John Huggins

Scientific/Aerospace Hardware Designer, Engineering Manager and Electrical Manufacturing Manager

Short Resume

john@johnhuggins.com
540-341-4188

Samples of actual assemblies in use today:
Application	Astronomy Observatory	Telescope Manufacturer	Satellite Interference Location			Orbiting Satellite
Circa	1999	2000	2001			2003 Flew in 2006
Ultimate Customer	U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)	Clear Sky Institute, Inc. and Optical Mechanics, Inc.	All Geosync Satellite Owners			NASA Goddard
Hardware
Description	37 Digital Signal Processor to aid the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer compute atmospheric phase changes in real-time from six telescope starlight beams.	Single Axis Telescope Motion Controller Used in the Telescope Control Initiative.	1,024 x 2 x 3 level correlator, memory buffer and test signal generator for use with second generation Satellite Interference Location Model TLS2000 system developed by Transmitter Location Systems			X-Band Transponder containing several PCB designs and one power supply circuit element stacked in one layered package used successfully in the NASA ST5 Satellite mission
Responsibilities	Womb to Tomb Design	Womb to Tomb Design	Womb to Tomb Design except PLD memory controller			PCB Design, PCB Duroid/FR4 spec, thermal and power supply circuit element
Topology	VME 9Ux400mm Eurocard	Standalone Board	VME 9Ux160mm Eurocard			Custom Heat Conductive Layered Case
Programmable Logic Design
Schematic Design
Printed Circuit Design
Digital Signal Processors
Product Status	Still in use today.	At least two units used in every telescope product by Optical Mechanics, Inc.	Product reached end of life once market reached saturation.			Flew successful 3 month mission after launch in 2006.

Summary of Experience

I have twenty-five years experience designing both analog and digital circuits using OrCAD Schematic/PCB, Altera MaxPlus II, and Tango PCB software tools. I have an intimate knowledge with the VMEbus architecture and Digital Signal Processors (DSP). I utilize Programmable Logic Devices in all designs when necessary. I use SPICE to aid design of analog circuitry. Past projects scale from a 2x4 inch laser modulation detector board to a 9Ux400mm (14x16 inch) VMEbus based Multiprocessing DSP array.

Experience includes design/specification and implementation of antennas for VHF, UHF and microwave RF telemetry links. Also can generate RF Link Budgets.

The last three years include antenna specification, simulation (NEC and FDTD), design and manufacture of antennas for VHF, UHF, L and C Bands.

I have brought up no less than three times a configuration management system for current and previous employers using CVS as a backbone and MySQL database with PHP web scripts as the configuration system. These efforts replaced disjointed file share based systems with effective, revision controlled, shared and backed up file management tools and processes.

I have two years experience managing a team of electrical engineers and a team of manufacturing assemblers and technicians. The manufacturing management is performed in a strict aerospace documented way which includes the previously mentioned configuration management system.

Expertise:

Electrical Design

• Antenna ground and aerial designs for UAV radio links.
• Antenna designs and simulation for VHF, UHF L and C Bands using patch, slot, turnstile, inverted F topologies.
• Analysis and layout of 480 Volt 3-phase AC Power Systems
• PCB Layout of RF printed wiring boards for HF, VHF, UHF, L, S and C Band designs
• Parallel Digital Signal Processors arranged in multi-processor schemes
• Analog filter and amplifier design: OPAMPS, INAMPS, Bessel, Butterworth, Chebyshev, etc.
• Micro-controller design
• Motion controller design
• RF Link Budgets for radio links
• Systems
• Programmable Logic design for EPLD and FPGA
• Harness and Cable Design

Management

• Engineering Manager of Electrical Engineering Group within Aerospace company
• Manufacturing Manager of Harness and Printed Wiring Assembly Fabrication
• Mentor to younger engineers
• Organizer of Configuration Management System for Drawings and Documents

Hardware

• A/D, D/A and other analog components.
• Altera Programmable Logic Devices (5xxx, 7xxx, ACEX & FLEX).
• Analog Devices 21xx DSPs.
• Antenna design for HF, VHF, UHF and Microwave bands
• CMOS, TTL, and F type Logic Devices from any manufacturer.
• Differential Signal Communication.
• Dual-port Memories from IDT.
• Memory circuits including fast SRAM to 4GByte DIMM module controllers.
• Parallel Processing Techniques using DSPs in an array architecture.

