Contact Information:
3760 Engle Mill Road Phone [Send email to request phone number] 76-2016
Xenia Ohio 45385-9719 Email [Send email using form at
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Version 14, 29 Jan 08 Web: www.gustech.biz
Thomas W. Gustin Resume'
FUNCTIONAL SUMMARY
Highly self-motivated independent (freelance) senior (hardware) design engineer
and company owner with 31+ years experience in all phases of chip, board, and
systems level product development. Worked for three different Research and
Development companies for 20 years (1976==>1996), and have been operating as a
contract electronic engineering services business doing business as (dba) GUSTECH
ever since. Some of the technological experience includes: system-level through
detail design of analog, digital, and mixed signal circuits and parallel bus
speeds up to 80MHz, a custom analog hybrid, an ASIC using 0.8-micron CMOS
technology, many embedded 4/8/12/16/32-bit microprocessor-based and DSP designs
(hardware design and assembly-level programming), a wide variety of programmable
devices (CPLD's & FPGA's) using schematic capture and VHDL design entry with
comprehensive simulations, vast spectrum of sizes and speeds of real-time
sequential state machines, with most programs utilizing the current leading-edge
technology. Have recently expanded the contract electronic engineering services
to include 2 & 4-layer printed circuit board layout (more layers coming) to
enable functioning as a "one-stop-shop." Have considerable technical proficiency
in data acquisition, instrumentation, sensor/actuator interfacing, from simple,
one-of-a-kind custom solutions through large-scale multi-million dollar cockpit
I/O systems, including the successful launch of two full-featured I/O board-level
product lines. One other note: I have been working harder as an independent
contract engineer than I ever did the first 20 years of my career, and enjoying
it much more also.
RELEVANT SKILLS
SKILLS: (years experience)
Electronic Hardware, Systems, Circuit Design: (over 31 years)
Systems, Modules, Boards: (over 25 years)
Custom Analog Control Circuits, Sensing, Interfacing: (over 31 years)
Technical Writing, Publishing, Presentations: (over 25 years)
Project/Product Planning: (over 31 years)
Technical Design Reviews: (over 31 years)
Product Documentation: (over 31 years)
Technical Research/Reports: (over 31 years)
Embedded CPU's & DSP's: (over 31 years)
ASIC, PLD, FPGA Design: (over 20 years)
VHDL Design & Test: (over 17 years)
Assembly-level coding: (over 31 years)
CMOS Digital Designs: (over 31 years)
Network Interface Cards: (over 19 years)
I/O IPack Mezzanine Modules: (over 15 years)
Project/Program Proposals: (over 25 years)
Technical Training: (over 20 years)
College (Senior Project) Mentoring: (over 15 years)
Printed Circuit Board Layout/Design: (over 4 years)
There are many more details on my web site regarding these and other skills,
various technologies, and typical planning, research, design, writing, and
training services I regularly execute, including many examples of past work.
EXPERIENCE
GUSTECH, 1996-Present: Independent Senior Design Engineer, Owner,
Tech-Writer-Trainer; Xenia, Ohio.
Have been conducting business as an independent (freelance) senior design
engineer providing contract electronic engineering design services dba GUSTECH
since mid-1996. Over that period, many different clients have received a wide
range of design services, from conceptual and preliminary designs through the
launch of an entire I/O product line, including its "flagship" premiere products.
The majority of my work has been for many different contracts for assorted
Government Agencies, including numerous SBIR and STTR research projects for the
Air Force, Navy and Army, and other (unnamable agencies). All of these projects
were either classified or covered by long-duration non-disclosure agreements that
prevent disclosing project details, client names and contact information. Client
anonymity is fully enforced.
Many of the contract electronic engineering design services have been conducted
as firm-fixed-fee (FFF) contracts (Proposal, Purchase Order, Invoices -->
1099's), while other more "fluid" consulting services have been conducted as Time
and Material (T&M) contracts (Purchase Order and Invoices --> 1099's).
Recent research activities have evolved into functional applications utilizing
RFID, passive power sources like Electrochemical Double Layer Capacitors (EDLCs),
MEMs, Sensors, Anti-Tamper protection techniques for sensitive Intellectual
Property within embedded systems, and an online (downloadable design files
available on my web site) next-generation, highly-integrated, autonomous data
acquisition system design. Majority of recent designs have been custom test
platforms, most with large CPLD or FPGA controllers, used as semi-automatic test
equipment or as proof-of-concept exercisers.
