James La Haye, P.Eng., MBA

Designed the electronics and was the technical lead for the 20-cylinder Electronic Fuel Injection system. The customer field trial in February 2026 saw all three units operating industrial diesel engines at maximum capacity without the need for any on-site hardware modifications. Did R&D on the existing Chopper product to overhaul it with a modern half-bridge power conversion topology. This will reduce the physical size, increase thermal efficiency, and reduce cost. Transitioned the company’s outdated in-house PCB manufacturing to an IPC-compliant contract manufacturer. This greatly improved the quality of the assemblies while reducing the cost and lead time. Implemented JIRA for the engineering team to aid in project management, time tracking, and bug tracking which provided the content needed for our SR&ED tax credit applications.

Assumed responsibility for the current industrial IOT product and worked closely with the Digi XbeePro 900HP module in a mesh configuration. Used portable spectrum analyzers and Zigbee protocol analyzers to improve troubleshooting techniques in the field and characterize the synchronous sleep algorithm. Performed a full battery analysis of the lithium thionyl chloride battery to analyze the cell resistance over temperature (down to -40C). Used a precision power profiler to quantify the product’s current draw and used it to design the battery analysis routines. Evaluated several major IOT technologies for use in the company’s next generation of product. These include: LoraWAN, SmartMesh IP, Weightless, 802.11ah, and Bluetooth Mesh.

My role at the company is to design the PCB assemblies starting with schematic capture, followed by layout, and finally the hand-off to manufacturing. These designs are for the wearable electronics sector which require ultra-low power, wireless connectivity, and mechanical ruggedization. I use Altium Designer for the electrical design work and have set up a design environment that has a centralized parts libraries, pad and via templates, stackup templates, and design rule sets tailored for different board manufacturers (this is extremely valuable for our HDI, flex, and rigid-flex designs). The environment also automates the document creation process for the fabrication outputs. I use SolidWorks for the mechanical integration and basic 3D component modeling. I also go through the firmware in Keil to ensure that the sensor device drivers for the ARM Cortex-M processors are fully functional and consume the least amount of power possible. I use the test-driven design (TDD) methodology to improve and validate my boards. On top of the usual suite of test equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, vector network analyzers), I also use data acquisition devices (LabJack or National Instruments) to capture the performance of all sub-circuits over the entire range of recommended operating conditions. The analysis of the data using Python scripts ultimately determines whether the PCB assembly has satisfied all the requirements. I then design the interface PCB assemblies for the manufacturing test fixtures that production uses for device provisioning and quality control. My specialty is in transitioning prototype designs into a high-quality, high-reliability PCB assemblies that can be manufactured overseas in high volume. Thorough documentation and documentation control are critical to this activity and facilitate a productive dialog with large-scale manufacturers.

Managed the relationship with the contract manufacturer to ensure that complete design packages were transferred according to their specific process requirements. Performed Design For Manufacturing (DFM) reviews and continually solicited input from the manufacturer to improve product yields. Worked with a major customer to analyze their electrical and mechanical design needs and performed a thorough risk assessment of the project to ensure success. Engaged a mechanical sub-contractor to perform additional 3D modelling and used it to modify the electronics accordingly. The preliminary mechanical integration identified several major issues prior to the design being sent to manufacturing. The customer product was fully functional on the first design spin which ultimately saved the customer time and money. Worked with a smaller customer to analyze their current prototype and created a plan that made necessary changes and ultimately passed certification inspection at CSA. Engaged a mechanical sub-contractor to create a new mechanical assembly that would securely position the electronic assembly in the existing enclosure and worked closely with the mechanical engineer to complete a successful pilot run. Performed Supply Chain Management (SCM) to ensure that 10 prototype units could be built and had all these units field certified by CSA. These prototypes were ultimately released to potential buyers in the field to generate demand and sales for the company. Performed the design verification for the Cyclops IS. Analyzed the current state of the product to assess gaps and issues preventing its release. Worked with the software group to develop a program that allowed us to collect the data needed to quantity the performance and reliability of the product. Successfully coordinated the release of the product to the contract manufacturer. The product became a commercial success which allowed Extreme Telematics to grow in size.

Designed the device driver for the uBlox LEA-5H GPS module in C for the AFIRS228 automated flightinformation reporting system. This system used a real-time embedded DENX ELDK Linux operating system on a PowerPC 440EP processor. Designed the low-level system monitoring application in C for the AFIRS228. This application coordinatedthe initialization and shutdown of all major hardware groups (primary and secondary power systems, temperature sensors, memory, network, audio subsystem, and avionic communications subsystem) and monitored them for errors. The application logged all errors with relevant data and coordinated system recovery.

Managed BW Technologies’ sustaining engineering group, including a team of engineers in Bangalore India. Provided design and manufacturing support on BW Technologies’ highest-volume product (sales of 300k+ per annum). Interacted with all the departments in the company to address customer issues in the field as well as streamline the manufacturing process of existing lines. Worked closely with the quality group to evaluate the impact of hardware and firmware fixes (from both a business and technical perspective) and implemented the solution as efficiently as possible. Co-designed the hardware for the GasAlertQuattro Docking Module. Performed the schematic capture and circuit simulation using Orcad. Resolved signal integrity and EMC issues in the Alpha revision of the PCB and successfuly implemented them in the Beta. Worked closely with the GasAlertQuattro designers to ensure compatibility between the instrument and the docking module. Designed the hardware for the GasAlertMax XT portable multi-gas detector. Performed the schematic capture using Orcad and implemented a successful rule set with the PCB designer to catch any intrinsic safety violations during layout. Worked closely with the technical leads in firmware, mechanical, functional test, and product verification to develop a final product that met the statement of requirements. Worked with CSA in order to streamline the intrinsic safety certification process. Oversaw EMC testing at CKC Labs in order to secure our EMC certification.

Designed the hardware for a prototype SMARTboard project. Designed a high-speed USB 2.0 hub and a portable electronic pen for handwriting recognition. Performed schematic capture and PCB layout using Altium Designer. Worked closely with the technical leads in firmware, software, mechanical, and functional test to develop a product that met the statement of requirements.

Sustained Wi-LAN’s existing line of wireless OFDM products. Worked closely with the customer support group to deliver timely solutions to issues found in the field. Performed all of the regression testing to ensure that the solutions were compatible with in-field networking topologies. Managed and implemented the transition of Wi-LAN’s wireless DSSS VIP product to a manufacturer in China. Provided the new manufacturer with all relevant Gerber and BOM files and performed a full RF and digital qualification of the prototype builds using a spectrum analyzer, network analyzer, RF signal generator, and RF power meter. Identified a problem with the soldering of the RF power amplifier which resulted in a successful second prototype build. The transition allowed for over $100 of cost savings per unit.

Re-designed Lucent’s BandWidth Manager (BWM) line cards to use a new memory controller. Scrutinized and verified every component that interacted with the new controller in order to achieve software transparency. Design changes were implemented at the schematic level using Mentor Graphics. Implemented all optical tests for Lucent’s LambdaUnite product at their Netherlands facility. Advised the design team on all requisite test equipment and put together an optical test bench to perform any optical test.