Benjamin Kamen

Cell: 224.619.9006  
Email: resume+ben AT benjammin.net
   
Web: http://www.benjammin.net | Projects
Highlights | Brief | Full Version Resumes
("Full" = detailed Employment)
     

Synopsis:

Highly adaptive self-taught Engineer/Analyst with over 25 years of computer/electronics engineering experience. Knowledge covers a wide range of concepts at levels of complexity ranging from circuit level electronics design to computer systems to large scale networks enabling the ability to view situations from a multitude of perspectives.

Culminating from all this previous experience, I've learned to architect, plan, provision, implement and maintain complex systems which helped bring success to the companies I've worked for through either the realization of substantial savings in operating costs or through the systems requiring little maintenance or repair.

As an excellent self starter typically needing no guidance/supervision, my roles of employment since 1992 have been reporting directly to senior management/staff.

Past employments included supervisory and instructional roles as I have also managed project groups as well as trained employees through seminars, training sessions and one-on-one assistance bringing better productivity through employees which have a better understanding of the company's product, their environment and the technology in it.

The roles that typically utilize this experience best are small companies or start-ups where a single person must wear multiple hats. Because I come with most of my own lab equipment obtained from my years of consulting or carrying on my hobbies at home, I can now offer my services as a more complete solution than most others in the market.

Skills Summary

Inventions:

  • US Patent:6393016 (Issued: 2002-05-21) - Telephony signal transmission over a data communications network...
  • US Patent:6307853 (Issued: 2001-10-23) - Re-routing telephony communications traffic through a private branch exchange...
  • Scientific Papers/Publishings:

  • Larkin, R.P. and Kamen, B. Migration at low height over the mountainous areas of Vermont, USA. National Wind Coordinating Committee, San Antonio, TX, November 2006.
  • Larkin, R.P. and Kamen, B. Feasibility of using WSR-88D Radar Data to Characterize Bird Migration in the Mountainous Lanscape of Vermont, USA. INHS Technical Report 2007 (31), Issued 18 May 2007.
  • Multi-Channel Coherent Wildlife Radio-tag Receiver and Direction Finder
    (US Army Engineer Research and Development Center Construction Engineering Research Laboratory and
    Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
    Steven J. Franke and George W. Swenson, Jr. - Co-Principal Investigators
    Todd Borrowman, Research Assistant
    Benjamin Kamen, Engineering Assistant
  • General Electronics: (Test & Measurement)

  • Audio Analyzers: HP (331A, 334, 8903B), Tektronix, Audio Precision (System One)
  • Curve Tracers: Tektronix
  • DMM/VOM: Digital/Analog - Fluke, HP, Simpson, B&K Precision, Tandy, etc...
  • Freq Counters: HP(5314, 5452), Tektronix, Optoelectronics
  • LCR Meters: Agilent, Leader, Tandy, B&K Precision
  • Logic Analyzers: HP/Agilent (HP1660CS, MSO6000's)
  • Oscilliscopes: Digital/Analog - HP/Agilent(1701, 1740, 546xx's, MSO6000's), TekTronix(465, 565, 2215, 2467, TDS220's) and more..
  • Power Supplies: Tektronix, Leader, Others.
  • RF Signal Generators: HP, Boonton, Motorola
  • RF Modulation Meters: Boonton 82AD
  • Spectrum Analyzers: HP(8920, 8590A, 8591A), Tektronix
  • TDR/OTDR: HP, CATV
  • Vaccuum Tube: TVB-2
  • Misc: Electronic Loads, SWR Meters, Antenna Analyzers, etc...
  • PCB Design/Layout: Pulsonix, Protel, others
  • Specialty RF:

  • X-Band Tracking/Stationary Radar Restoration, Operation and Maintenance
  • Enterprise WF-100 (WindFinder - from EEC) Tracking Radar
  • Computer Technologies:

    Telecommunications Technology:

    Other Skills of Interest:


    Detailed Employment History Summary

    Engineering Consultant - Jun.2005 to Present


    SPEC, Inc. - Jun. 2005 to Present
    Job Desc: Consulting Hardware Design Engineer

    1. To design a high-speed SRAM memory module (Design, PCB, Assembly and Test) for the CERFboard255 from Intrynsic, Inc.
    2. Verilog HDL FPGA design for to be utilized as a data aggregator in a system for unexploded munitions detection for Sky Research, Inc through SPEC. (See: Magnetometer Survey to Detect Unexploded Ordnance)
    3. To assisting with the design/prototype & assist in test, a PIC18F microcontroller based sensor utilizing 'C' for use with radiosondes for atmospheric research. (This included everything from SCH capture to PCB layout to assembly to code to test.)
    4. To create test plan and conduct wireless survey for single pilot operation of afore mentioned munitions detection system.
    5. To design an autonomous atmospheric measuring device for use in research at the South Pole (Jan 2009).
    6. To design a data translator for a system sending 16bit synchronous data to a PC over 8bit asynchronous serial (RS232) (Dec 2009).
    7. Redesign/Assembly/Test of custome PCB's for Atmospheric Instrumentation (Jan 2011).
    8. Rewrite firmware for supervisor module for same Atmospheric Instrumentation used in NASA MACPEX Research (Jan 2011).
    9. Rewrite firmware for same supervisor module for same Atmospheric Instrumentation used in NASA ATTREX Research (Oct 2011). This project also included travel to NASA's Dreyden Research facility to install/test/operate not only the supervisor, but additional SPEC instrumentation during science flights.


    HI-I, LLC - Feb. 2011 to Aug. 2011
    Job Desc: Designier of Hardware, Firmware w/Product Prototyping

  • Full design (SCH/PCB/Assembly/Firmware) of custom remote sensor/controller using Zigbee Radio Module.
  • Full design (SCH/PCB/Assembly/Firmware) of custom remote sensor/controller using RF/Wired Connectivity. This sensor uses the Microchip PIC18F family controller coupled with the MRF49 series RF Transceiver to achieve both RS485 wired as well as wireless communication.
  • Full design (SCH/PCB/Assembly/Firmware) of custom Wire->Wireless Repeater/Gateway including custom CNC Cut proto-enclosures. This gateway also includes the same PIC18F MCU and MRF49 RF Transceiver.

  • Embedded Solutions Group - Jan. 2010 to Mar. 2011
    Job Desc: Embedded Systems Engineer

  • Telezygology, Inc.
  • Assisted in enabling HTTPS, SNMP and writing a custom bootloader implementation for PIC32 (MIPS m4k core) using Microchip C32 on TZ's brand of web-enabled products.
  • Embedded Solutions Group
  • Write 'C' based firmware for new ESG Microchip based product requiring a specialized and encrypted USB Bootloader.

  • Theraputic Alliances, Inc. - Jan. 2010 to Jun. 2011
    Job Desc: SCH/PCB Layout

    1. Ergys Family of Neural Stimulator:
    2. Layout of PCB using High Voltage for stimulation of muscles during physical therapy.
    3. Assembly of initial prototype for testing as well as minor modifications needed during testing.
    4. NE4 Mini:
    5. SCH Entry/PCB Layout of 4channel design with some changes for this 1channel version.
    6. Assembly of initial prototype for testing as well as minor modifications needed during testing.
    7. CNC Fabrication of custom front panels for the NE4mini's enclosure.
    8. Modifications to 3rd Party Bluetooth Module to improve operation in NE4mini Design.

    Brockway Engineering, LLC. - May. 2008 to Sep. 2010
    Job Desc: Embedded Systems Engineer
  • SCH/PCB layout, assembly and firmware design for Microchip dsPIC30F based vehicle monitor with NTSC/PAL Video Output.
  • Research via firmware only (using previous prototypes) for another vehicle monitor with NTSC/PAL Video Output.

