·  The AVC Group, Carlsbad, California (merger of Niles/Elan/Xantech/Sunfire, Dec 2010)
        Sr. Eng. Systems Architect (next-gen multi-zone  home audio concepts)                                              Jan 2011–July 2011

·  Niles Audio Corporation, Miami, Florida
        Chief Architect, Systems (ICS system; new Intellicontrol home theater control system; new ZR platform: ZR4, ZR6. Supervised: 2)
                                                                                                                                                                      Jan 2008–Dec 2010

• Inventor & co-developer of a cost-effective low-distortion wideband IR repeater, published patent application
  US 2010/0258729 A1, suitable for the new high-density codes (Philips RC-MM, UEI XMP, etc.), sustaining Niles’ $5M per year IR sales. A new IR sensor based on this technology, the MS220, was named a Finalist for the 2010 CEA Mark of Excellence Award, Installation Product of the Year, cited as the first sensor in the industry to utilize high fidelity wideband amplification to ensure compatibility with virtually all current and emerging IR code formats, including the new Philips RC-MM code structure. [Niles Audio Press Release] [Patent application]

• System architect and lead hardware engineer for IM-Net streaming audio media accessory for the ICS multi-zone home audio system: iTunes (via Twonky Server); network UPnP/DLNA music; Pandora; Rhapsody; XM Sirius; vTuner Internet radio.

• System architect and hardware lead for the ZigBee RF/IR-capable iRemote TS touch screen remote control, which was named a Finalist for the 2010 CEA Mark of Excellence Award, Best Human Interface Product, cited as featuring two-way wireless, a full-color touchscreen LCD display and 14 hard keys, that provides a single, intuitive interface for control of every aspect of a home entertainment system. 

• System architect and lead hardware engineer for the IC-2 ZigBee RF remote control and HT-MSU home theater control system.

• Developed a system architecture for a popular family of mid-range whole-house distributed audio systems, ZR-4 and the award-winning ZR-6. ZR-6 was named a 2008 Electronic House Product of the Year Award recipient.

        Principal Engineer (re-engineered ICS whole-home audio system)                                                       Mar 2005–Dec 2007

• Pivotal role in bringing Niles Audio’s award-winning ICS multi-zone home audio system to market, increasing revenues by $25M in 2007, Niles’ best year ever (I was hired to solve myriad hardware & system design problems in this product that was over-budget and only partially functional).

• Developed a ZigBee RF gateway device to enhance the ICS multizone audio system, the RFG. CAT5-powered, daisy-chainable, and able to operate in various modes: endpoint for wireless touch panel keypads; router for extending the reach of the ZigBee mesh network; coordinator for creating a ZigBee network.

·  Alpha Digital Technologies, Ashland, Oregon (ADT acquired TLA Nov 2001)
        Chief Engineer (next-gen digital home theater products. Supervised: 1)                                                 Nov 2001–Jan 2005

• Architect, developer (firmware and hardware), & project manager for award-winning DVD Master 8000Pro DVD-A player with built-in 5.1-channel analog bass management for DVD-A. RS-232 control. (See the Technology Innovations section for more information). The DVD Master 8000Pro received the SGHT 2003 Editors' Choice Award: Platinum Award DVD Player.

• Architect & lead engineer (firmware and hardware) for 3^rd-gen TheaterMaster (TheaterMaster 8800 and 8800 Pro), Jan 2002; Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS ES 6.1 discrete, DTS Neo:6. Eight-channel analog pass-through for DVD-A and SACD (L, C, R, LS, RS, ES, sub1, sub2) via rear panel RCA jacks. Upgraded video switching: 2 x component video, 3 x S-video, and 3 x composite video. Front panel buttons for power/standby, volume up/down, next/previous input. AutoSetup mic., absolute speaker phase test, GUI. Pro model used 8 XLR audio output jacks. See Audio Nov ’98; Stereophile Guide to Home Theater Dec ’98. 

• Architect & lead engineer for TheaterMaster 8000 Pro, TheaterMaster 8000, TheaterMaster 6000 models. Minor functional improvements including front panel buttons for power/standby, volume up/down, next/previous input, and the provision of a high-quality Tara Labs DB25 breakout cable for the analog pass-through.

