Gerald Rigdon
I'm a R&D engineer, software developer, entrepreneur, author, technology and blockchain enthusiast, and former minister (no doubt a surprise to post Y2K associates).
My computer science education was non-traditional. I did a 2-year program in computer science, spent a decade in industry, then returned to get a bachelors, and subsequently two more graduate degrees.
In over 30 years of engineering I've covered a lot of bases: Electronics, Embedded Safety Critical Systems, SQL and Databases, Test Systems, Manufacturing Stations, Desktop, Mobile, Web, and recently Blockchain Applications.
My entrepreneurial endeavors started circa 1986 when I wrote a cutting edge Bible Translation PC Application pre-Microsoft Windows. Ten years later I had built my first commercial project which I did from A-Z...the electronics, mechanical & assembly, firmware, desktop application, sales & marketing. More recent endeavors have included building an e-commerce air purifier store.
As an author I've published a novel and penned an award winning screenplay. I've also written a few technical White Papers.
I have a keen interest in various technology subject matter (like blockchains) and actively work on personal hobby projects.
During my time in the ministry I spent many years immersed in Biblical studies including New Testament Greek. I preached numerous sermons to audiences ranging in size from hundreds to thousands but stepped aside from the public ministry in 1998.
Finally, I'm the proud father of 2 wonderful boys.
Education
- Master of Science - Regulatory Affairs
- Master of Arts - MBA
- Bachelor of Science - Computer Systems
- Diploma - Analog and Digital Electronics
- Associate of Science - Computer Science
Corporate Experience
Medical Devices
Advisory role that includes Class III implantable design, solving difficult technical issues across multiple projects, oversight of safety critical software design patterns and static analysis techniques.
Pacemakers, Defibrillators, Diagnostic Recorders, Research Controls
Dynamically Stabilized Balancing Machines
Original member of the product development team of a highly visible startup company that created the world’s first commercially available dynamically stabilized balancing machine, namely, the Segway Personal Transporter. Enjoyed a wide variety of work experiences from upstream prototype concept creation, to product development and release, to downstream manufacturing and serviceability tools, as well as leading investigations for issues in fielded products and subsequent software maintenance releases.
Below are a couple of photos of the orignal "Project Ginger" firmware team taken a few months before the Good Morning America reveal. I'm the tall, bearded one. In the center is the Gen2 production machine.
HVAC Systems
Designed and implemented HVAC furnace control firmware.
Gas Burner Controls
Project Leader for the successful submission of a micro-controller-based gas ignition product line in compliance with the UL 1998 software safety requirements.
Industrial Instrumentation & Control Systems
Designed and implemented real-time software applications for use in embedded systems to provide feedback for process control instrumentation in safety critical areas of industrial environments.
Refractometers, X-Ray Gauges, CO2 Analyzers, Black Liquor Recovery Boiler Monitors
Published Fiction
- Author of novel High Striker -> Read Now
- Author of High Striker adapted screenplay -> Read Now
- Accepting Hollywood Crash Film Festival Screenplay Award from Steven de Souza (Running Man, Die Hard, Commando)
Non-Fiction
- "Rigdon Emprise Business Plan", 2001 -> Read Now
- "Preclinical Studies", 2011 -> Read Now
- “Drugs and Devices”, 2011 -> Read Now
- "Pacemaker Regulations”, 2012 -> Read Now
- “New Drug Development", 2012 -> Read Now
- “Informed Consent”, 2013 -> Read Now
- “Combination Products", 2013 -> Read Now
- “Static Analysis”, Presentation at Perforce Conference, 2018 -> Read Now
- "An Analytical Approach to Identifying Software Initialization Issues”, White Paper, 2012 -> Read Now
- “Streamlining Analysis of Medical Device Software”, Case Study, 2010 -> Read Now
- “Static Analysis Considerations for Medical Device Firmware”, White Paper, 2010 -> Read Now
- “Static Analysis Considerations for Stack Usage”, White Paper, 2010 -> Read Now
- “Static Analysis”, Presentation at Embedded Systems Conference, 2010 -> Read Now
- “Control Training with its Own Process”, Software Review, Control Engineering Magazine, 1996
- “Tune Tutor Toolkit”, PID educational HW/SW device, U.S. Copyright TXu 792-019, 1996
Entrepreneurial
- In 2020 my partner and I built and launched an online air purifier store. -> View Store
This project required learning not only new web technologies but also various air purification technologies. Much of the work has included writing technical content and numerous ongoing blogs about air purifiers.
