system. Involved electronic circuit design,
schematics and printed circuit card (PCB) layout.
* Designed two cards that simulated an application specific integrated
circuit (ASIC) for a contactless smart card with an embedded chip and
antenna that communicates via radio frequency with special readers at the
point of entry into transit fare gates, ticket vending machines (AVM),
parking systems, and potentially, building doors and airport boarding gates.
Features a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA); design of a custom
enclosure with power supply. Involved collaborative electronic circuit
design, schematics, printed circuit card (PCB) layout and mechanical
engineering.
* Designed three 26 cell over voltage protection and balancing cards
for 2700 Farad ltracapacitors (PC2500). Two of which were bus cards that
routed the signals from the cells. Involved reverse engineering, redesign,
electronic circuit design, schematics and printed circuit card (PCB) layout.
* Designed a smart card reader connectable to the Internet via a serial
connection to a personal computer. Featuring copper trace antenna
embedded in circuit card; 9V battery powered; radio frequency and
microcontroller circuits on the same card. Involved collaborative electronic
circuit design, schematics and printed circuit card (PCB) layout.
* Designed a pair of optical sensor cards (transmit and receive) for
sensing coins falling through a return chute. Featuring closed-loop feedback
for self-adjustment of optical output to compensate for aging, dirt build up
and extend the life of components. Involved collaborative electronic circuit
design, schematics, printed circuit card (PCB) layout, cabling, harness,
interconnects, test and integration.
* Developed an over discharge protection circuit and a constant
current/voltage pulse width modulated 3A battery charger for a sealed lead
acid battery back up. And integrated it into a microcontroller based alarm
module. Involved electronic circuit design, collaborative electronic circuit
design, schematics, test and integration.
* Designed a card that simulated an application specific integrated
circuit (ASIC) for a contactless smart card with an embedded chip and
antenna that communicates via radio frequency with special readers at the
point of entry into transit fare gates, ticket vending machines (AVM),
parking systems, and potentially, building doors and airport boarding gates.
Featuring generic array logic (GAL) and discrete logic components; design
of a custom carrying case/enclosure with power supply, internal and external
cabling. Involved collaborative electronic circuit design, schematics,
printed circuit card (PCB) layout, firmware, cabling, harness, interconnects
and mechanical engineering.
* Designed a card to replace an obsolete 50 Volt bi-polar full bridge
motor driver. Featuring discrete power Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field
Effect Transistors (MOSFETs) controlled by programmable logic with
current sense control inputs for over current protection, and a very compact
1.25-inch by .6-inch printed circuit card (PCB) layout. Involved electronic
circuit design, schematics, printed circuit card (PCB) layout, firmware, test
and integration.
* Designed a card for controlling movement in a ticket transport
mechanism. Included motor drivers, solenoid drivers, and optical sensor
inputs. Involved collaborative electronic circuit design, schematics, printed
circuit card (PCB) layout, cabling, harness, interconnects, test and
integration.
* Designed four cards for various automatic fare collection (AFC)
machines including a card that processed turnstile gate sensor inputs using a
32 bit microcontroller, and 24 Volt optically isolated inputs; a power
distribution card for gates; a power failure monitor; and redesigned a
solenoid and sensor interface card. Involved collaborative electronic circuit
design, schematics, printed circuit card (PCB) layout, test and integration.
* Designed I/O expansion cards for an automatic ticket vending
machine (AVM). Featuring computer controlled voice output, audio
amplifiers, cascaded Direct Audio Storage Technology (DAST) or a speech
synthesizer, programmable logic, and multiple serial channels. Involved
collaborative electronic circuit design, schematics, printed circuit card
(PCB) layout, test and integration.
* Redesigned a magnetic stripe ticket reader interface card for an
automatic ticket vending machine (AVM) and designed a microcontroller
based hopper security module. Involved collaborative electronic circuit
design, schematics and printed circuit card (PCB) layout.
* Designed seven cards for various automatic fare collection (AFC)
machines including a switch interface; a UPS interface that sends a power
fail signal from an uninterruptible power supply to a serial port; an aisle
sensor pulse modulator/driver; a serial adapter for a voice module; extender
cards for maintenance; and a smart card target interface. Involved
schematics and printed circuit card (PCB) layout.
* Designed several cards for industrial ultraviolet water disinfection
machines. Including a programmable logic controlled 28-lamp system
activity monitor featuring high voltage current sensing, lamp life timer,
lamp failure alarms, and AC to DC power supply. Involved concept
development, electronic circuit design, system engineering, schematics,
printed circuit card (PCB) layout, firmware, test and integration.
* Designed a 254nm light-sensing unit to monitor radiation levels; and
redesigned an electronic ballast resulting in 23% higher output while
lowering power input by 15%. Involved concept development, electronic
circuit design and schematics.
1989 - 1991 International Lottery & Totalizator Systems, Carlsbad CA
These projects were for computerized ticket processing systems for the
gaming and wagering industry. An essential part of these systems were
digital communications among microprocessor based ticketing machines,
communication controllers that concentrated data, and mainframe computer
systems. (A totalizator is a machine that registers bets and computes the
odds & payoffs for pari-mutuel betting.)
* Designed a dual channel synchronous differential controller for the
PC/AT-Bus with daisy chain, multi-drop and arbitration sections. This
lowered production costs and increased message handling capabilities.
Involved system engineering.
* Wrote software to verify design, to test, and to program boards in the
production area. This enabled programmers to concentrate on higher level
application software. Involved software engineering, test and integration.
1986 - 1989 Logicon, San Diego CA
The projects here were for military training simulators of various types. The
two larger projects were a communications interface for stimulating aircraft
consoles and an air traffic control tower trainer. This equipment met
military specifications.
* Designed a color recognition circuit for allowing a computer to sense
the color of light emitted from an air traffic control light gun. Involved
concept development, electronic circuit design, system engineering, block
diagrams and schematics.
* Designed a computer-controlled audio communication system with
voice recognition and voice synthesis, telephone (Kentrox) interface, radio
transceiver simulation and a data Input/Output subsystem. Involved concept
development, electronic circuit design, system engineering, block diagrams,
schematics, cabling, harness and interconnects.
* Developed multi-user Computer Aided Design application software
in C for use on a network of SUN-3 workstations running UNIX. Involved
concept development, system engineering, block diagrams, software
engineering, test and integration.
* Worked on proposal teams, advising, costing, and writing technical
portions of proposals. Involved concept development, system engineering
and block diagrams.
1984 - 1985 Cubic Corporation, San Diego CA
This was for an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) radar simulator project.
This equipment met military specifications.
* Designed an audio communication card using audio amplifier ICs,
filters, and mixing circuits. Multi-purpose card had three different functions
depending on how the card was populated. This resulted in a 66% savings
in design, documentation, and production costs. Involved concept
development, electronic circuit design, system engineering, block diagrams,
schematics, cabling, harness, interconnects, test and integration.
1983 Education
* Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY - BSEE
Skills Summary
* Programming and Software: C++, C, assembly language, database,
html, various windows and unix/linux applications
* Computer Aided Design: Schematic Capture, Printed circuit card
(PCB) Layout (IPC Certified), SPICE, Mechanical
design, PLDs (OrCAD, Protel, PadsPCB, Solidworks, AutoCAD, and more)
* Management: Employees, Subcontracts, Projects, Planning: Tasks
(WBS), Budgets (M&M), Schedules (Pert)
* Small Business: Accounting, Taxes, Finance, and Marketing.
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