  • Velaport, LLC. - Jun. 2010 to Feb. 2011
    Job Desc: Hardware Design Engineer
  • SCH/PCB layout of USB based device using Atmel brand microcontrollers.
  • SCH/PCB design and layout of USB based device using Microchip brand microcontrollers.
  • Review of 3rd party design documents.

  • Univ of IL (Institute of Natural Resource and Sustainability and Electical and Computer Engineering) - Jun. 2006 to Present
    Job Desc: Radar Data Analyst, Tracking Radar Engineer, Electronics Engineer

  • For INRS:
  • Complete planning, design, test, production build and upgrades of custom GPS enabled Automated Wildlife Audio Monitoring Transmitter
  • Planning, specification and assembly of custom, high performance GPU enabled computing platform for data analysis.
  • Investigation/Implementation of low-power computing platforms to support software based radio receivers. (GNU Radio)
  • For ECE:
  • Assist in Design, SCH/PCB Layout, Assembly and Test of advanced direction finding system for wildlife telemetry and tracking system.
  • Repair/Redesign of 3rd party assembled instrumentation produced by initial design/research.
  • Assembly of 3rd party custom RF Filter/Amplifiers

  • NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research) - Mar. 2006 to Nov.2009
    Job Desc: Consulting Hardware Design Engineer

    Apr. 2009 - Nov.2009: Schematic Design and creation of embedded firmware implementing TCP/IP over Ethernet to multiple serial port bridge using a Microchip PIC18F97J60 Microcontroller.

    Mar. 2006: Finish up the final 'C' firmware development/debugging/testing of a Microchip PIC18F series based atmospheric weather sensor.


    Eclypse International - Jun. 2008 to Jan. 2009
    Job Desc: Consulting Design Engineer

  • Assist in Design, SCH Capture/PCB Layout, Assembly and test of prototype test/measurement product. (See: ESP+ Meter)
  • Assist in Design, SCH Capture/PCB Layout of HV Backplane enhancement to product.
  • SCH Capture/PCB Layout of backplane for custom armaments test fixture.

  • Innotech, Inc. - Nov. 2005 to Jan. 2006 and Jan. 2006 to Jul. 2006
    Job Desc: Consulting Hardware Design Engineer

    1. PCB design of an RF Trap Transmitter for use in wildlife capture. (Includes design assistance and SCH capture)
    2. PCB design of the RF receiver for use with the afore mentioned transmitter. (Includes design assistance and SCH capture)
    3. Consult in testing/verification of system.


    AZ Apps, Inc. - Jul. 2006 to Oct. 2007
    Job Desc: Consulting Hardware Design Engineer

    1. Writing of firmware and steer implementation of PIC 18F Microcontroller based system subprocessor. (Including SCH design assistance)
    2. Writing of Verilog HDL for FPGA design for custom bus sensor subsystem. (Including SCH capture and final system implementation/debugging)



    University of Illinois - Jun. 2003 to Oct. 2009
    Job Desc: Assistant Research Scientist (Hardware Design Engineer)

    This position for the Illinois Natural History Survey involved working on a scientific research grant through the National Science Foundation concerning the automated tracking of various radio transmitter tagged wildlife. Aspects of this job included:

  • Perform analysis on radar images taken at a NEXRAD Radar site in Vermont for a migration study related to wind power generation.
  • Perform refurbishing, operation, enhancements and maintenance of X-Band Tracking/Non-tracking Radar Systems
  • Field Engineer for X-Band Radar Equipment during US Fish/Wildlife Study in Vermont, USA (2008 and 2009)
  • Recommending, specifying and obtaining embedded computer development platforms.
  • Designing, Recommending, Specifying, Constructing custom data acquisition equipment.
  • Recommending, specifying and obtaining radio receiver equipment.
  • Designing, specifying and constructing, implementing custom radio receivers.
  • Designing, implementing and maintaining lab network and computer hardware.
  • Designing, specifying and coordinating the construction of a 100' radio tower.
  • Designing, specifying and constructing, installing Yagi-Uda antennae on tower intended for project.
  • Laison with FAA for Aviation Impact Studies for constructed towers.
  • Direct/Advise/Assist university seniors working on modules of project for their senior design classes.

