Paul Clark

SparkFun Engineer @ SparkFun Electronics

About

A multi-skilled Electronics Engineer with wide-ranging hardware design and software development skills. Over the years, I've done a bit of everything; from managing >£1M projects in Astronomical Instrumentation, to tracking weather balloons, flashing LEDs with nanosecond pulses, and dropping and recovering data payloads from long-duration high-altitude balloon flights. I've worked on hardware for JWST and - closer to home - instrumentation for international observatories in Hawaii, Chile, The Canary Islands, South Africa and Namibia. But, right now, I'm doing what I love most: developing open source electronic products and associated software for the customers of SparkFun Electronics. My current core skills are: PCB design; software development in C, C++ and Python; product design, documentation and marketing.

Country

United Kingdom

City

Sunderland

Industry

Consumer Electronics

Skill

Electronic Engineering, Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Design, KiCAD, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), C (Programming Language), C++, Python (Programming Language), Satellite Modems, Engineering, Vacuum Chambers, Cryogenics, Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Spectroscopy, Earth Observation, Satellite Imagery, CCDs, Class 4 Lasers, Clean Rooms, Interfacing

Experience

SparkFun Engineer

SparkFun Electronics

2020-4 - Present · 6 yrs 6 mos

Member of the SparkX engineering team - reporting directly to the Founder of SparkFun: • Hardware and software design and development, predominantly in Positioning, Navigation, and Timing • Development of hardware products based on u-blox GNSS modules, L-Band receivers and cellular modules (SARA-R5 and LARA-R6) • Development of satellite communication hardware and software libraries, including: ARGOS ARTIC R2; Swarm Satellite; Iridium Short Burst Data • Development of GNSS positioning and timing products based on Septentrio mosaic-X5 and mosaic-T • Development and maintenance of several SparkFun Arduino software libraries, including: u-blox GNSS; u-blox SARA-R5 • Provision of customer support through GitHub and the SparkFun Forums Hardware design using KiCad and Autodesk Eagle Software development in: C, C++, Python

PaulZC on GitHub

GitHub

2020 - Present · 6 yrs

I am "that guy": PaulZC on GitHub ( https://github.com/PaulZC )

Head of Engineering for CfAI

Durham University

1998 - 2020 · 22 yrs

Centre for Advanced Instrumentation, NETPark Research Institute

Line manager of CfAI’s Engineering Team: • Management of a team of predominantly mechanical engineers plus research technicians • Staff development, promotion and appraisal • Product Assurance for CfAI’s delivery of bespoke calibration equipment for the Sentinel-4 Earth Observation Satellite Ultra-violet, Visible and Near-infrared (UVN) spectrometer • Project Manager for CfAI’s involvement in the KMOS near-infrared spectrograph for the European Southern Observatory (Chile) • Solely responsible for the electronics and detector systems for the High Resolution Spectrograph (HRS) for the South African Large Telescope (SALT) • Responsible for the cryogenic testing of space flight hardware including the NIRSPEC Integral Field Unit - flown on JWST • Provision of Digital Interfacing Techniques training to post-graduate students • Supervision of undergraduate electronics laboratory sessions • Supervision of 4th year undergraduate project students • Health and Safety Coordinator for CfAI

Design Manager

Martel Instruments

1995 - 1998 · 3 yrs

Stanley, England, United Kingdom

Solely responsible for all aspects of the design and development of Martel’s range of portable and desk-top thermal and impact printers

Senior Engineer

British Gas

1990 - 1994 · 4 yrs

Engineering Research Station, Killingworth, UK

Responsible for the development of several communications projects for the gas industry including: Through-Water Acoustic Communication System Field Portable Workstation - satellite imagery and GPS positioning DSP Modem Development