Embedded Systems Consulting Experience
I am
an embedded
systems consultant specializing in low-level software
development for new products. I have worked with start-up
companies to research and develop new prototypes and add
features to existing products. Below is a very brief
overview of my qualifications; feel free to contact me to
discuss how I can assist with your project. You can call or text
me at 716-514-4141 or send an
email
to ac@aaronclarke.com
Since 1995, I have worked on embedded systems for both
large and small companies, contributing to a wide range of
products across consumer, defense, aerospace and industrial
markets. I am passionate about designing and engineering new
products, guiding them from concept to completion.
I also maintain a blog that focuses on embedded systems
development, primarily working with development boards and
offering various tutorials, which you can find at
blog.EmbeddedCoding.com. If you would like to learn more
about my work, see my interview as an EEWeb Featured Engineer series. You can also download my
resume in PDF format.
Embedded Systems Engineering Services
Here are some examples of the services I offer:
- processor/microcontroller selection and system architecture
- board bring-up including troubleshooting and verifying new hardware
- porting u-boot and Linux to new hardware
- Linux driver development
- Device tree development and troubleshooting
- programming bootloaders and over-the-air upgrades
- firmware development
- application development for embedded systems
- USB device development
- hardware/software integration
- RTOS selection or evaluate the need for an operating system
- Schematic and layout review, pinmux and I/O review
- WHQL, Windows Logo, WDK testing and driver development
- EMC testing at accredited laboratories (I have worked with two labs in the Northeast)
I can supplement your engineering team at any phase of
development, whether you need temporary support for a
difficult integration problem or help diagnosing hardware
issues. For startups, I can serve in an advisory role,
leveraging my familiarity with similar projects to step in
quickly when needed. Identifying mistakes during a schematic
review, for instance, can prevent the need for a board
re-spin, which leads to significant savings in both time and
cost.
Update: I would like to introduce Maxwell Clarke, an Embedded
AI Engineer now available to take on your AI-related projects.
Maxwell specializes in deploying machine learning on embedded
and edge devices, and is experienced across computer vision,
edge inference, and satellite communications. His resume is
available below.
Feel free to reach out today to discuss how I can assist with your project.
AARON CLARKE
Summary
Experienced Embedded Systems Engineer with expertise in product development, firmware engineering,
and embedded systems. Proven track record in aerospace, defense, consumer electronics, and medical devices.
Skilled in C/C++, Python, embedded Linux, and RTOS with a focus on delivering reliable, high-performance
solutions.
Skills
Programming Languages: Assembly, C, C++, C#, Fortran, Matlab, Perl, PHP, Python.
Microprocessors: ARM, fixed point DSPs, i.MX, OMAP, PIC, PowerPC, PSoC, Zynq.
Operating Systems: FreeRTOS, Linux, MicroC/OS-II, PetaLinux, UNIX, VxWorks, Windows.
Technologies: Bitbake, Bluetooth, Board bring-up, bootloaders, Embedded Linux,
GPIB, Ethernet, iSCSI, HID, network programming, MQTT, PXI, RTOS, SLIP, TCP/IP,
UDP, USB, VME, WDK, wireless communication modules, WHQL, Windows Logo Testing,
Yocto.
Professional Experience
Private Aerospace Launch Vehicle Company (Startup)
Avionics Firmware Engineer (Consulting), July 2020-Present
• Developed firmware to collect and transmit telemetry data from flight computer
sensors, including pressure sensors, RTDs, and the flight termination system.
• Developed data acquisition software to rigorously test the flight computer and validate sensor
interfaces.
• Used the software in the final qualification process to certify the flight computer for spaceflight.
• Contributed to the full lifecycle of the flight computer, from initial prototype development to the first
vehicle launch.
keywords: C++, Embedded Linux, nidaqmx, PetaLinux, Pressure sensor, Python, RTD.
Aaron Clarke, Lockport, NY
Embedded Systems Consultant, July 2007-Present
• Engineered a Bluetooth interface for a new product for a medical device startup.
