Electrical Engineering

This is part of the data for Charles Palen's Interactive Resume - Click to View it.

I have been on a continual quest to get better at making devices which can be incorporated in programming projects. I have a passion for robotics and telepresence with an ingrained belief that there are several opportunities in these two areas. While working for Boston Productions I have created exhibits in use daily, that include 120VAC, custom surface mount DC circuit board fabrication, and integration with mechanics from fabricators. Recently I have started submitting my CAD circuit board designs to quick-turn PCB fabrication houses because they have grown too complex for hand fabrication.

The Captain of Industry utilizes computer controlled relays with 120VAC and 12VDC power sources.  I did the wiring and programming for this exhibit. The RS232 to USB converter is a surface mount project that I utilize in my own GPS projects. The PWM board is a simple project that I made for controlling an RC Car's steering servo and electronic speed control from a Java application. The Arduino Telegraph Shield is a custom made shield for the popular Arduino circuit board.  It allows the arduino to drive the coils of a telegraph when motion is relayed from a pezio sensor. The optocoupled Hbridge is a work in progress prototype for driving a large inductive and high amperage source safely from a computer via USB. The RC Interceptor can integrate into an existing RC system in order to allow USB control from a computer.