Recent projects
Touchscreen controller
The end product was a marketing device (20 were built) which was used to demonstrate the capabilities of a particular device controlling the touch screen. The project involved a GUI written in QT, circuit board design and layout to provide communication to the controller IC, and a new driver for the embedded linux kernel. ElectroChallenge was the technical lead on the project and did the software develpopment and the hardware architectural design. Actual board layout was done by a partner firm in a global team project.
Concrete color dispenser
A product was developed to create a low-cost and reliable controller used in concrete dispatch plants for measuring and dispensing colored dye into concrete. Robustness was a key requirment and these controllers are still in regular use seven years after initial deployment. The low-cost was achieved by using off-the-shelf microprocessor boards from Rabbit Semiconductor, which also facilitated rapid development.
Autostainer production test
A global team with parners in Santa Clara and Pakistan, and customer in UK
Important projects historically
Automated NMR probe tuning
This product continues to function in an installed base in the nuclear magnetic resonance analyzer market. The project consisted of integrating several technologies in order to adjust ("tune") the resonant frequency of the RF near-field device used to interact with a test sample, the device being known in the industrial jargon as a "probe." The test response from the probe used the NMR console in a self-adjust state to measure the RF performance, and parameters were passed to separate control processors and processes which were on heterogeneous platforms and therefore required ad hoc communication protocols. The project members themselves (a team of about 15) reflected the heterogeneous elements of the product.
Radio-frequency ID tag
Story about X-Cyte
Digital filter for chemical spectrum analysis
DSP and patent story
Eddy-current compensation in MRI magnets
DECC and patent story
Engineering management experience
Jon Wurl
Jon Wurl is the sole proprietor of ElectroChallenge Designs. Capabilities and products on this site are associated with Mr. Wurl. Please see his personal resume for more details.