• Diagnosed issue with Ethernet ports on prototype ARM Embedded Linux system.
• Fixed issue with Ethernet PHY addressing by updating Linux kernel and drivers.
• Troubleshooting crash issue on newly developed Samsung ARM11 debian embedded system.
• Set up BeagleBone Black Eclipse development environment for new product under development.
• Developed Debian Linux-based OS and drivers on TI ARM Cortex-A8 DM3730 processor module.
• Customized linux device driver to support TFT LCD display with OMAP Display Subsystem (DSS) module.
• Developed Linux build system for Freescale i.MX ARM system for embedded hardware manufacturer.
• Added USB interface to WiFi product for manufacturer of embedded modules .
• Evaluated capacitive touchscreen product for Raspberry Pi, diagnosed I2C problem with logic analyzer.
• Ported STMicroelectronics USB device stack to ARM processor system running FreeRTOS .
• Updated Agricultural GPS product for new PIC18 microcontroller and GPS receiver chip.
• Developed firmware for wireless system using Semtech 433MHz transceivers and PIC18
microcontrollers.
• Ported the Microchip Graphics Library to a new grayscale LCD controller for a PIC24F product
prototype.
• Delivered PIC display driver and customized graphics firmware on time to meet aggressive schedule.
• Debugged product firmware and rewrote an embedded USB Host stack to support common input
devices.
• Customized the Microchip HID USB device bootloader for a Microchip PIC18F industrial product.
• Ported U-boot, Apex, and vivi bootloaders to bring up new ARM-based products.
• Created custom embedded Linux kernels for ARM processors.
• Developed custom JTAG configuration scripts for programming NAND flash for production.
• Created custom boot code to support products with only NAND flash NVRAM.
• Maintained embedded Linux builds and ported new features to wireless access point.
• Developed shell and PHP scripts to boot embedded Linux systems with custom configurations.
• Diagnosed packet processing and IP filtering issues with embedded Linux switch.
• Debugged setup and administration issues for embedded Linux system and Linux server.
• Integrated software modules and debugged hardware prototypes for resource constrained ARM7
system.
• Performed design reviews of schematics and layout for consumer electronic prototypes for two clients
• Tested EMC compliance of consumer electronic prototypes.
Fisher-Price Inc., East Aurora, NY
Project Engineer, November 2004-July 2007
• Developed electronics for multiple consumer products.
keywords: 8-bit, 32-bit, ARM7, C, HID, MIDI, PSOC, RTOS, USB, audio, contract manufacturer,
codec, flash, signal processing, video.
ATTO Technology, Amherst, NY
Systems Engineer, August 2002-November 2004
• Developed firmware for iSCSI storage switch.
keywords: C, Ethernet, Linux, TCP/IP, UML, XScale, iSCSI, logic analyzer, network storage,
IETF, RFC
Sierra Research, Buffalo, NY, now part of DRS Technologies, Inc.
Engineer, June 2001-August 2002
• Developed VxWorks drivers and embedded software modules.
keywords: C, C++, Ethernet, ICD, Linux, Matlab, Perl, PowerPC, RS-232, RS-422, SLIP, UDP/IP,
VxWorks, bash, data-flow, gcc, serial
Amherst Systems, Buffalo, NY, now part of Northrop Grumman
Engineer, December 1997-January 1999
• Contributed to a wide variety of embedded software projects supporting CEESIM development.
keywords: Alpha, C, C++, GPIB, LabWindows CVI, RS-232, StrongARM, TCP/IP, UDP, VxWorks
gcc, logic analyzer, parallel port
VoCAL Technologies, Ltd., Amherst, NY
DSP Engineer, February 1996-June 1997
• Led team developing modem and fax firmware and hardware for Japanese client.
keywords: 16-bit, C, DSP, Perl, VLIW, algorithm, fax, fixed-point, modem
Dynamics Research Corp., Tonawanda, NY
Computer Programmer, June 1995-February 1996
• Awarded patent for work on data-acquisition system (U.S. Patent #5805464).
keywords: BASIC, C, FFT, LabWindows CVI, balancing, data acquisition, real-time programming, vibration
analysis
Education
B.S. Electrical Engineering, University at Buffalo, February 2000.