For most of the GUSTECH customers, varying degrees of design depth have been
provided for ISA, PCI, PMC, PC-104 and the IP Module mezzanine buses. For one of
those same customers, embedded CPU designs were executed using the 68302, and the
68705 CPUs. Assembly level programming was used for all of the computers and all
of the embedded CPU designs. The largest most recent design was a quad-Opteron
(SledgeHammer) Blade (115 D-size schematic sheets) using 48volt supply with
multi-tiered power distribution, Hyperchannel links, DDR memory banks, and an
extensive SMBus-based status and control instrumentation system for all power and
environmental parameters and conditions.
Many recent projects are modernization tasks of older systems facing end-of-life
issues with components, converting boards of logic to a single FPGA or CPLD,
updating analog circuits, incorporating newer power management designs, etc.
GUSTECH, 2000-2004: as a part time contracted Technical Instructor for
Solution Technology.
Provided contracted on-site educational services for Solution Technology, the
best-in-class training company for storage-related hardware and protocols like
SCSI, iSCSI, Fibre Channel, SAS, and much more. Have provided 2, 3, 4, and
10-day on-site training sessions over 86 different trips (including: London,
Singapore, and Bangalore) to 1,545 students since 2000, specializing in short
Fibre Channel courses, and really intense SCSI and iSCSI classes. Some course
critique comments are viewable on my web site. I am still available to provide
technical training through Solution Technology should the need arise.
Systran Corporation, 1989-1996: Dayton, Ohio {now out of business}.
Developed business plan for launch of new I/O product line of standardized IP
Modules, including market and competitive analyses, and developed the features
and functions for the first series of about 50 products. Led a small team that
successfully engineered into production 22 of the generic mezzanine I/O interface
boards with several of their carriers and supporting test hardware, test and
application software, and complete user documentation. Also developed several
high-speed interfaces for 150MHz fiber-optic shared-memory-network. Introduced
and developed top-down program planning techniques which were instrumental in
establishing rigorous design and review methodologies for ISO-9001 certification.
Used ViewLogic CAE with VHDL, schematic capture, synthesis, digital simulation,
EPLD targeting, and many other advanced development techniques for the majority
of the digital design, and all of the analog design work.
Systems Research Laboratories (SRL), 1978-1989: Dayton, Ohio {now out of
business}.
Supported research efforts of the Air Force's Aeronautical Systems Division,
Life Support System's Program Office, Crew Escape Technology Advanced Development
Program Office, and the Armstrong Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory (formerly
AFAMRL). Several custom Data Acquisition Systems were also developed for the
Aircrew Systems Department of The Navel Air Test Center in Patuxent River,
Maryland. A few of the dozens of programs included:
* The Solid State Memory Instrumentation Recorder (SSMIR) {responsible for all
phases of design and led team in implementation of} retrofit of a PCM/Telemetry
data acquisition system within a manikin with non-volatile "Bubble-Memory"
technology;
* The Solid State Physiological In-flight Data Recorder (SSPIDR) {responsible
for all phases of design and prototype implementation of} a self-contained 16
channel biomedical and environmental data acquisition system;
* The Boom Event Analyzer Recorder (BEAR) {responsible for all phases of design
and prototype implementation of} an unconstrained sound detection analysis system
with a real-time signature discriminator and non-volatile recording;
* The Limb Restraint Evaluator (LRE) {responsible for all phases of design and
implementation of} a 96-channel, PCM-based data acquisition system with custom
sensor analog interface circuits and an on-board solid-state non-volatile memory
and telemetry retrieval systems;
* Advanced Dynamic Anthropomorphic Manikins (ADAM) {responsible for all phases
of design and prototype implementation of} an unconstrained, non-volatile, 128
channel, 8-bit, 1000 samples/second/channel data acquisition system including a
custom analog sensor interface Hybrid within a ruggedized manikin for the CREST
program;
* Durable Electronic Logging Violent Event Recorder (DELVER) {responsible for
all phases of design and implementation of} 10000 samples/second/channel,
low-power, unconstrained, modular, non-volatile, data acquisition logging system
(applied embodiment for 2 patents);
* Many other smaller programs and projects including several large (100+ pages)
trade and technology studies directly related to data acquisition systems, PCM &
telemetry systems, state-of-the-art devices, etc.
