Thomas A. Woodrow
275 Tramway Dr.
Milpitas, CA. 95035
Cell 408-309-4961
tomwoodrow@comcast.net
Software Engineer / Hardware Engineer
EXPERIENCE:
Consultant - Sr. Software / Sr. Hardware
Engineer, 12-2003 to Present
NYISO (New York Independent System Operator). Schenectady, NY.
Assisted in
the design and deployment of a new data acquisition system for the ABB
Ranger SCADA/EMS system. This included configuration of their GE D20
RTU and the design, construction, coding and deployment of several
specialized devices required for to interface their existing mapboard
and BCD display matrix to the new ABB Ranger system.
Generated test suites to assist in the point-to-point verification
mapbpard, BCD display and Strip chart equipment remapped from their
legacy SCADA/EMS.
Generated
technical documentation, training materials, and test procedures
required for deployment of custom hardware and applications I designed.
Responsible for the ongoing upgrade, maintenance and repair of several
lagacy data acquisition systems and software software applications.
Consultant - Sr. Software / Sr. Hardware
Engineer, 06-2002 to 11-2003
Employee - Sr. Software / Sr. Hardware Engineer,
02-1982 to 05-2002
ABB Inc., Santa Clara, CA.
Wrote technical documentation and produced training courses for ABB
customers. SCADA/EMS Front End Equipment and a large specialized data
acquisition system. Materials were generated with a combination of
Microsoft Word, Microsoft Power
Point, Microsoft Visio, and AutoCAD 14.
Co-Invented, designed, built, tested and wrote demo applications code
for a security device that combined fingerprint, web cam, motion
sensor, and GPS
for remote login validation. This includes the local security
application (the client) and the remote validation application (the
server). Patent is pending on this device.
Specified, designed, built, programmed and tested a specialized VMEbus
based data acquisition systems (SDAC and TurboSDAC) for an electric
power utility using Windows NT, Windows 2000, Visual C++ and Borland
C++Builder 1, 4 & 5. This was a special redundant system with
unique features required for their
operations center. These included 240 point at 10 samples per second
data
acquisition (AI & DI) with local on-line database and disk storage
for
40 weeks of historical data and automatic historical data backup to
corporate tape farm, operations center mapboard and strip chart
control. Connection to the remote host(s) was via ETHERNET using the
IDEC protocol over TCP/IP.
Specified, designed, built, programmed and tested a WNT based "Post
Contingency Analysis" tool for the same utility to perform analysis on
historical data saved by SDAC/TurboSDAC. This analysis tool examined
data for out of limit conditions, and rate of change conditions. Event
data was then formatted, plotted and printed as requested by the
operator.
Specified, designed, prototyped, tested and documented a software
controlled 32-channel RS232 switch for use as a fail-over device for
redundant communications systems. The RS232 switch had built-in
diagnostics, loopback and monitoring capability. The logic for the
device incorporated in Xilinx FPGAs.
Prototyped, tested, and wrote VxWorks diagnostic software for a MC68040
VMEbus based front-end device for ABB's SCADA and EMS systems. Wrote
documentation and training materials and presented on an off site
training for the device. The RCS300 was a 64-channel "bit-banger"
serial interface that allowed ABB's SCADA and EMS systems to
communicate old (before UART chips) electrical substation RTUs. The
diagnostic software was developed using DEC UNIX.
Specified, designed and built a Strip Chart Recorder server for PGE
(Portland General Electric) as part of an ABB delivered EMS (Energy
Management System). This device redundant, PC based, and emulated a
Systems Control 1801 RTU configured
for 32 analog output channels. This device drove strip chart recorders
in
the operations center. This application was written in Borland Turbo
C++.
Specified, designed and built a special embedded PC based protocol
converter for Yukong Gas of Korea as part of an ABB SPIDER EMS System.
This device translated
I/O commands and data between an ABB 570 RTU and a series of 32 MODCOM
energy
meters. This application ran under MS-DOS and was written in Borland
Turbo
C++.
