I am currently working for MxV Rail (formerly Transportation Technology Center Inc, TTCI). I also provide consulting on mechatronic systems, embedded design, and embedded programming. Contact hunter {at} newmexatronics (dot) com for consulting services.
As long as I work for MxV Rail I will be limited to part-time consulting, and I will not accept any consulting work that creates a conflict of interest. In short, any work associated with the railroad industry may be a conflict of interest. All consulting is done through New Mexatronics LLC.
Looking for my personal website? Check here. Looking for poorly built, improperly maintained, disturbing, structurally deficient, functionally obsolete, or otherwise frightening bridges? Check my other webpage, Scary Bridges
I am a mechatronics/robotics engineer focused on the integration of electrical, mechanical, and software systems. I solve problems involving a mix of components such as microcontrollers, analog & digital electronics, actuators, sensors, motors, and software.
In my free time I hike, climb, cave, and volunteer among other activities. I also run two websites, my personal website and Scary Bridges where photos of many of my activities can be found.
Qualifications Overview
Notable Accomplishments
Skills Include
I have over 20 years of work experience covering a wide variety of tasks. A brief timeline:
Details of each position are below.
I am currently a senior engineer at MxV Rail working in the computing and train control division. I started working at MxV Rail in 2019, and as a team lead am currently planning and running on-track tests, performing systems engineering tasks, and writing interface requirements specifications.
Key Skills
Key accomplishments
Photo: Testing at MxV Rail's Facility for Accelerated Testing (FAST).
New Mexatronics LLC is my part-time consulting business in which I perform electronic design and programming tasks. I started New Mexatronics LLC to continue the work I started for my graduate thesis. Currently I am designing a portable impedance analyzer based on the AD5940 impedance analyzer on a chip.
Key Skills
Key Accomplishments
Photo: AD5940-based impedance analyzer prototypes.
I worked at NRAO for 9 years, 2007-2015. Most of my time was spent on Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) construction. Once construction was complete, I spent 3 years on the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). While NRAO is an excellent place to work, I left NRAO to study for a masters degree. While at NRAO, I served in a number of positions which are outlined below.
Overview
After completing the ALMA project, NRAO no longer had a construction-related position for me. They did, however, have a maintenance position at their Brewster Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) site. This gave me an opportunity to learn by supporting an older telescope system. It also emphasized independent work as I had only one on-site coworker, and my understanding of the system was essential to our repairs. To insure my career didn't stagnate, I started studying for my eventual return school to see a masters degree in mechanical engineering.
Key Skills
Key accomplishments
Reason for leaving: Returning to school to seek a masters degree.
Photo: The Brewster VLBA antenna. My office was in the building behind the trees on the right.
Overview
After working on ALMA construction for 5 years in NRAO's Socorro office, I had the oppertunity to move to Chile to spend 18 months on the final construction of the ALMA telescope. This was a rare and unique experience which was well worth doing, and I hope to one day do more international work. Portions of my experience in Chile can be seen on my personal webpage, in my tour of the ALMA telescope, and on my other hobby website, Scary Bridges.
My work during those 18 months focused on the inspection and certification of the last of NRAO's ALMA antennas. The antennas were constructed under a contract with Vertex sub-division of General Dynamics. I ran acceptance tests, worked with Vertex to insure timely delivery, and coordinated activities between Vertex, NRAO, and the ALMA Project. Work was done in shifts, with 8 days working at the Operations Support Facility and 6 days off in Santiago.
Key Skills
Key accomplishments
Reason for leaving: Project completion
Photo: ALMA antennas during late night optical pointing tests. My office was in the building on the right.
Overview
When the funding for my prior position ran out, I was happy to leave my contract position for a full-time position as an NRAO employee. This was primarily a programming position, but I continued to support hardware development. I also coordinated between the hardware and software departments to insure that problems were corrected. My understand of both hardware and software systems provided me with a unique ability to locate a problem. Interpersonal skills were necessary to work with all parties to avoid the blame game while focusing on correcting the problem and building a functional system.
Key Skills
Key accomplishments
Reason for leaving: Promotion within the organization
Photo: One of the ALMA data receivers I was responsible for assembling and installing. I took this photo at the ALMA site in Chile.
Overview
Once I had proved myself at NRAO, I was able to move up into a position where my computer science degree would be beneficial. This position was part-time system administration and part-time hardware assembly and testing. While an odd combination, I was happy to put my computer science degree to good use while still contributing to ALMA hardware production.
Key Skills
Key accomplishments
Note: This was a contract position through Staffing Solutions.
Reason for leaving: Promotion within the organization
Photo:An overnight snowstorm resulted in a chilly morning at NRAO's Socorro office. I worked in this office from my start at NRAO in 2007 until they moved me to Chile in 2011.
Overview
As a fresh college graduate I found job hunting to be very difficult, and employers generally demanded 3+ years of experience. I was forced to settle for a sub-optimal position doing hardware assembly at NRAO. This worked out well as NRAO is an excellent place to work. As am employee that excelled at solving problems I was able to rapidly move into more challenging positions. This junior position is also where I learned many valuable skills related to electronics assembly, testing, and verification.
Key Skills
Key accomplishments
Note: This was a contract position through Staffing Solutions.
Reason for leaving: Promotion within the organization
Photo: One of the ALMA data transmitters I was responsible for assembling. They pair with the data receiver shown above.
While pursuing my masters degree I worked at NMT both a research assistant and a teaching assistant, both writing my thesis and paying my bills. While pursuing my bachelors degree I worked at NMT as a computer technician, gaining job experience and paying my bills.
Overview
Key Skills
Key accomplishments
Reason for leaving: completion of my masters degree.
Figure: A block diagram of the impedance analysis system in which I used off-the-shelf hardware to build a structural health monitoring capable programmable impedance analyzer.
Overview
I worked as a teaching assistant to support myself while attending grad school. During this time I covered different courses depending on where my skills were needed.
Key Skills
Key accomplishments
Reason for leaving: completion of my masters degree.
Photo: Hands-on learning in a machine shop.
Overview
I worked at the New Mexico Tech Computer Center while I studying for a bachelors in Computer Science. My primary focus was on hardware repair, maintenance and networking. Secondary duties included Linux system administration, interfacing with users, and software support.
Key Skills
Key accomplishments
Reason for leaving: I completed my bachelors degree, and this was a part-time student job.
Photo: One of the many computer labs that we kept up and running for student use.
Overview
After finishing my freshmen year, I worked for a summer at LANL. This was an excellent learning experience and helped me expand my education. The only reason I did not return the following summer was that I got an ongoing job at the New Mexico Tech Computer Center, which provided year-round work.
Key Skills
Key accomplishments
Reason for leaving: Completed internship and returned to school.
Last Updated: 2024-12-31, updated work experience.
© David C. Hunter, 2018-2025;
hunter {at} dch (dot) pw
