haha

We build custom solutions to hardware/software interface problems.

Developed Non-Contact (“Optical push-pin”) servowriter control software for Conner’s compact and inexpensive high performance servowriter. This was a basic research project that had been suspended when Seagate acquired Conner. This servowriter had a high-level control system written in C++ hosted on an embedded on STB bus DOS board (SBC) and an embedded HC11 subsystem for low-level, real time control of mechanical and electrical subsystems.Did initial design work on software control system of Conner’s “Generic Servowriter.” This was a basic research project that was suspended after Seagate acquired Conner and recently resurrected. This servowriter’s principle feature is quick and easy change to adapt to new products. Software control would feature script driven, run-time configurable software engine, hardware subsystems would use Altar programmable logic modules and mechanics would be modularized for quick change to accommodate any HDA (Head-Disk Assembly) from 5.25” to 2.5” families.Adapted Conner servowriter for Seagate products that was never used. Seagate laid off most Conner and relocated Seagate crews because management missed Seagate product's marketing window.

Developed 90+ percent of all process S/W tools. Worked closely with Singapore manufacturing facility on all production software issues. Developed robust programming language - MTSL (MiniStor Test Script Language) as the corporate language for diagnostic programming by the factory, R&D lab, QA, ORT, field service, etc. Designed and hand coded an RDP interpreter front end to a HDD test engine. Developed assembler for self-test code. Built LALR parser for MTSL engines.Developed software for innovative and robust production servo writer (designed by John Richards) that allowed complete nanosecond control over servo pattern timing through simple configuration files. Implemented software for dynamic adaptive track spacing technique (developed with MiniStor team) that became HDD industry standard practice.Designed and coded manufacturing process and engineering lab tools including position error analyzer with DFT, defect analysis and mapper, windowed IDE drive and SCSI-2 test systems as well as many other utility programs that glue a process together.

Designed advanced factory-level test process S/W system which integrated Maxtor's FIS with product-level process and local test networks. Design philosophy focused on providing process metrics and control information.Developed concepts of modular S/W systems components for rapid new-process deployment and quick turn-around of ECO changes. Design philosophy focused on a configurable, script driven process that maintained a standard operator interface, test programming language and net record across all product lines to reduce training and S/W obsolescence.Developed S/W for robotics system of media/head stack certifier that interfaced with GUZIK test equipment. Redesigned core engine and user interface of deployed test system S/W networked on NetWare IPX.

Senior Technical Troubleshooter reporting to Test Engineering Director assigned special process projects and testability issues on new product designs.Helped establish Process Analysis Dept. with responsibility to review prior to release to manufacturing all test process hardware and software.Arriving at Seagate, plated media and RLL(2,7) data encoding had just been introduced yet test engineering was still using NRZ codes for FeO2 media and test correlation was unacceptably low. I developed RLL(2,7) data and media test patterns and algorithms and helped frame Seagate's media defect analysis and management strategies.Seagate strategically moved PCBA testing from cheap Go/No-Go functional testing to a parametric test bed using HP programmable instrumentation for analog characterization. The PCBA mechanical interface used POGO pins to pick up internal test points. Parametric tests included PW50, noise, AGC range, etc., on analog subsystems of the R/W and servo signal channels.I was called in to formulate PCBA test strategies & reqs. The team & I developed then innovative adaptive interface techniques which allowed the UUT to detect tester's connection & download test code to the on-board RAM & used the CPU, after digital functionality testing, for forcing UUT's logical states to facilitate analog tests. Had burn-in code added to firmware. The first PCBA chosen was ST177I for IBM's PS/2. Test Process Manager for the ST177 abruptly left Seagate and I was called in to pick up the pieces 30-days before process was scheduled to transfer to Seagate's Singapore manufacturing facilities. The H/W wasn't ready, the S/W had critical flaws, P/Is unwritten. I turned it around with great team needing only direction, passed PVT & transferred to Singapore on time. But product R/W channel wasn't readyInterfaced directly with IBM & helped negotiate preship & final PVT, vendor/source tester correlation, qualification of PVT test population, reject criteria & other details.

Held responsibility for continuing engineering for products in manufacturing including Atasi's 54-MByte 5-1/4" FeO2 disk drive family. MBO: resolve ongoing technical issues. Instituted quality improvement and cost savings programs.Member of special "Tiger Team" that reviewed and streamlined production and QA processes, procedures and equipment. Revamped manufacturing documentation, ECO control and ASL systems for more effective control over process. Ramped up product manufacturing line from zero at preprocess to full manufacturing flow before company faltered.