Specified, designed and built a special embedded PC based remote
RTU front end for a China project as part of a PCS-2000 project. This
device was placed between redundant communications paths (one 1200b
microwave and one 200bps line carrier) and a Harris D20 RTU. The device
(called ESDAR) polled
the RTU on a regular basis, supplied the data to the PCS master
computer over
the communication lines and spooled the data to a local solid state
removable
disk drive. If the communications channels were down for an extended
length
of time ( this was not unusual in this part of China), the removable
disk
could be swapped out and the crucial billing data transported to the
control
center (20 to 500 miles) away for upload to the billing computers.
Prepared and presented technical training classes on ABB peripheral
equipment and software including RCS300 and RCS310 Remote
Communications Servers, Remote Terminal Gateway, ESDAR, SDAC,
TurboSDAC, and PCA Server.
Designed and built a VMEbus based Ethernet communications "front-end"
for ABB Energy Management Systems. This was a 68K-multiprocessor device
that provided
32 "bit-banger" serial channels for connection to Remote Terminal Units
(RTU's)
at utility power substations.
Designed, built, tested and installed an AGC (Automatic Generation
Control) system for steam power generators at GPA (Guam Power
Authority). ALso wrote PC based diagnostic test software for this
device using ISA bus based data acquisition and relay I/O cards.
Designed, built, coded and tested two PC-ISA bus data acquisition cards
for CONTEC Inc. Also wrote the diagnostic and demo software for these
cards.
Designed, built, coded and tested and installed a special data
acquisition system for KCPL (Kansas City Power & Light). VFAT for
Variable Frequency Analog Telemetry, was a redundant PC based system
that received 128 discrete frequency signals and converted them to
virtual analog values. The VFAT system then emulated an RTU and was
polled by a master EMS host computer. This system required special I/O
cards to receive the frequency/BCD inputs. I designed and built these
special ISA based I/O boards. This application ran under MS-DOS
and was written in Borland Turbo C++.
Designed, built and tested hardware as needed for other projects using
analog and digital components, logic ICs and Xilinx FPGA's.
Built and debugged PC hardware, network equipment, workstations as
required to satisfy contractual requirements of the systems I was
providing.
Programmed RTU prototypes and RTU test sets using Motorola 6809
assembly language.
Engineering Lab Supervisor / Electronic Engineer, 06-1973 to 11-1975 & 11-1976 to 02-1982
Aydin Energy Systems , Palo Alto, CA.
Working supervisor. Directed up to 10 electronic and mechanical
technicians as well as worked on my own assignments. Provided the
technicians with assignments, evaluated performance, wrote and
presented performance reviews. Mentored technicians.
Designed and fabricated prototypes for projects as required. Designed,
drafted, and sometimes fabricated mechanical assemblies and chassis.
Designed and fabricated
prototype Printed Circuit boards in house and worked with PCB vendors
for
production quantities. Designed and packaged mechanical assemblies and
equipment.
Programmed Z80 embedded systems using Z80 assembly language and Pascal.
Worked on and designed control systems for many high power projects
including a 3 kW “C” band microwave amplifier, Aydin’s portion of the
MFTF (Mirror Fusion
Test Facility) at LLNL, a high power system (EISCAT) used for
atmospheric research in Norway.
Designed the control and triggering system for a high energy power
supply “crowbar” for the EISCAT project.
Designed and built test equipment for the test firing and control of
the various subsystems that Aydin provided for the MFTF project.
Electronic Technician, 11-1975
to 11-1976
Livermore Data Systems, Livermore, CA.
Designed and fabricated special test equipment required for modem
production testing. Training production and QA technicians in the use
of this test equipment. Worked on an early LDS Mobil Phone to optimize
and stabilize the 40-Watt RF
power amplifier.
Electronic Technician / Associate Engineer, 03-1971 to 06-1973
Commodore Business Machines (Varadyne IST), Cupertino / Santa Clara, CA.
Fabricated and tested new prototype display and printing calculators
using calculator chip sets from Varadyne IST, TI, and National
Semiconductor. Designed and built test equipment for calculator
production testing.
