http://edf.bu.edu
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The Boston University Electronics Design Facility designs and builds advanced electronics in support of research science and education. The EDF’s professional design team provides expert assistance with systemselectronics design, freeing researchers to focus on scientific innovation.
Boston University Electronics Design Facility creates specialized equipment for research scientists. We aspire to aid the innovation of others with our custom products so that researchers can concentrate on their science. Our qualifications and familiarity with the unique needs required to support research science empowers us to offer expert assistance while giving our customers a competitive edge.
Work-Study
Now hiring students for Fall 2008! Work-study grants preferred, however all qualified candidates will be considered. For more information or to apply, contact Eric Hazen at 617-353-6120 or .
Entry Engineering / Technician - Responsibilities include circuit construction (soldering, cable assembly, light mechanical work) and circuit testing using multimeter, signal generators, and oscilloscopes. Opportunities exist for training in use of CAD software for circuit design, simulation, and PCB layout.
Entry Computer Programmer – Responsibilities include web development, database (MySQL) administration (MySQL), Perl/CGI programming. Some pPrevious experience is required. ; Drupal expereience is a plus.
A work-study grant is preferred, but we will consider hiring all qualified candidates. If you are interested, phone Eric Hazen at 617-353-6120, or e-mail .
About EDF
The Boston University Electronics Design Facility designs and builds advanced electronics in support of research science and education. The EDF develops a broad range of instrumentation, from small “black box” circuits for a lab to large systems. Areas of specialty include RF, low-noise circuits, programmable logic and impedance controlled fine-line multi-layer printed circuit boards (PCB). The EDF has contributed to experiments such as Framingham Heart Study, MACRO, Super-Kamiokande, ATLAS, MuLAN, and Muon g-2.The EDF offers advanced electronics design, prototyping, and testing capability in support of research science. Custom integrated circuit (IC) and printed circuit board (PCB) design is done in-house on state-of-the-art CAD tools, including a including systems provided by Cadence and Mentor Graphics under their Higher Education Programs. The EDF has broad expertise in instrumentation for scientific research. We can design low-noise amplifiers, high-speed data acquisition systems, digital signal processing systems, RF circuits or almost any other custom electronic device you may require.
History
The Boston University Electronics Design Facility (EDF) was founded by Eric Hazen in 1986 by Eric Hazen to address a need for specialized technology support for research in the sciences at. The EDF has grown from its original two-person staff in glassblowing shop at 590 Commonwealth, to its present five-member operation in the newly-completed Physics Research Building.
with a staff of two. The EDF originally shared space with the glassblowing shop in the basement at 590 Commonwealth Ave. In 1988 the EDF added a CAD room across the hall, and in 1992 moved to it's present facility in the newly-completed Physics Research Building.
Staff
Eric Hazen (Director) founded the EDF in 1986. He has over 25 years experience in electronics design, software development and project management. He Mr. Hazen is skilled at embedded system design, software development and analog and digital circuit design.
Shouxiang Wu (Senior Engineer) has been with the EDF since 1999. Previously he worked with Nobel laureate Samuel Ting on the L3 experiment at CERN. Wu has considerable expertise in fast synchronous logic design, and printed circuit board layout, as and well as sound analog design skills.
William Earle (Senior Engineer) has extensive experience with all aspects of instrumentatioinstrumentation: n — RF and power electronics; , low-noise analog design; , DSP applications, and digital design.
Paul Bohn (Production Engineer) specializes in PCB Layout, electronic assemblies design, programmable logic, microcontrollers, and technical documentation. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University.Paul Bohn (Production Engineer) specializes in PCB Layout, electronic assemblies design, programmable logic, microcontrollers, and technical documentation. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University.
is a recent graduate in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern. Some of you may have met him when he worked for us as an undergraduate in the EDF.
Chris Lawlor (Administrative Coordinator) handles administrative and technical tasks as for the EDF, including record-keeping,well as purchasing, prototype assembly and testing, and equipment repair.
Projects
This The following projects have been selected from the EDF’s design portfolio to provide an introduction to the type of services available. The EDF has a wide range of capabilities: is a collection of current and past EDF projects. Please feel free to familiarize yourself with some of our work we make this resource available to help customers make better-informed decisions about our services. Iif you are do not see a project here thathaving difficulties finding a project that directly relates to your research needs, do not hesitate to contact the EDF, as we may still be able to support your project.
ideas do not worry. We are interested in all forms of research projects and we enjoy new problems, so do not hesitate to contact us.
