Since 1990, ETC has provided innovative, cost effective design solutions to our customers. We blend imagination, knowledge, and experience to create custom solutions to challenging problems. Our philosophy is to provide a high level of service, assisting in any way you choose. Whether providing complete, turnkey product design or serving as an extension of your engineering staff, we provide first quality engineering services tailored to your requirements.
Todays microprocessors and microcontrollers are increasingly more sophisticated, with complex on-board peripherals. Coupled with the migration to high level languages and object oriented software paradigms, the line between circuits and software has blurred. Successful product development depends on the tight integration of talent in these and other disciplines simultaneously - while trading off engineering budgets vs. production costs and product life cycles at the same time. ETC provides this level of design expertise, from single systems to large production runs, single chip embedded controllers to large complex boards.
We also recognize the need to maintain and modify products throughout their life cycle. We keep you and your staff - engineering, management, marketing - involved and informed throughout the project. Our code is constructed to your specifications, using top-down design methodologies it is logically structured and fully documented at all levels. All work is performed using the latest compilers, libraries, development tools, and CAD programs.
Give us a call to discuss your ideas - a n y t i m e.
Bob Shoemaker has 20+ years experience in the electronics and computer industry, including software development, electronic design, process control engineering, high volume electronics manufacturing, and government agency approvals. Bob's career has been equally divided between software and circuit design, with recent emphasis on overall product development and project management. Principal areas of engineering expertise lie in very low power microprocessor designs, C and assembly language programming, and analog design. He is an active member in the IEEE - National Capital Area Council and the Consultants Network.
At ETC, Bob has been responsible for a variety of microcontroller based projects. See the Projects page for more information on the wide variety of design accomplishments at ETC.
Bob was a member of the start-up team and was responsible for the design of the first commercially produced notebook pen-PC designed for handwritten input and recognition, the Linus Write-Top. Bob was also responsible for several other portable and desktop designs at Linus including a tablet-like computer and PDA-like handheld.
Bob managed a 5 person design team and was fully responsible for the system, hardware, and firmware design and implementation and reported directly to the CEO. Management responsibilities included assembling the team, select, coordinate and monitor vendors for: contract design and production, plastics molding (offshore tooling), industrial & mechanical design, prototypes, EMI compliance & testing, graphics, and publishing. Other related duties: establishing a R & D lab, technical database and ECO system, creating a procurement system, and purchasing computer systems, network, and software. In a project management capacity, I participated in budgeting ($2M engineering budget), schedule planning and tracking, manpower loading, hiring, and corporate financial planning. I directed weekly "action" meetings between marketing and engineering groups to resolve integration issues during the design and product integration phases.
Bob personally developed for Linus a high performance, low cost transparent digitizer tailored for handwritten input and used on top of an LCD display, as well as the bulk of the PC compatible design.
Senior member of a small team developing a high speed data communications system performing packet switching and real-time 2-way protocol conversion (X.25 to BISYNC, PARS, Async) and line/trunk concentration. Coding in C and 68K assembler under UNIX for target machine running real-time OS. My work also included the supervision of outside vendors supplying custom VME and Multibus card sets.
Design and development of a 19.2Kbs smart Data-Over-Voice spread spectrum modem (derived channel ISDN) and high speed packet switch. As a part of the modem design team, Bob designed the modem front-end (filters, equalizer, and demod) and also provided Z-80 assembly language programming of X.25 LAP-B link. Assisted in software/hardware integration and field trials in Atlanta.
Provided Technical Direction to a team of four engineers developing Computer Aided Test software and equipment for echo cancellers, MARISAT shipboard sattelite terminals, high-speed TDMA systems, and related sattelite communications hardware. Duties included planning, supervision of team, software and hardware development, design reviews, project scheduling. Implemented and managed department computer system based on VAX and PDP11/44, 11/23's and Ethernet. Established network of distributed test stations connected to central management computer with job management, test statistics, product tracking and MIS functions. System/applications programmer in C, assembly, Basic, and FORTRAN. Design and implementation of several major in-house custom test systems using simple robotics and featuring voice I/O, bar-coding, and touch screen GUI for equipment operator. These systems provided for a 10 fold increase (to 1K+ PCB’s) in daily output while decreasing the required manpower.
References are available upon request.
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