John R. Carlsen
Sunnyvale, CA
https://www.syncopate.us/contact
Analytical developer of cost-effective systems, circuits, and software since early teens. Built two startups while earning technical and business degrees. Managed operations, people, and major projects.
Core Competencies
- Systems: Reverse engineering, failure analysis, closed-/open-loop control system design
- Hardware Development: Analog/digital/mixed signal circuit design, PLD/FPGA (Verilog/VHDL), schematic capture, PCB & IC layout, power & signal integrity (PI/SI)
- Software Development: Embedded firmware, applications, C, C++, shell scripts, assembly
- Management: Contracts, global teams, supply chains, presentations; IEEE officer
- Tools: Unix/Linux (bash, vi, grep, ssh, sftp), PCB & IC EDA/CAD (Altium Designer, SolidWorks, KiCad), SMT assembly/rework, DMMs, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers
- Methodologies: Requirements/MVP, DFM/DFT/DFx, OOP, CI/CD, FMEA
Career Impact
- Principal hardware engineer of a PlayStation video game for South America with projected retail sales of $1-billion – Senior Staff Hardware Engineer, Sony 2010–2011
- First 64-bit PC and reference design used to create most modern microcomputers (x86-64/AMD64): Gathered requirements, budgeted, and designed power subsystem with novel voltage-scaling mechanism (pre-PMBus), outsourced development of CPU VRMs – Newisys 2001
- Created reference design PCBs introducing new line of SoC ICs used in most (70%+) flash-
based MP3 players (including Apple iPod Shuffle 1G) – SigmaTel 2000–2001
- Principal hardware & tool engineer for a startup video game developer sold for $25MM: Enabled the company’s core business by creating efficient (90%+ less costly) hardware for cross-platform software development; reverse-engineered game consoles, other hardware; created software tools, including the company’s first Windows applications; managed supply chain & operations through rapid growth, supporting 170+ employees on 2 continents – Senior Hardware Engineer, Iguana Entertainment 1993–1996
- Supervised first CD-ROM pressing of Microsoft Windows and EMI/EMC testing and FCC
certification of all products; developed PC audio adapters; resolved critical problems in
manufacturing ramp-ups – Associate Engineer, Media Vision 1991–1992
Independent Contracting
Integrated modern technologies in systems, circuits, and software for client products as an independent contractor/consultant (dba Syncopated Systems since 2003)
Robots
- Developed hardware and firmware for humanoid/mobile robots (2022–2025)
- Developed pizza delivery robots and point-of-sale system for Atari founder Nolan Bushnell