Our Facilities
Despite the fact that our main product is intellectual property tThe EDF’s well-outfitted shop includes an extensive inventory of parts, electronic test equipment, and electronic assembly stations. The EDF usesd industry-standard design tools from Mentor Graphics, Cadence, Synopsis, Autodesk, and Adobe.he EDF occupies a large well-outfitted shop. We have a large inventory of parts, electronic test equipment, electronic assembly stations, and access to a broad spectrum of advanced design tools. On occasion, we are able to lend equipment contact us for more information.
Shop
1. 1300 square feet of Working Area
2. 3 Assembly Stations
3. 3 Soldering Stations
4. Fume Hood
5. Compressed Air, Vacuum, Natural Gas, Cold Water
6. 120VAC & 240VAC NEMA Electrical Outlets
Parts Inventory
1. Assortment of FPGA / Microcontroller Development Kits
2. Full Assortment of Interconnect & Wire/Cable
3. Full Assortment of Passive and Semiconductor Parts
4. Electromechanical Parts
5. Power Products
6. Enclosures
7. Hardware
Equipment
Electronic Test:
1. Multimeters
2. RCL Meter
3. Oscilloscopes
4. High Voltage Probes
5. Frequency Counter
6. Electrometer
7. Pico-ammeter
8. Pulse Generators
9. Signal Generators
10. High Voltage Power Supply
11. AC/DC Power Supplies
Electronic Assembly:
1. Binocular Microscope
2. Surface mount Heat Cone
3. Exhaust Fans
4. Air Pencil
5. Vacuum Tweezer
6. Switch System
7. Drill Press
8. Sheet Metal Shear
9. Assembly Press
10. Static Control Grounding Workstation
11. Soldering Stations
12. Desoldering / Rework Stations
13. Vices
14. Multitude of hand tools
Office:
1. Library of Electronics Literature
2. Color Plotter
3. Many Computers / Servers
4. Digital Scale
5. Copy Machine
6. Fax Machine
7. Laser Printers
8. Label Maker
9. Scanner
EDA Tools
We The EDF has have access to a broad spectrum of design tools from the following vendors through their University partnership programs:
Design tools from following vendors:
1. Mentor Graphics
2. Cadence Design Systems
3. OrCAD
4. Xilinx
5. Altera
6. AutoDesk
Equipment Lending
We The EDF regularly lends tools, equipment, parts, and space to Boston University employees at no cost. If you are interested in borrowing some tools, need a place to work for a day, or you need a few parts to complete a project, contact us, we might be able to help. for more information.
CapabilitiesServices
The EDF design team provides a wide range of electronic engineering services to support research science. These services include design and consultation, programming, mechanical assembly, repairs, PCB layout, simulation, documentation, and training.
Rates & Quotes
Below is our standard rate chart.Depending on the nature of the project, jobs may be either quoted at a fixed rate or billed per time and materials. This is decided on a case-by-case basis by the director in consultation with the prospective customer
The director chooses on a case-by-case basis how each job will be billed. Whether a fixed quote is in order or time and materials rate should be applied, we are willing to work with you to make sure your specific needs are met. Here at the EDF we are passionate about supporting research science so please contact us if you would like to make use of our services.
Design
The EDF design team solves technical problems through the design of functional and develops instructions to make scientific equipment. We implement these instructions to construct a functional product that meets the researcher’s specifications. Thise design process often leads yeildsto innovative methods to of improving research experiments.
The EDF staff has We have design expertise in the following areas.:
· Instrument Design & ConstructionAnalog and RF Circuit Design
· Digital Circuit Design (discrete and FPGA) Data Acquisition & Anaylsis
· Embedded Systems Signal & Image Processing
· Data Acquisition & Analysis Experiment Control Systems
· Low-noise Instrumentation Analog and RF Cicuit Design
· Experimental Control Digital Cicuit Design
· Motion Control Embedded Systems
· Signal & Image Processing Computer Interfacing
· Computer Interfacing Mechanical Design
· Basic Mechanical Design
Consultation
The EDF offers consultation sessions for researchers seeking advice and recommendations on commercially available products, parts, vendors, literature, PCB manufacturing, assembly houses, and much more. A short consultation session – at any stage of the project – can translate into tremendous cost savings for customers. The EDF staff offers a holistic perspective on the design process through its diverse portfolio of experience and connections.
