Résumé March 2013
Name: Kenneth M. Vowels
Job Title: Electronics/Systems Engineer
Overall Years Experience: 29
Total Years Government Service: 14
Education:
Purdue University, Post-Graduate Certificate in Digital Signal Processing (DSP) 12/2003
University of Louisville, M.Eng. (Master of Engineering) with specialization in EE 6/1984
University of Louisville, BS (Bachelor of Science) 6/1982
Employment:
Wright Patterson AFB, Dayton, OH 11/2012-present
Bill Austin and Associates, Columbus, IN 5/2012-11/2012
Raytheon Technical Services Company, Indianapolis 12/1997-2/2012
Hughes Technical Services Company, Indianapolis 1/1997-12/1997
Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, Indianapolis 1/1992-1/1997
Naval Avionics Center 8/1983-1/1992
Functional Summary:
Digital and Analog Design Engineer, most dealing with embedded Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Systems and RF Communication Sets. Hardware Design, including multiple printed wiring board designs with high-speed DSP circuitry, memories, analog converters, etc. Also have done embedded Software Design running on T.I. and Analog Devices DSP chips and have specified circuitry on multiple occasions that later were fabricated into FPGAs and ASICs. More recently, System Design of Military RF Communication Systems, including Weapon Data Links and airborne communication networks.
Assignments/Background/Experience (most recent to least recent):
• Avionics Technical Specialist on Air Force communications & networks, including Systems Engineering on proposed new capabilities (Chameleon AJ/LPD waveform, 5th to 4th Gen. Gateway, and JETPack).
• Systems Engineering activities for a consulting company in the automotive industry, including establishing system architecture, design requirements, and coordinating development activities.
• Systems Engineering Lead on feasibility study of 3D Audio Capability for multiple US military fixed/rotary-wing aircraft intercom sets (2011-2012). Developed requirements and guided Hardware Engineering with FPGA and circuit board design implementation. Test and demonstration to management successful.
• Systems Engineering Support for ROVER-datalink upgrade (new portable ground station capability) to Navy Shared Reconnaissance Pod (SHARP) (2010-2012). Successfully developed new requirements and test procedures, and coordinated development of new technical data package for upgraded Pod.
• Systems Engineering Lead on redesign of Navy AWW-13 Weapon Datalink Pod Suitcase Test Set (2010-2012). Successfully developed new requirements, test procedures, and coordinated development of the software GUI upgrade (all in DOORS), and new technical data package for upgraded test set.
• Systems Engineering Lead on design of Air Force Training Frequency Reallocation (TFR) combined Pod Test Set for both AXQ-14 and ZSW-1 Weapon Datalink Pods (2007-2010). This was an extensive redesign of 2 older RF test sets into a single, new 3-bay console that had to be deployable. As part of a larger team, with others performing the overall weapon system architecture and working the actual Pod upgrades, I had to put a lot of effort into the system-level design, development, testing, and data package preparations, but it turned out highly successful. Because of the unexpected technical complexities, engineering costs went over somewhat, but manufacturing costs ended up very low.
• Systems Engineering Support (for sustainment) of Navy SHARP, especially for Pod Power Management Unit, Mid-section Motor Control, and Reconnaissance Management System upgrades (2006, 2012). This included C++ code for the Motor Control board using an Analog Devices SHARC ADSP-21062.
• Digital Hardware Design for Adaptable MIL-STD-1760 Board for Smart Missile Bomb Racks (2005). With only one other EE helping me, the first cut of the circuit board was the last (no modifications required).
• Custom Xilinx FPGA, TI 'C64x DSP, and circuit board designs for Transmitter/Receiver on internally-funded Digital Weapon Datalink project (2002-2004). Modern-day technologies that I specified personally for the FPGA design were: DS/FH spread spectrum channels, DQPSK modem design, carrier/symbol tracking loops, correlation receiver, and matched filters. I also coordinated hardware interface to FPGA for Forward Error Correction (FEC) and H.264 video compression/decompression data stream to/from the DSP. My portion of the project was highly successful in demonstration.
• Custom DSP Design for Navy/AF Weapon Datalinks Command Decoder and Video Modulator (2001-03). This included circuit boards of my design with TI DSP chips and other analog interface circuitry. I also wrote the C-code so...
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