Electronics, firmware and control systems for products that have to work.

Since 2003, Swope Designs, Inc. (SDI) has designed circuits, firmware, and control systems for unmanned aircraft, robotics, aerial firefighting, clean energy, residential lighting, medical lasers, and more.

Company
Swope Designs, Inc.
Established
2003
Location
Northern California
Experience
26+ years
Hands holding a circuit board in front of a bench of test equipment

Selected work

06 projects

01 / 06 Law enforcement and military

Unmanned Aircraft System

Sector
Law enforcement and military
SDI’s role
Developed most of the system

SDI developed most of this high-performance unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for law-enforcement and military applications, and was an early innovator in the field, beginning in 2005. Technology developed by SDI includes a custom inertial measurement unit (IMU), stabilization and control, GPS and optical-flow control, telemetry and encrypted communications, a high-reliability real-time data-capture system, and the ground control station.

Quadrotor drone with a grey shell, in flight
Fig. 1.1
Three quadrotor drones resting on gravel
Fig. 1.2
Ground control station built into a rugged open case
Fig. 1.3

02 / 06 Robotics

Robotics Subsystem

Sector
Robotics
SDI’s role
Board and firmware

SDI developed this sensor interface board and its firmware for a leading robotics company. It interfaces with many sensors at once and provides real-time communications and control within a larger robotics system. The board replaced a full rack of equipment, simplifying the design and saving cost and valuable space. Its custom low-latency firmware is designed for high reliability and makes full use of the microcontroller, including direct DMA peripheral operations, so every sensor runs concurrently without lag or risk of CPU overload.

Sensor interface circuit board with rows of connectors
Fig. 2.1
Underwater robotic vehicle suspended above the sea
Fig. 2.2

03 / 06 Clean energy

Power Converter

Sector
Clean energy
SDI’s role
Converter design

SDI developed this 1 kW power converter for a client in the clean-energy sector. The board shown is a high-efficiency, switch-mode buck regulator, providing power conversion within a larger system to the client's specifications.

Power converter circuit board beside aluminum heat sinks
Fig. 3.1
Power system cabinet with a front control panel
Fig. 3.2

04 / 06 Aerial firefighting

Tanker Drop Controller

Sector
Aerial firefighting
SDI’s role
Designed, prototyped, tested and deployed

SDI designed, prototyped, tested and deployed this high-reliability fire-retardant drop controller for aircraft, to the client's specifications. It provides full closed-loop control of the hydraulics for precision, integrates with the aircraft's systems, and adds enhanced diagnostics and an easy-to-use LCD control panel. Custom firmware simulates the physics of the drop in real time for superior accuracy and control. The custom hardware includes ruggedized I/O, additional protection circuitry and a high-reliability, fault-tolerant embedded system.

Drop controller in a black enclosure with a keypad and display
Fig. 4.1
Air tanker releasing fire retardant low over a forest
Fig. 4.2

05 / 06 Residential lighting

Advanced LED Lighting

Sector
Residential lighting
SDI’s role
Fixture electronics

SDI developed the electronics for one of the most sophisticated residential lighting systems in the world. Each fixture incorporates multiple high-efficiency power converters, acoustic resonator cooling, an embedded computer and powerline communications. Fixtures interconnect with just two wires, yet each is individually addressable, dimmable and adjustable in color temperature. The system is fully integrated with home-automation systems.

Rows of lighting-fixture circuit boards on aluminum housings
Fig. 5.1
Three ceiling light fixtures, switched on
Fig. 5.2

06 / 06 Medical devices

Medical Laser

Sector
Medical devices
SDI’s role
Hardware and firmware design assistance

SDI provided hardware and firmware design assistance for this scalpel-replacing laser, including engineering reviews and enhancements and the development of proprietary, robust RF communications protocols. The solid design helped this product become one of the best-selling lasers in its market.

Medical laser handpiece with a red aiming beam at its tip
Fig. 6.1
Medical laser handpiece resting in its white stand
Fig. 6.2

Capabilities

  1. Embedded systems

    Analog and digital circuit design, with the firmware that runs on it, on all major platforms: ARM, Atmel, Cypress PSoC and Motorola.

  2. Advanced algorithms

    Control loops and sensor fusion: extended Kalman filters, optimal state estimation, PID control and quaternion state representation.

  3. Robotics and mechatronics

    Circuits and firmware that connect electronics to the physical world: actuators, motors, sensors and feedback loops.

  4. Power systems

    Power conversion and motor drives: buck and boost converters, motor control (brushed, BLDC, stepper and servo), and actuator and laser power circuitry.

  5. Drones and UAVs

    Custom IMUs, ground control stations, BLDC motor control, attitude and position control, telemetry and communications, and data logging.

  6. Mission-critical systems

    High MTBF and low failure rates: redundant hardware architectures, design for reliability, time-triggered deterministic firmware, and circuit simulation and validation.

Clients

“Mr. Swope has completed numerous development and manufacturing projects for me. They have included PCB design, firmware, lighting class LEDs and multiple communications protocols. In every case his work is well executed, timely and cost effective.”

Tyler SchillingCEO, Sicktoiz, LLC

“John is very talented and I have truly enjoyed working with him on several engineering projects involving medical grade lasers. He has been instrumental in overcoming some extreme technical challenges.”

Alex D.CEO of a medical device company

How SDI works

About

Founded in 2003 by John Swope, BSEE. Before starting his own businesses, John worked at Intel, HP and Lockheed Martin.

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