• Architect of a new series of PowerMaster audio power amplifiers based on the EAD PowerMaster 500, 100, and 2000 home theater multi-channel power amplifiers. Based on multi-parallel, bridged power devices to increase speed and decrease distortion, as clean at 3 W per channel as at 300 W. AccuLinear technology for ultra-low TID. Various model configurations: 2 x 300 W, 3 x 300 W, 4 x 300 W, 5 x 300 W, 6 x 300 W, 7 x 300 W, 8 x 300 W, 5 x 200 W, 6 x 200 W, 7 x 200 W, all at 8 ohms. Computer-controlled 2-speed  ultra-low noise tangential cooling fan.

·  Thunder Lake Audio Corp., Fairfield, Iowa (TLA purchased EAD assets, Sept 2000)
        CTO (refocused company into next-gen home theater. Supervised: 3)                                                     Sept 2000–Oct 2001

• Architect & lead firmware developer, product manager & project manager for design upgrade of 2^nd-gen TheaterMaster to 6.2/7.1-channel operation (Signature8, Ovation8, Encore8 models), including new UI & custom DSP modes Reference Cinema (6.2) and Cinema 7.1 speaker configurations. Dolby Digital EX/DTS ES compatible Extra Surround channel. Eight-channel analog pass-through via DB25 breakout cable for DVD-A and SACD. HDCD, DSP: 2 x Zoran 38500 + 1 x Motorola 56009; CinEQ 2° filter, Hafler Matrix, Mono Expander, 4° bass, stereo subwoofers, AutoSetup mic. (speaker levels, time alignment, absolute speaker phase test, SPL meter), GUI. Introduced at CEDIA 2001 to preventing competitive erosion of $2M annual TheaterMaster sales.

·  Enlightened Audio Designs, Fairfield, Iowa.
        Co-founder, Director of Eng. ('91), and Vice President of Eng. ('96) (re-invented home theater. Supervised: 5)
                                                                                                                                                                      Sept 1991–Sept 2000

• Architect & lead engineer, product & project manager for 2^nd-gen TheaterMaster (Signature, Ovation, and Encore models), Jan 1998; Dolby Digital/DTS audio. All 5.1 modes, HDCD, triple DSP, CinEQ 2° filter, Hafler Matrix, Mono Expander, 4° bass, stereo subwoofers, AutoSetup mic. (speaker levels, time alignment, absolute speaker phase test, SPL meter), A GUI was implemented via a custom character driver I designed for the 2 x 20 character LCD display. Introduced at CES, January 1998, to preventing competitive erosion of $2.5M annual TheaterMaster sales. See Audio Nov ’98, pp. 52-64; Stereophile Guide to Home Theater Dec ’98, pp. 64-71.

• Architect & lead engineer for SwitchMaster, a companion video switcher for TheaterMaster. Powered by the TheaterMaster, this 150 MHz 6 x S-video and 6 x composite video input switcher was slaved via RS-232 to the microprocessor in the TheaterMaster. It incorporated a high-quality 3D comb filter to convert composite video to S-video.

• Architect & lead engineer, product & project manager for TheaterMaster (world’s first consumer Dolby Digital/DTS audio processor), demostrated at CES January 1995, and shipping in February 1995, 6 months ahead of its rivals (a functional AC-3-ready prototype that performed digital Pro Logic decoding, was actually previewed six months earlier, at Summer CES, June 1994). All 5.1 modes, HDCD, CinEQ 2° filter, Hafler Matrix, Mono expander, 2° bass, AutoSetup mic., intelligent dual (44.1 kHz and 48 kHHz) quartz PLL clocking methodology for ultra-low TID and jitter (10 ps_rms), audiophile quality 20-bit ADC and DACs with balanced outputs on LF and RF, integrated programmable X10 control and switched AC power outlet. Lifetime revenue of $5M on 800 units. See Home Theater Technology Feb ’95, pp. 10, 80-81, 89; Video May ’95; USA Today Jul 18, ’95, section 6D; Audio Mar ‘96, pp. 42-50, 66.