For AFAMRL, supported research efforts for the Generic Avionics System Simulator
(GASS) {responsible for all phases of design and implementation of} project
preparing a B-52G Simulator for human factors workload studies, including all
cockpit instrumentation, 32-bit minicomputer's I/O interfaces, custom DMA
communications links between dissimilar mini-computers, generic hydraulic force
loader system design/build, and I/O systems upgrades and maintenance.
For SRL's Autometrix Division, supported all (analog, digital, and CPU) hardware
and software aspects of entire microcomputer-based electro-optical gauging and
industrial control systems product line, including the first (company-wide)
successful fielding of all-CMOS-based designs in industrial applications (1978).
ACD Corporation, 1976-1978: Dayton, Ohio {now out of business}.
Designed, built, documented, and tested many different types and sizes of analog
and digital circuits and systems, specializing in the (then new) CMOS technology
(4000 series), including standard (the very first IC-CPU) 4-bit (Intel 4004),
8-bit (8008, 8080) and a custom bit-sliced 12-bit microcomputer-based machine,
and many custom digital sequential state machines and analog interface circuits
usually configured as standalone products or semi-automatic test equipment. Also
involved in the design and successful fielding of a battery-powered Baudot-code
portable terminal using thermal printing, hall-effect keyboard, scores of CMOS
logic, low EMI balanced circuits, and primitive encryption technology.
United States Air Force; 1972-1975:
Honorable Discharge. Strategic Air Command; 381st Communications Squadron:
ICBM: TITAN-II Missiles at Holloman Air Force Base.
PAPERS & PUBLICATIONS
Have provided technical (shadow) writing for three large technology survey
publications, and for three different papers presented by other (Managers)
people. Wrote, published, and presented two different papers for the LRE
program, three different papers for the ADAM program, two for the DELVER program,
a complete tutorial (1/2 day seminar) on data acquisition system design
tradeoffs, and a paper/article on real-time data distribution of telemetry
information using shared memory networking techniques. Have also written dozens
of technical notes and application notes, as well a various depths of user's
manuals for most of the products developed. Have also written the base-line text
for two different Patent Applications. Paper presentations have occurred at:
four different Sensors Expos, two National Aerospace and Electronics Conferences,
two SAFE Symposiums, three International Telemetry Conferences, and one at the
Instrument Society of America show. Have also prepared a complete book outline
as a result of the invitation by the Acquisitions Editor of Longman Scientific &
Technical (publishers) to author a book on Data Acquisition/Interfacing topics.
Some of these documents are downloadable from my web site: www.gustech.biz.
EDUCATION SUMMARY
Brunnerdale Seminary (1965-1969), College Preparatory High School (radio club,
audio/visual department services). Wright State University, University of
Dayton, Sinclair Community College, Community College of the Air Force, Wichita
State University, and the Capitol Radio Engineering Institute, (total 1969-1985)
culminating in 275 quarter hours in Electrical Engineering, Electrical
Engineering Technology, and some Management programs.
In addition to the "institutional" studies, many mini-courses and seminars have
been attended, some earning CIU credits, covering project and program management
techniques, but most covering technology and specific applications. These varied
from three weeks of intensive training on SelBUS super-mini-computers, two weeks
of ViewLogic VHDL and schematic capture design and simulation techniques, down to
dozens of one day seminars covering topics like avoiding pitfalls in designing
data acquisition systems, proper design for high density surface mount
technology, designing for maximum DSP performance, design for testability, design
for error-free synthesis, quality assurance techniques, no-slippage project
planning techniques, technical supervision skills, etc.
Two other notes regarding education: 1) it is always ongoing; every project is a
multi-faceted-dimensional learning experience; and 2) I continue to contribute my
time providing College Mentoring services for Senior Class Electronic Engineering
Projects at a couple of local Universities.
WEB SITE
My Web Site: www.gustech.biz is designed to present supplemental information for
this too-brief resume', with many research, planning, design, technical writing,
and training services' descriptions and examples providing details only hinted at
in this document, or not covered at all. Current "public" activities include the
online design of the SER: Shock Event Recorder, with all design documents being
downloadable. |