Whether the subject is hardware, computers, software, or design our staff has the diverse experience and connections required to get your project on track. We can offer a holistic perspective of the design process that it is required to turn an idea into a working product while addressing any foreseeable problems. That is why short consultation session can translate to tremendous cost savings for our customers. We routinely provide advice and recommendations on commercially available products, parts, vendors, literature, PCB manufacturing, assembly houses, and much more. We are prepared to help with your project no matter what stage it is currently in.
Programming
The EDF often develops custom software, and firmware for for our designs. Much of this software is related to experiment control systems, data acquisitions and analysis. We can also provide software development support for independent projects as well as interfacing solutions.
Languages:
VHDL, Assembly, C/C++, Visual Basic, Perl, PHP, MySQL, MATLAB
Mechanical & Assembly
The EDFWe offers customized assembly and design of electronic equipment and other related hardware. This equipment will be designed and constructed according to our customers specifications.
Services available include: We regularly provide the following services.
· Scientific Instrument Assembly
· Electronic Circuit Assembly
· Custom CablesCustom Cables
Electronic Circuit Assembly and Testing
· Enclosures
· Front Panels
· Simple Machines and Basic Mechanisms Mechanical Movements
· Hardware
· Mounting
· Fasteners
· Spacers
· Brackets
Repairs
The EDF engineering team services and repairsis fully capable of servicing electronic laboratory equipment. Repair jobs can be tricky because it is a matter of balancing resources and time. The repairs must be completed in a timely fashion so that repair costs do not exceed the ticket price of the piece of equipment being repaired. Our repair endeavors will be greatly aided if we have the following:
· Clear description of the problem
· The ability to repeatable reproduce the problem in our shop
· Users Manual
· Service Manual with Schematics
· The ability to meaningfully test the equipment in our shop
· Access to replacement parts
PCB Layout
The EDF’sOur printed circuit board services includes schematic capture, parts selection, a custom PCB library, and consultation. The EDFWe can pick up your design at any stage and take it to completion.
· Printed Circuit Boards
· Multilayer Design Multilayer Surface Mount Designs
· Surface Mount Digital, Analog and RF Design High Speed Digital, Analog, and RF Circuits
· Documentation including Schematic, Assembly, and Fabrication Drawings
· Fabrication and Assembly
· Testing and Production
Simulation
The EDF engineering team can perform simulations in the following areas:We can run simulations in the following areas.
· VHDL Logic Design and Simulation
· PSpice Analog Circuit Analysis
· Signal Integrity Analysis
Documentation
The EDF values provides customers with high quality documentation that contains all of the information necessary to use and reproduce a product from first principle.
Custom documentation is available to suit the researchers’ needs. Services include: With that said. Depending on the project, we can vary level of documentation to suit your needs. We can also reverse engineer and document non EDF designs.
· User and Assembly Instructions
· User and Assembly Instructions
· Circuit Schematics
· Mechanical Drawings
· Simple 3D Models
· Parts Lists
· Datasheet Archives
· Technical Posters
Training
Here The EDF offers at the EDF, we have an open knowledge policy and we realize the importance of continuing education. We strive to create hands-on learning opportunities for undergraduate, graduates, and professionals. On The EDF staffocc canasion the EDF staff train individuals on electronic technician skills, engineering skills, CAD software, and PCB design.
Parts Procurement
The EDF offers assistance in the procurement of parts, equipment, and services. The EDF has established relationships with many with key industry companies that which makes procurement fast and efficient.
Design Resources
Here you will find a compilation of various design related resources.
Suggested Vendors
Here are some suggested vendors for procurement of electronic components and related items. Purchase options vary widely; some accept only credit cards, others take purchase orders. We have open accounts with some suppliers-- if you are with a BU research group we the EDF can purchase items and bill you. If you have a favorite supplier you'd like to suggest be on our list, please let us know.
Data Sheets
The link below contains a collection of data sheets that is shared among the EDF staff.
Draft Standards
The link below contains a collection of engineering standards that can be used by the EDF design team. When called for the EDF staff uses these standards for our designs..