Available to hire
I’m Alec Blackburn, an embedded hardware and software designer with a passion for turning concepts into robust, production-ready electronics. I have extensive hands-on experience with low-power, high-temperature circuits, PCB layout in Altium, FPGA prototyping, and firmware development in C using Keil and Code Composer Studio. Over the years I’ve delivered designs for healthcare, manufacturing, telecom, and automotive-inspired projects, often taking products from schematic to prototype and into CE-approved production.
I enjoy solving complex hardware/software integration challenges, optimizing signal integrity, and building reliable test and production tooling. I thrive in cross-functional teams, collaborating with customers to specify requirements, resolve issues, and deliver timely designs. When not coding or scheming schematics, I love exploring new embedded platforms and pushing designs toward more efficient power usage and longer battery life.
Language
English
Fluent
Work Experience
Electronics Design Engineer at Ashling Microsystems
February 1, 2018 - PresentWorking on design FPGA prototyping platform for design of smart cards For NXP. Based on Kintex Ultrascale XCKU115, NXP LPC54608. Analog and digital design (ADC/DAC/OPAMPS/POWER SUPPLYS, USB, EEMMC, SPIFI, I2C, SPI, SERIAL). Resolved design issues with customers. System comprised of 12 PCB’s. Conversion of schematics from ORCAD to Altium. PCB re-layout to improve signal integrity. Provided manufacturing information for production. Test software for initial board bring up using Keil. Test code for FPGA using Vivado. Involved in CE approval process.
Electronics Design Contractor
October 1, 2017 - February 1, 2018Remote work for direct customers. Design of Hub for Utility company based on ST Cortex-M7 including Ethernet, WiFi, BT, LoRa and Sub-1G Radio for meter reading. Tank level project with HMI display, NFC reader, GSM connectivity. Software using Keil and Code Composer. Board layout and schematic capture using Altium.
Electronics Engineer at Taylor Hobson
May 1, 2017 - October 1, 2017Design and development of surface measuring equipment. Design of DC motor driver board, CPU Board based around OMAP-L138. Analog and digital inputs. Schematic capture and board layout using Altium. Software using CCS Studio.
Electronics Design/Consultant
July 1, 2015 - April 1, 2016Remote working for direct customers on complete designs. Redesign of gas analyser from PIC32 to ARM Cortex. Port of code from PIC to ARM. Design of road safety equipment. Multi-area design around Atmel and ST Cortex devices. GPS, GSM Modem (Simcom Sim800H, Sim5360E, SIM868). Sub-GHz radio based on TI CC1310/CC1350. Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity. Prototyping and test.
Electronics Engineer at Markem Imaje
November 1, 2014 - July 1, 2015Design of printer electronics for the packaging industry based around ARM Cortex A5. DDR3 memory, NAND Flash, Ethernet. Schematic capture using Altium. PCB layout using Altium.
Hardware/Systems Engineer at MHC Nottingham
November 1, 2012 - October 1, 2014Design of battery powered medical device based on Atmel Cortex-M4 CPU. Bluetooth, IRDA, Wireless Charging. Receiver unit with Capacitive Touch Screen, LCD, IRDA and Wireless charging. Transmitter unit based on NXP Cortex-M3. Analog and digital design. Cost reduction and data acquisition system using Atmel and ST Cortex-M4; RFID for device turn on and identification. Upgrade to BTLE and RFID functions.
Senior Hardware Designer at AREVA T&D
February 1, 2009 - February 1, 2012Complete design of dual OMAP-L138 HMI processor card with Xilinx Spartan-6, NOR and NAND Flash, DDR2 memory. Redesign of TI DSP-based data acquisition system. FPGA design of keypad, LCD, memory interface around Xilinx Spartan 3A/3AN. Redesign FPGA modules with VHDL. Worked on new coprocessor board using OMAP-L138 with Mobile DDR Memory, Ethernet, USB.
Senior Hardware/Software Engineer at Intel Mobile Communications (Duisburg)
February 1, 2007 - October 1, 2007Next generation mobile phone reference designs based around ARM9/ARM11 and Intel SOC. Low-level driver software in C. Redesign of module to use NAND memory. Design review of customer schematics and PCB layout. Collaborated with hardware and software teams across Europe and worldwide. Used Allegro PCB software.
Design Engineer at Mitel Semiconductor Ltd
January 1, 1999 - December 31, 2001Complete design of USB to Parallel Download Cable using Atmel processor. Board test software in C using TI toolchain. FPGA redesigns using VHDL; RTL verification. Schematic capture and PCB layout using Mentor Graphics / Altium. Worked across several product lines including OMAP-based designs.
RF/Telecom Hardware Designer at Alstom T&D
January 1, 1998 - July 1, 1999Control system design for high voltage inverter power supplies. FPGA/DSP based approaches; analogue/digital interface design. Production schematics and PCB layouts (Mentor Graphics). High voltage/current circuit design with EMC considerations.
Hardware/Software Engineer at Visteon UK
May 1, 2001 - December 31, 2003Complete hardware/software design of motorised entertainment system for automotive applications. EMC/CE/OEM compliant. Serial and CAN bus ports for control and diagnostics; motor drive circuit design; power supply design; analog/digital interfaces; TFT/LCD displays. Prototyping and on-site production support.
FPGA Design Engineer at Ashling Microsystems
February 1, 2018 - PresentDesign FPGA prototyping platform for smart cards for NXP. Works with Kintex Ultrascale XCKU115; analog/digital design (ADC/DAC/OPAMPs/Power supplies, USB, eMMC, SPIFI, I2C, SPI, SERIAL). Responsible for 12-PCB schematics conversion from ORCAD to Altium and PCB re-layout to improve signal integrity. Generated manufacturing information, wrote test software for board bring-up using Keil, and created FPGA test code with Vivado. Guided CE approval activities.