• Developed audio signal compression system using psychoacoustics in Matlab.
B.S. Mathematics, University at Buffalo, June 1995.
• Concentration in Applied Mathematics.
A.S. Engineering Science, Erie Community College, Williamsville, NY, June 1990.
• Awarded Engineering Society of Buffalo scholarship.
MAXWELL CLARKE
Summary
Experienced Embedded AI Engineer with expertise in machine learning integration, embedded
systems, and computer vision. Proven track record in security systems, consumer electronics,
and satellite communications. Skilled in Python, C/C++, embedded Linux, and TFLite with a
focus on deploying efficient AI pipelines on resource-constrained hardware.
Skills
Languages & Frameworks: Python, C/C++, PyTorch, TFLite (LiteRT), YOLO, Ultralytics, Assembly
Embedded Systems: Embedded Linux, Yocto, PSoC Creator, MCU Firmware, Bluetooth/BLE
Tools & Concepts: Git, Linux, KiCad (PCB Design), Vitis/Vivado, VHDL, TCP/UDP
Professional Experience
Elysium Security September 2024 – Present
Co-Founder, AI Engineer
• Built YOLOv8/EasyOCR-based license plate recognition system with best-frame scoring, OCR
post-processing, and Hydra-configured CSV export
• Created AI-assisted batch video analysis program using InsightFace, FastAPI, and SQLite to
identify subjects across hours of footage
• Built Python, HTML, and Uvicorn-based frontend UI to guide users through subject
enrollment, video upload, scan configuration and result visualization
• Constructed three-node RTSP pipeline using FFmpeg across Windows, Raspberry Pi, and Linux
• Used FastAPI/WebSocket layer to forward encoded streams for remote processing
• Configured Tailscale mesh network with boot-triggered email and cross-device push
notifications for remote device status monitoring
Aaron Clarke Consulting May 2024 – Present
Embedded Software Engineer
• Authored embedded AI tutorials covering KWS on Arduino Nano 33 BLE and ESP32-C3 with
LiteRT/ESP-IDF, and deploying TFLite C API from source in WSL
• Configured LiteRT on Arduino Nano 33 BLE, deploying micro_speech KWS example
• Customized keyword dataset using Edge Impulse and Google Speech Commands, training a KWS
model with MFCC audio processing for "on/off" detection
• Built the TFLite C API from source inside WSL using Bazel, configuring memory limits and
testing with a C program containing a .tflite model
• Configured ESP-IDF toolchain and flashed hello_world to ESP32-C3-Lyra V2.0 verifying UART
output over serial monitor
• Deployed TFLite micro_speech KWS on ESP32-C3-Lyra, adapting audio capture from I2S to ADC
continuous sampling at 16kHz with custom audio_provider.cc
• Designed hybrid VAD-gated KWS pipeline on ESP32-C3, extracting Energy, ZCR, Golay and
Hadamard features fed into a 4-8-1 TFLite NN achieving 96.98% accuracy in a 1,868 byte model
• Reduced CPU usage by 4.8x from 1.64% (always-on KWS) to 0.08% during silence
• Developed a Bluetooth module using PSoC Creator
• Performed Yocto builds and created hardware images
University at Buffalo Nanosatellite Laboratory April 2025 – October 2025
Communication Systems Team Lead
• Applied link budget analysis to select antennas and authored a trade study on frequency
bands for ground station-satellite communication
• Researched FCC licensing requirements for small satellite radio communications
• Led weekly subsystem meetings and presented progress updates in a program-level review
Education
B.S. Electrical Engineering, University at Buffalo August 2024
M.S. Electrical Engineering, University at Buffalo May 2026