• Architect & developer of the widely acclaimed PowerMaster home theater multi-channel power amplifiers. Based on multi-parallel, bridged power devices to increase speed and decrease distortion, as clean at 3 W per channel as at 300 W. AccuLinear technology for ultra-low TID. Three models, PM2000, PM1000, and PM500. PM2000 capability: 5 x 400 W @ 8 ohms; 2 x 1,000 W @ 2 ohms. See German Stereo Nov ’99; French Prestige Audio Vidéo Jan ’00.

• Developer of the SmartCable, a very compact, in-line, AC-3 RF demodulator, popular for laserdisc playback in the early days of the Dolby Digital 5.1-channel surround sound format.

• Developer of many digital audio products. Standouts include the award-winning DSP-9000 III, and DSP-7000 III audiophile DACs, which utilized the critically acclaimed Hagelin-Roxburgh AccuLinear technology, and dual (44.1 kHz and 48 kHz) quartz PLL clocking methodology for ultra-low TID and jitter (10 ps_rms).

·  MIU, Fairfield, IA
        Instructor of Electronic Engineering (undergraduate EE curriculum)                                                  Aug 1987–Aug 1995

Undergraduate EE courses taught:

                EE440  Microcomputer Design (1987-1991)
                EE442  Digital System Design (1992-1994)
                EE430  Communications Systems (1987-1995)
                EE435  Signals and Systems (1987-1994)
                EE325  Electromagnetic Devices (a.k.a. the "motors" course) (1988-1994)
                EE351  Electromagnetic Field Theory II (1995)
                EE330  Analog Integrated Circuits (1987-1995)
                EE335  Digital Integrated Circuits (1987-1991)
                ME250 Computer-aided Graphics (1988-1989)
                ME285  Mechanics and CAD (1995)
                EE370  Computer Applications in Engineering (1995)

Undergraduate thesis projects supervised (EE395 proposal, EE498 project):

                Large-format-plotter controller
                Electron beam lithography controller
                Beam-blanker for a scanning electron microscope
                Frequency synthesized audiometer
                Digital image storage device
                DC motor tester
                Motor controller for photolithography resist spinner

Class projects supervised (EE440, EE442):

                Light-finding robot
                Bar-code scanner
                Real-time clock and screen display

·  Independent computer consultant, Dunedin, N.Z. (part-time)                                        Jan 1981–Jul 1987

·  University of Otago, Dunedin, N.Z.
        Biomedical Engineer (EEG, Z-cardiography, HF ventilators. Supervised: 2)                                        Jun 1979–Oct 1985

• Successfully ported BioMedical Computer EEG analysis firmware, originally written in the UCSD Anesthesiology Department, to a new 3rd-generation BMC3 platform. Many improvements made to the firmware: EEG DSA analysis extended from 16 Hz to 32 Hz; linearization of the thermal strip chart recorder DSA grey scale; several new user interface functions made possible by the BMC3's improved front panel hardware. Awarded a travel fellowship to visit many biomedical research institutions in the USA, including the original BMC design team, which greatly helped the BMC project in NZ. Co-developer of a successful intra-thoracic impedance cardiography instrument prototype and analysis protocol. Developed an experimental microprocessor-controlled rotary valve high-frequency ventilator. Developed an FM data recorder which used audio compact cassettes to record EEG, which greatly facilitated benchmark testing of new versions of the BMC3 DSA EEG analysis firmware.

• Designed, built, deployed and serviced wind speed monitoring data loggers throughout the Otago region, in addition to a larger deployment of mechanical and electromechanical wind-run anemometers, as part of the Wind Energy Resource Survey of New Zealand. Designed and built data loggers and solar radiometers for an environmental monitoring project that logged insolation, wind speed, and rain fall in real-time. Participated in an astronomical site survey based on autocorrelation analysis of stellar photometric data collected from key hilltop sites. Built data playback equipment for logger data and wrote software to analyze same. Co-author of a computer program that was developed under contract from the NZ Meteorological service to assist with the measurement of atmospheric turbidity based on photometric measurements. I presented the program to the  Meteorological Society of New Zealand Annual Conference, held in Wellington NZ, 1977. Participated in lunar occultation measurements at the Signal Hill and Beverly-Begg observatories, Dunedin, NZ.