Embedded Systems Designer at Direct Customers (Remote Working)
October 1, 2017 - February 28, 2018Designed a hub for a utility company based on ST Cortex-M7 with Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, LoRa and Sub-1G radio for meter reading. Included tank level projects with HMI display, NFC reader and GSM connectivity. Software development using Keil and Code Composer Studio; schematic and PCB layout in Altium.
Hardware Design Engineer at Taylor Hobson
May 1, 2017 - October 31, 2017Designed and developed surface measuring equipment. Created DC motor driver board and CPU board around OMAP-L138. Performed schematic capture and PCB layout in Altium; software development using CCS Studio; contributed to prototype bring-up.
Electronics Hardware Design Engineer at Markem Imaje
November 1, 2014 - July 31, 2015Design of printer electronics around ARM Cortex-A5; included DDR3 memory, NAND flash, stepper motors, and power supplies. Schematic capture with Altium; PCB layout; FPGA redesign due to technology changes; migrated FPGA code with Altera Quartus; updated legacy designs using Orcad and Pads; prepared designs for CE readiness.
Power Distribution Design Engineer at ARM Cambridge (part time)
July 1, 2014 - December 31, 2014Design, build and test power distribution for a large FPGA board farm. Implemented two units: one to control power to main FPGA boards and one to control resets and power to JTAG emulators. Boards based around STM32F4 devices; schematic capture and PCB layout in Altium AD14.
Biomedical Embedded Systems Engineer at MHC Nottingham
November 1, 2012 - October 31, 2014Designed a battery-powered medical device based on Atmel Cortex-M4 CPU. Implemented Bluetooth BTLE, IRDA, wireless charging, capacitive touch screen, LCD display, IRDA and wireless charging receiver; transmitter unit based on NXP Cortex-M3. Involved analog and digital design and cost-reduction work.
Hardware Design Engineer at AREVA T&D Stafford
February 1, 2009 - February 29, 2012Complete design of a dual OMAP-L138 HMI processor card with Xilinx Spartan-6, NOR/NAND flash, DDR2 memory. Redesigned TI DSP-based data acquisition system. Board test software in C; FPGA design with VHDL; migration from legacy Orcad/PADS toolchain; prepared for CE/production.
Embedded Hardware/Software Engineer at Intel Mobile Communications Duisburg
February 1, 2009 - February 1, 2012Worked on next-generation mobile phone reference designs based on ARM9/ARM11 and Intel SOC. Developed low-level drivers in C; conducted multi-site debugging and resolution with hardware/software teams across Europe. Reworked module to use NAND memory and supported drive tests and integration.
Embedded Systems/Hardware Engineer at Ericsson – Basingstoke
January 1, 2008 - February 28, 2009Contributed to the Teleca project with OMAP3430 (ARM Cortex) and FPGA platform in a shared memory design. Developed low-level drivers and interfaces for cameras, LCD displays, keypad, Ethernet, USB, RS232, I2C, SPI; hardware/software debugging with Lauterbach emulators; cross-functional collaboration.
Hardware and Software Design Engineer at Philips Semiconductor (Nuremberg)
February 1, 2005 - November 30, 2005L1 integration on new 3G hardware platforms; evaluation and redesign of 3G baseband processors; SD memory interface; RF front end testing and silicon driver integration.
Design Engineer at Zarlink DTV
May 1, 2004 - January 31, 2005DTV hardware design and software in C for MIPS4K; debugging using Lauterbach tools; EMC testing and recommendations; schematic capture in Altium/PADS; hardware/software integration.
In-Car Entertainment Electronics Engineer at Visteon UK
May 1, 2001 - December 31, 2003Complete hardware/software design for automotive in-car entertainment systems. Production support, test boxes, and integration with vehicle networks; EMC and OEM requirements addressed; schematic and PCB layout in Protel/Altium.
Baseband/Bluetooth Hardware Engineer at Mitel Semiconductor Ltd
January 1, 1999 - December 31, 2001Design of new baseband ICs for Bluetooth radio systems based on ARM, development of low-level drivers, tests on FPGA-based platforms and silicon. Ported software to Nucleus OS; involved in RTL validation and IP integration.
High-Voltage Inverter Hardware Engineer at Alstom T&D
January 1, 1998 - July 31, 1999Design of control systems using digital/analog circuits for high-voltage inverter power supplies; high-voltage/current considerations; FPGA I/O integration. Schematic and PCB layout for production.
Fibre Optical Communications Hardware Designer at G.E.C
January 1, 1998 - October 31, 1998Design of high-speed fibre optic link interfacing to SCI Bus; analog/digital interfaces for military RF gear; production schematics and PCB layouts; data interfaces (USB/RS232/Ethernet) and protocol interconnections.
Education
Qualifications
BSc (Hons) Computer Science
January 11, 2030 - January 6, 2026HNC Electronic Engineering
January 11, 2030 - January 6, 2026ONC Electronic Engineering
January 11, 2030 - January 6, 2026BSc (Hons) Computer Science
January 11, 2030 - January 6, 2026HNC Electronic Engineering
January 11, 2030 - January 6, 2026ONC Electronic Engineering
January 11, 2030 - January 6, 2026BSc (Hons) Computer Science
January 11, 2030 - January 6, 2026HNC Electronic Engineering
January 11, 2030 - January 6, 2026ONC Electronic Engineering
January 11, 2030 - January 6, 2026Keil Compiler License
January 11, 2030 - January 6, 2026Altium Designer License
January 11, 2030 - January 6, 2026Industry Experience
Computers & Electronics, Manufacturing, Professional Services, Telecommunications
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