Experience

Itasca Technology Inc

• United States
• Appliances, Electrical, and Electronics Manufacturing
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Senior Electrical/Firmware Engineer & IT Support

  • May 2021 - Present

  When working on firmware my job is to develop and test new advanced engineering ideas out to see if they are feasible for future designs. This process starts out with making flow diagrams to ensure the firmware will encompass the new ideas goals. My method is to take things in manageable chunks where progress can always be achieved. My approach to vague descriptions in microcontroller data sheets with regards to specific features is to write extra debug/verification code. This ensures an exact understanding of the features corner cases and limits. Firmware control is typically interrupt based either from timers or external hardware. While working on hardware I often am pivoting back and forth between firmware as well, this gives me a unique understanding of the capabilities and limitations of each approach. From magnetics design to small scale analog circuits, I’m involved from LT spice simulations to laying out the boards in Altium. Since being promoted to this new position I have mainly focused on firmware and only small hardware circuits. As this is the hardware section, I’m going to toss in the fact that I have dabbled with solid works and FDM 3D printing using the CURA software.IT work is just the cherry on top for me as I take great pride in this important and often overlooked role. This role includes work on: Linux and Windows based server maintenance, program license management, website design, active directory permissions, system backups and of course the more small-scale PC problems that are inevitable. I also manage a suite of custom software programs I wrote in python for automate testing purposes. This role is exciting for me because the IT world is constantly changing with every windows update which means new methods have to be implored even to fix age old problems. This role actually sparked a new hobby for me building my own crypto currency mining rigs, which is a game of optimization and the ever-moving target of breaking even on investment. Show less

• Project Electrical Engineer

  • Jun 2018 - Jul 2021

  Itasca Technology Inc is an American based design center for Acbel Polytech. Itasca focuses on designing power supplies ranging from 500W to 3000W depending on the application. Our parent company looks to us to either work on advanced engineering projects for future products, or to improve specific aspects of their current designs. Being a new design center in the US for Acbel has given me the opportunity to experience 'starting from scratch'. Specifically my previous expertise was in automation and testing, here at Itasca I worked to develop a standard process and library for writing automated tests all based on python. I have since used this library to create custom software programs to automate and control lab equipment to run tests such as, efficiency, thermals, battery emulation and I2C accuracy reporting. Along side software development I was also tasked with the design of a 96W auxiliary rail for a 2400W supply. This was a fly-back design with multiple outputs, custom transformer magnetics and tight thermal specifications. I have also had the opportunity to work on some PCB layout design using Altium as well as being the in house IT guy taking care of the company servers and standing up a new company website.Currently I have branched out to into the firmware world working on a AC-DC PFC converter. I was put on this project when its last know state of functionality was 'it blows up sometimes'. Since then I developed key safeguards for standard CCM operation from previous existing firmware as well as developed/tested/verified new firmware for CRM operation. Show less



Artesyn Embedded Technologies

• France
• Appliances, Electrical, and Electronics Manufacturing
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Electrical Design Engineer

  • May 2016 - May 2018

  Artesyn Embedded Technologies in Eden Prarie MN specializes in designing power supplies that are used in servers. The power supplies that I have had the opportunity to work on range from 500W up to 3000W supplies. Our customers give us a specification for the over all functionality of the supply and then we provide a custom design with hardware and firmware to meet and exceed that specification. During the course of the project, from prototype to mass production, there are extensive tests that are done to ensure all circuitry and firmware are working properly while meeting specific safety standards and deratings. My main job function while at Artesyn was to design and run electrical/thermal and communication tests on the designs. I would then relay my findings to the lead engineers/customers and work directly with them until we would reach a solution. Show less



Talon Innovations

• Tunisia
• Software Development
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Technician, In a 100 Proof Clean Room

  • Feb 2015 - Aug 2015

  In the Clean Room I was in charge of constructing numerous valves to blueprint design. Basic steps in this process are checking and inspecting welds for leaks and non-conformities, using a helium based leak checker to ensure all welds are holding under pressure and inspecting all critical surfaces under a microscope for any non-conformities that may be present. In the Clean Room I was in charge of constructing numerous valves to blueprint design. Basic steps in this process are checking and inspecting welds for leaks and non-conformities, using a helium based leak checker to ensure all welds are holding under pressure and inspecting all critical surfaces under a microscope for any non-conformities that may be present.



Securitas Security Services USA, Inc.

• United States
• Security and Investigations
• 700 & Above Employee

• Flex Security Officer

  • Jun 2013 - Jan 2015

  As a flex security officer I was moved between two different sites. At both sites security was in charge of the tracking incoming and outgoing deliveries and ensuring all of the correct paper work is in hand. Among the duties of a shipping clerk I was also to monitor the CCTV security system which had over thirty controllable cameras. I am proud to say that any attempts that were made on my shift to breach security were thwarted. This job has honed my multitasking skills while also teaching me to be acutely aware of the small details that security is there to catch. Show less