Eric McRae

Embedded System Architect
Real Time Systems

Personal Statement:

I founded this company in 1992 to meet a need I perceived in the embedded systems industry. Most embedded projects were small and folks treated them like garage shop projects. This approach to engineering seemed to prevail even when the scale of the projects grew from 1 - 2 person tasks to 5 - 10 person projects involving multiple disciplines. I believe that even small embedded systems projects require up front analysis and preparation, not only for the design itself, but also for other areas such as:

• Communication among the disciplines. Programming Standards, file naming and directory conventions, reviews, etc.
• Early preparation for hardware/software integration. Early software drivers can almost always be developed that also help hardware designers check out hardware. These drivers often provide the basis for manufacturing test.
• Careful coordination of software and hardware upgrades during integration. How many people have lost time because someone else "fixed" something they were using without communicating the change?

In its sixteen plus years of operation, our business has tended toward that part of the field I love the most: real-time embedded systems. Developing a low level engine control system for Ford Motor Company for use in their production engines has been the highlight of my career. My background in physics, mechanics, and electronics was certainly helpful for that project. Most of the other projects I've worked on have been pretty obscure relative to the general public. Now I am thrilled to see all sorts of vehicles on the street with my software controlling everything that matters in the powertrain. Still, the work I did in the biomedical and aircraft safety fields remains a source of pride as well as knowing that my power control system maintained what was, at least for a few months, the world's fastest parallel processing supercomputer.