Hired as contract position to perform MTBF calculations and worst case analyses for Atasi's hard disk drive product line.My work lead to being hired on directly at Atasi. See next position...

Project engineer. Established criteria and standards for hardware and software portions of production test systems for TE department on stand-alone 14-inch Winchester hard disk drive designed for minicomputer systems (as contrasted to mainframes).Developed division test plans from incoming inspection to final & QA burn-in, performed DVT and introduced new dive into preproduction and production, designed microprocessor based test equipment series, wrote test programs and full documentation packages. Project engineer for production servowriter (with a mechanical escarpment and pendulum clockwork stepper mechanism!!!), Responsible for efficient and cost effective program to reduce $250K "defective' PCBA inventory.Established comprehensive training program to upgrade talented assemblers to test operators and technicians.

Experience included in above position at Memorex. My work as a contract engineer lead to my being directly hired at Memorex

First hard disk drive manufacturing position... and the rest is history.Built test equipment, evaluated test methods and procedures, wrote documentation and trained test technicians.

Established Test Engineering Department. Designed and built (single handed at first) test equipment for bedside patient monitoring systems, portable defibrillator and other medical equipment.This was a fun job!

Developed test strategy for Memorex's HDD controller memory PCBA testing and then investigated the field, reviewed the products, toured vendor facilities and finally selected a ADAR's commercial high-speed memory test system. Wrote test programs and procedures.

Hired on as Sr Tech to work on chip design and manufacturing issues for MMI's 7 micron bipolar RAM/ROM products when they were cutting edge. MMI's first products were 1-Kbit ROM and 256-bit RAM memories. Spent many hours using Micromanipulator for debugging and troubleshooting circuitry at wafer level(!) on engineering test runs. Developed process to take customer ROM bit patterns on IBM cards, using Tymshare mainframe computers, learning FORTRAN and BASIC and batch processing scripts, to plot a 400x masking map for programming production ROM devices. This process also created the logical test patterns used for wafer pretest and finished product final logic pattern tests.Designed and built the very first (as far as I know) fully automatic PROM burner and duplicator for MMI's product line. My design soon spread to I/O Data's PROM programmers and then to the rest of the industry.This project resulted in my advancement to an Engineer position.

When high volume digital logic testing was new, I joined the team that was converting a then advanced minicomputer controlled transistor test system into a digital logic device (7400, 9300, etc.) test system (as a stop-gap until Fairchild's 9000 high speed logic device tester was designed and came up on chip mfg line). Designed and built customer special requirements adapters for our test system. First learned machine language (binary) programming which required toggling into ferrite core memory. Then learned HP assembly language. And programing PDP8 & 11 minicomputers.Mentored by George Smith previously of Monsanto and later of Litronix LED fame. One of the most intelligent people I've ever known!

Vietnam War Combat Veteran (In theater, but highly classified locations)Last 2 year+ assignment attached to all civilian NELC laboratory for developing shipboard/ground satellite communication systems. Most of my work was highly classified, but I can say I worked with Lincoln Experimental Satellites (LES) 5 & 6, and the original TACSAT-1 three-band cross-channel up/down comm links.I bounced my voice and Morse code off the Moon countless times using our 16-ft dish antenna as a means of testing our equipment when we didn't have satellite time. I learn to design with RTL and DTL logic, the precursors of the TTL device designs. Worked with first gen 714 analog amp chip and help develop process of first high power (1/4 Watt) UHF power amp chips. Earlly days, all.This position lead to working for NASA on Apollo 9, 10 & 11 recovery teams in 1969. Was able to touch and look inside the Apollo 9 capsule and met with crew, James McDivitt, Commander; David Scott, Command Module Pilot; and Rusty Schweickart, Lunar Module Pilot, Too cool by half!Worked on team implementing early drone control systems for missile target practice... now look what we can do.Responsible for maintenance of many and various HF & UHF comm transmitters and receivers. Worked on special assignments, etc., with USS Canberra CAG-2 and USS Chicago CG-11.Nearly 1-year tech schooling plus several TAD school assignments.

This was a part-time high school position while taking high school level electronics classes for junior and senior years at Campbell High School, Campbell CA.My first paying electronics position.