Software and Computer

• Analog Devices 21xx DSP Assembly Language.
• Altera Hardware Description Language (AHDL).
• Altera EPLD and FPGA Design & Simulation using MaxPlus II and Quartus.
• Antenna simulation - NEC2, NEC4, EZNEC, FDTD, XFDTD
• DOS, Windows 3.11, NT, OS/2
• OrCAD (IV, 386+, 7.2, 9.x, 10.x) Schematic and PCB.
• P-SPICE Analog Simulation.
• MySQL Relational Database
• PHP Scripting Language
• Tango PCB Design.
• UNIX (Both Sun & Linux). Yes, I know and use VI.
• Workable knowledge of the C Programming Language.

Standards

• Busses: VMEbus Rev. C, D & VME64; PC/104 and PC/104-Plus
• Serial: EIA(RS)-232, EIA(RS)-422 & EIA(RS)-485 communications; Ethernet; TCP-UDP; IP
• Time: IRIG time codes B, G and A; Network Timing Protocol, WWV, WWVB

Additional abilities:

• Can organize project materials, design files and documentation.
• Have a working knowledge of Requirements Analysis
• Fluent with OrCAD Schematic Entry (both DOS and more recently windows) and schematic design.
• Competent at PCB design and layout. Capable with low noise analog designs.
• Proficient with VMEbus board design and implementation.
• Familiar with environmental control within rack mount enclosures.
• Familiar with hardware based Phased Locked Loops (PLL).
• Adept with design of many digital building blocks in programmable logic devices from Altera.
• Current TS/SCI.

Past projects produced a substantial quantity of intellectual property.
This growing list includes, but is not limited to this list.

Professional Experience

Department of Justice
Law Enforcement
Antenna Electrical Engineer - July 2009 - present

Highlights:

• Active antenna designer using years of experience designing HF & VHF antennas, aerospace L, S and C Band RF skills plus insitu job requirements for new designs from 100 - 6000 MHz.

Responsibilities include:

• Detailing new requirements from internal customers.
• Bring potential design solutions to co-workers for discussion and fullfillment of requirements.
• Simulate and prototype potential designs in the lab.
• Choose winning design and prepare full set of manufacturing documents.
• Write test plans for antenna measurements.
• Perform acceptance test for final antenna product.

Tools used:

• Numerical Electromagnetics Code (NEC) version 2 and 4.
• EZNEC (Windows Front End for NEC) Software.
• Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD).
• Remcom's XFdtd 3D EM Simulation Software.

Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation
Aerospace Company
Electrical Engineering Designer/Manager - December 2003 - July 2009

Highlights:

• Helped organize the electrical design of harnessing, circuit board assemblies and programmable logic designs for the demonstrator aircraft for the NASA Mars Flyer Project.
• Technical lead on a NASA Wallops Island UAV Initiative including Requirements Definition, work splitting and management of technical progress.
• Developed a Document Number Control System and Document Tree Relationship System using PHP and MySQL to enable the easy and quick relating of various drawings, specification control documents, BOMs, etc.
• Specified and developed the antenna component of a ground data terminal including a steerable array of COTS Yagi antennas fed to facilitate circular polarized pattern.