  • Bozsi Engineering, LLC. - Aug. 2005 to Jan. 2006
    Job Desc: Consulting Hardware Design Engineer

    This was another multi-job role in electronics engineering utilizing my skills in PCB design, manufacturing, assembly, QA and test. Also used were my skills with computer IT needs concerning the company network.



    Consultant- Mar. 2002 to Jun. 2003
    Job Desc: Information Systems/Networking/Electronics/Telecommunications Consultant

    Clients I've worked with since my last place of employment have been:



    Resource Communications, Inc.- Apr. 2001 to Mar. 2002
    Job Desc: Technical Director and Networking/Telecommunications Consultant

    Example internal projects were:

    Examples customers I worked with were: (this list is only a sample and not intended to be complete)



    Open Port Technology, Inc.- Feb. 1995 to Feb. 2001
    Job Desc: Final Position: Technical Director
    Previous Positions: Manager of LAN, Hardware R&D, In-House/On-Site Customer Support and Member of the Advanced Technology Group.

    In 1995, Open Port consisted of 6 owners when they asked me to come aboard. Two owners made up sales. Two of the owners were programmers. One was business development. The last one was engineering. There were no other employees yet.

    Thus, working at Open Port meant wearing many different hats. I was the primary personnel where anything technical but non-programming was concerned. The network we utilized was Unix/OS-2/Windows based and communicated via TCP/IP and NetBIOS.

    Scenarios typically consisted of a request to come in to design/implement from the ground up a solution to a specific problem whether it be internally based or at a customer's site. These solutions dealt with Open Port's product line directly (i.e., specifying/installing of communications lines to a customer for OPT's product to function with.) or possibly just lending expertise to a situation outside the direct scope of Open Port products or services. "Pre-Sales" or "Post-Sales" Engineer would be a good way to describe this as both areas of the sales cycle have been supported. Some brief examples are:

    Open Port's original product was enterprise-wide fax which eventually matured into carrier grade Internet Messaging. Open Port positions it as a Network Operating System. Originally it ran on a multitude of platforms. Thus, the operating systems with which I acquired experience in this environment included:

    Job Desc included:

    Open Port ran out of capital in November of 2000 shutting the company down. I was asked to stay on as a consultant to shut down and liquidate the company assets until the very end of operation in February of 2001.


    Gordon Kapes, Inc.  - Dec. 1992 to Feb. 1995
    Job Desc: R&D Lab Technician, Network Administrator and Computer Support Technician

    Gordon Kapes, the owner, actually had 3 companies at the time I was employed for which I performed tasks for all 3.
     

    Daily activities included:

    While still an employee of Gordon Kapes, Open Port "rented" my services to do various large scale projects with US West on new fax based bureau style services out in Denver, CO. My charge was to specify, build and deploy the prototype and some production industrial fax servers to be delivered to US West. Eventually Open Port grew to the point of needing a full time employee. At that point I was asked by the CEO of Open Port to join the company permanently.



    Shure Brothers, Inc. - Aug. 1989 to Oct. 1992
    Job Desc: Electronics Repair Technician



    Post-Newsweek Cable - 1985 to Aug. 1989
    Job Desc: Repair Technician / Lineman



    ComputerLand of Northbrook - Apr. 1986 to Dec. 1987
    Job Desc: Computer Service Technician / On-Site Consultant

    Computer repair and support. Systems consisted of business and some personal IBM PC and Apple Macintosh computers. Other items included printers, modems and typical computer accessories both internal and external. Responsibilities included on-site customer service calls/installations.



    Video Technology, Inc - Oct. 1985 to May. 1986
    Job Desc: Electronics/Computer Repair Technician

    Computer and Consumer Electronics repair and support. Responsibilities included customer service calls.


    For more information, visit http://www.benjammin.net  or email resume AT benjammin.net - References available on request.