- In 1995-1996 I designed and built a PID Control Loop Product for teaching control theory.
It was a tutorial built around a real physical system that housed a feedback loop using a custom circuit board with an 8051 micro that drove a DC motor and potentiometer. It connected to a PC Windows Application via an RS-232 serial port.
With the PC interface the system doubled as a real PID controller with an input port and both a 0-10v and 4-20ma output signal for complete closed loop control of a process.
- During the years from 1986-1987 I created a Bible Translation software product built on MS-DOS.
Below is a small sample of the original text, in the Roman alphabet in ASCII codes, created by a UBS/Academic research project. It’s the Gospel of John chapter 1 verse 1:
_1.1 *)EN
Word for word English would be: "In beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was toward the God, and God was the Logos."
My translation software coverted that text and displayed the output in Biblical Greek using custom digitized fonts and had full interlinear capability.
That was groundbreaking at the time.
In native Greek it would be: Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. – Westcott/Hort
It’s amazing how easy it is to display it in Greek today. The above is a quick copy and paste. Not so in 1986!
Software Engineering Skills
- Requirements gathering, establishing design patterns & constraints, employing systems engineering practices, mentoring and teaching
- Linux, home grown RTOS, low power consumption, safety-critical, bare metal, algorithm development, signal processing, telemetry
- C, C++, Assembler for 8088, 8051, PIC16, ST62, HC11
- C#, Perl, Python, VBA, SQL, LabWindows CVI
- Xamarin Cross Platform (.NET and C#) for iOS and Android, Bluetooth Low Energy
- JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Bootstrap
- Unit Testing (White Box)
- Integration Testing (Grey Box)
- Validation/Requirements Testing (Black Box)
- Static Analysis (Custom Tools & OTSS)
- Coding Standards (MISRA, etc.)
- Security Protocols (Cryptography)
- FDA Design Controls & Regulatory (ISO 13485 & 14971, IEC 62304, Cyber Security)
- Startup Environment
- Cross Functional Teams
- Agile Development & Scrum
- Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA)
- Product safety recalls
- Accident investigations
- Software maintenance releases
Blockchain Portfolio
- Solidity, JavaScript, React, Node JS, Web3 JS, Ethers JS, JSX
- Truffle, Hardhat, Redux, Mocha, Chai, Ganache, MetaMask, Remix, OpenZeppelin, Alchemy, Infura
- Certified Solidity Developer - Blockchain Council
- Certified Cyber Security Expert - Global Tech Council
- Certified Ethereum Developer - Cadena -> View NFT
- Moralis Academy Certifications
Blockchain Project #1
Blockchain Project #2
Blockchain Project #3
Blockchain Project #4
Training & Certifications
- Safety Critical Software - Nancy Leveson
- Cardiac Rhythm Management Advanced Training - Boston Scientific
- EKG Rhythm Interpretation Black Belt - Med Mastery
< - Sigma Epsilon Rho
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- ICCP Systems Programming
- ICCP C Language
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- Software Coding Standards
- Process Control
- Risk Management
- Microchip Controllers
Interests
- P90X enthusiast
- Basketball
- Football
- Tennis
- Philosophy
- Writing
- Podcasts
- Blockchains
- Movies
- Billiards
- PingPong
- SCUBA
- Hurting Murphy-> Listen Now
- Jaxon Pryce -> Listen Now
Fun Stuff
A few months after this photo was taken I scored 3,213,170 points in another tournament :)