Associate Engineer, 03-1970
to 03-1971,
Trans Data Systems, Sacramento, CA.
Co-designed and built a computer (PDP8) controlled electronic order
picking system for Safeway stores. Duties included design, PCB layout,
mechanical design, assembly and test and installation into Safeway's
bulk dairy product warehouse.
Electronic Technician / Associate Engineer, 02-1968 to
12-1970
Siliconix Equipment Division, Sunnyvale, CA.
Built equipment for FET (Field Effect Transistor) testing, PCB layout
and special projects. Worked on SI-200 Desktop FET Test Equipment and
MPS-100 Programmable Power Supply (used BCD Digit-Switches).
Electronic Technician, 06-1967 to 11-1968,
Lockheed Missiles and Space Company (LMSC), Sunnyvale CA.
Worked as a test technician in the PAT (Product Assessment Test) Lab.
Incoming incoming component inspection and environmental tests using
scopes, meters, oscillators, and power supplies. hot/cold environmental
test chambers, vacuum chambers, drop tables, and shake tables.
SKILLS:
Software developer, hardware design, Windows 2000 and NT applications
developer, MS Visual C++, Borland C++Builder RAD, Borland C++, Turbo
C++, Borland Delphi RAD, Xilinx FPGA design, AutoCAD trained, PC
Design, Orcad Schematic Capture, ProTel Schematic Capture, VMEbus
hardware design, ISA bus hardware design, PLC, Microsoft Project,
Microsoft EXCEL, Microsoft Word, Instrumentation for
SCADA Systems, Engineering Lead, Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) design for
SCADA
and EMS, PC-based Data Acquisition and Control Equipment, Signal
conditioning instrumentation, distributed I/O, Rack-based instruments
(VME), Digital and Analog Circuitry, develop automated tests,
measurement and control systems, High Energy / High Power (100KVDC
100A), Electronic Pulse Crowbars, C/C++, GW & Visual Basic, Turbo
Basic, Turbo PASCAL, Fortran, Z80 Assembly, 6809
Assembly, 6502 Assembly, 68000 Assembly.
Education:
Learning Tree International, Reston Va, Los Angeles,
Ca.
C & C++ Programming
Introduction to Windows NT Networking with TCP/IP
WNT & W2K Windows Programming
WNT & W2K Network Programming
WNT & W2K Windows Security
WNT & W2K Planning and Deployment
PC Interface design and programming
OSR http://www.osr.com/, Seminar (1-week) Palo
Alto, Ca.
Writing WDM Drivers for Windows NT/2K
Xilinx Inc., San Jose, Ca.
FPGA Design and floor planning
Cad Systems Inc., Santa Clara, Ca.
AutoCAD Training
AutoCAD Advanced Training
Mission College, Santa Clara, Ca.
Advanced C Programming
C++ Programming
Ohlone College:
Advanced Basic Programming
Pascal Programming
DeAnza College, Cupertino, Ca.
Fortran Programming
Basic Programming
University of Santa Clara, Santa Clara, Ca.
Microprocessor Design Lab (Z80)
Copiah-Lincoln (Co-Lin) College, Wesson, Ms.
AA in Electronics Technology & Pre-Engineering
REFERENCES:
Name / Company
|
Phone
|
Profession / Relationship
|
email address
|
Ed Nelson, ABB Inc.
|
408-615-6239
|
Engineering Manager
|
ed.nelson@us.abb.com
|
| Kathie Vetter PMP, NYISO |
518-356-8709 |
SMD2
Project Manager
|
kvetter@nyiso.com
|
Laura Gribbin, NYISO
|
518-356-6136
|
customer
|
lgribbin@nyiso.com
|
Jim Ingleson, NYISO
|
518-356-6131
|
customer
|
email address on request
|
Dave Wilber,
NYISO
|
518-356-6228
|
customer
|
email address
on request
|
Dean Ellis,
NYISO
|
518-356-7633
|
customer
|
email address
on request |
Thie page last updates 03-06-2005