Responsibilities include:

• Manager of Electrical Engineers, Software Engineers and Electrical Technicians in the Avionics department
• Manage workload of individuals in the Avionics group assigning priorities while attempting to provide project managers with reasonable progress.
• Contributing member of the group performing some of the engineering assignments using circuit design experience.
• RF Budgets for VHF, UHF, L-band and S-band telemetry links.
• Mentor to young engineers just entering the work force.
• Identified need for a revision control system for CAD files and software code; Assisted in the specification, assembly and implementation of the company's first CVS server.

Tools used:

• OrCAD 10.x Schematic and PCB CAD software
• CVS Revision Control System
• Antenna Simulation Software
• Custom Drawing Tree organization software written in PHP using MySQL for the database
• Harnware Harness Design Software

AeroAstro, Inc.
Satellite technology company.
Electrical Engineer - September, 2001 - November, 2003

Highlights:

• Successful launch, operation and decommission of the ST5 Satellite Constellation containing the X-Band transponder which contained several boards and a power supply circuit element I had direct involvement with.

Responsibilities include:

• Design of microwave PCB layouts including 1GHz, 2GHz and 6GHz synthesizers - ST5 X-Band Transponder.
• Design of satellite power control PCB layouts - ST5 X-Band High Power Amplifier.
• Small form factor power regulation circuit for use in space - ST5 X-Band High Power Amplifier.
• Digital and analog boards.
• Management of PCB production schedules for several projects.
• Management of internal and external PCB design assets to accomplish PCB design goals for several projects.
• Management of Configuration Management details for electrical designs.
• Identified need for a revision control system for CAD files; I learned to use and manage CVS resulting in the specification, assembly and implementation of the company's first CVS server.

Tools used:

• OrCAD 9.x Schematic and PCB software
• MySQL database to store information about project parts and PCB fabrication schedules
• PHP programming language to access information in MySQL database
• CVS

Metrobility Optical Systems and Aura Networks
Ethernet networking technology company.
Senior Engineer, May, 2001 - September, 2001

Responsibilities included circuit design, programmable logic design and testing of gigabit Ethernet fiber optic network assemblies using Xylinx and ViewDraw tools.

Emphasis included extensive research into how Ethernet networks function

Work abruptly ended Monday September 10, 2001 when the company announced bankruptcy. The next day was, of course, 911.

Interferometrics, Inc. and Transmitter Location Systems, LLC
Government contractor and satellite technology company.
Senior Circuit Design and PCB Design Engineer, November 1990 - May, 2001

Responsibilities included design, construction, test and installation of VMEbus assemblies for use in a satellite interference location system. The scope of this project is partially available at http://www.tls2000.com/.

Past responsibilities include management and participation in the Control System Group of the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer Telescope project. Accomplishments include:

• Development of VMEbus hardware correlation system used with software to determine geographic location of signal transmission interfering with satellites.
• Development of all electronics in a real-time VMEbus based pipeline Digital Signal Processing (DSP) system. This system interprets starlight intensities from a thirty-two channel spectrograph and calculates path-length delays from six telescopes and generates error signals one hundred times a second.
• Development of all analog and digital electronics used in a twelve channel, ten nano-meter resolution, laser metrology system.
• Specification, circuit design and PCB design of VMEbus boards.
• Specification and Design of the time synchronization system using IRIG standards.
• Specification of AC Power requirements.
• Use of the Altera 5000 and 7000 series of EPLDs and Altera 10K Flex series or FPGA style devices.
• Use of Schematic (OrCAD DOS and Windows) and PCB design tools (Tango DOS and OrCAD Windows) to produce the above designs.

CACI - Federal, Inc.
Government contractor.
Senior Engineer November 1989 - October 1990

Responsibilities consisted of design and integration of VMEbus back-plane and boards used in a radio frequency analysis system.

Security clearance maintained during employment.

American Electronic Laboratories, Inc.
Government contractor.
Engineer September 1987 - October 1989

Initial responsibilities consisted of design and integration of an Automated Test Equipment system. Final work involved test and evaluation of custom and commercial electronic products.

Security clearance established and maintained while employed.