Alexandre Silva

Designing electronics for the maritime industry.

Designing electronics for the maritime industry.

Designed electronics for the broadcast industry.

• Designed and developed a smart PoE+ switch based on a Xilinx Zynq-7020 FPGA, integrating both programmable logic (PL) and ARM processing system (PS) running PetaLinux • Implemented a 5-port Ethernet switch within the PL fabric, enabling seamless communication with embedded ARM processors • Integrated key interfaces including microSD, USB On-The-Go, HDMI, UART, and isolated digital inputs via differential optocouplers • Led full hardware design lifecycle using Proteus, including schematic capture, design validation, and system bring-up • Performed system bring-up and software integration using Ubuntu and PetaLinux • Produced comprehensive technical documentation, including project plans, design specifications, test plans, test reports, bring-up procedures, user manuals, and boot configuration (SD card, JTAG, and Flash) • Managed component sourcing and procurement: obtained quotations, liaised with manufacturers, placed orders, processed invoices, and supported production queries • Prepared assembly kits and collaborated closely with manufacturing partners to ensure smooth production and delivery

Travelled as a backpacker to Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Brazil. Worked as a volunteer in four different countries and had the most amazing experience one can imagine.

• Developed the products, processes and documentation required to take through to production the new and current hardware designs needed to support the railway business. • Designed, documented, tested and commissioned a 6 layers PCB with analogue components. • Developed a functional block for a digital board containing a PoE (Power over Ethernet) circuit. • Created, assembled, documented and demonstrated a functioning test jig for a PCB which contains high voltage rails. • Engineered a prototype’s enclosure containing three PCBs, Ethernet hub and PoE injector. The prototype has been built, tested and it is very likely that it will turn into a real product and sold worldwide. • Revised and upgraded an existing PCB. Went through the whole process of reviewing existing documentation, creating project plan and executing it to end of project review and post mortem. • Preparing and validating test specifications for automated and manual testing of PCBs, cables and systems. • Project management of a product which is going to be used in England, France and Norway. • Worked on a project to monitor rail foot corrosion using data acquisition tools and LabVIEW.

• Developing and maintaining software systems using C language. • Analysing, testing and evaluating the quality of programs already written. • Implementing specific software functions to meet the needs of customers. • Assembling printed circuit boards, programming the flash memory chip, testing the board (both hardware and software), and filling in reports with test results. • Writing test cases and automated scripts to test Graphical User Interfaces.

• Assembling and testing printed circuit boards. • Assisting engineers in the testing of prototype products. • Mechanically assembling products. • Troubleshooting and repairing equipment used in the production process. • Responsible for testing all the boards for a large production of portable inspection systems.

• Designing test equipment for the portable inspection systems’ boards. • Designed, implemented and tested a Paint detector system with minimal supervision, using ultrasonic technology, software and analogue components. • Analysing and developing solutions to specified requirements using microcontrollers. • Writing software to embedded systems. • Writing documentation such as test specifications and procedures on how to use specific equipment.