Welcome!

This website combines a description of the different services I offer with a blog which covers interesting topics in engineering and technology:

Consulting Services

I design electronic products, write the firmware to make them work, and write software programs and apps that stand on their own or communicate with the products I create.  I can take a product every step of the way from concept to prototype to production.

Unlike many engineers and programmers who spend years focused on the same thing, I have a very wide variety of skills and experience.  While I can be an excellent resource for specific tasks, many of my clients reap even more benefits by taking full advantage of my ability to handle all of the different aspects of a project — from start to finish.  That means less for you to manage, fewer headaches, quicker time to market and a higher quality product.  Read on to see more specifically how I might help you.

Engineering and Technology Blog

And check out the blog, which I hope you will find to be interesting, educational and thought-provoking.  While delving into the details of some of the projects I’ve worked on I’ll discuss different technologies, clever tricks, proven techniques, lessons learned and things to watch out for.  And I’ll throw in some fun stories to keep it entertaining.

While the blog will often deal with technical subjects, they will all be explained in layman’s terms.  My goal is to make it of interest to anyone managing, developing or at all curious about technology.

I’ve been designing electronic products and programming for many many years, so I’ve picked up a lot of knowledge and stories along the way, and want to share them with you.  Let me know what you think!

Glen Cunningham - Engineering and Consulting
Glen Cunningham

About Us

Glen Cunningham is the owner and sole full-time employee of Cunningham Consulting.  We also hire or partner with carefully selected third-party contractors as your needs dictate.  Our office is in Boston, Massachusetts.

Glen Cunningham

My professional background includes nearly 40 years of experience in electronic hardware, software and mechanical design and engineering management.  I started my career at Buick (General Motors) as an engine designer for advanced and racing engines.  When all the cars became computerized I left GM to start Digital Automotive Systems in 1982 where we produced a line of electronic diagnostic equipment for the automotive repair industry.  The innovative products we created there gained national attention.  This led other companies to ask me to help create their new products.  That was the beginning of Cunningham Consulting.

Cunningham Consulting

I became an independent consultant in 1986 and have designed such products as a custom video chip, laptop computers, Internet set-top boxes, automotive diagnostic and test equipment, emission test equipment, power supplies, factory automation, computer peripherals, sports equipment, and home appliances.  I hold numerous patents for my work.

Programming projects have included the firmware on the devices I design, as well as software for instrumentation, business and database applications, and iPhone apps.  I’ve taught software engineering to hundreds of students across the country.

Other Roles

During some breaks from consulting, I took some engineering management jobs.  I served as the Director of Engineering for a Fuzzy Logic artificial intelligence software and hardware company.  And I was Software Manager for a test equipment company to upgrade and expand their software group.

As a consultant to Sunbeam, I developed a new line of smart appliances (the early “Internet of Things”). I then joined Sunbeam as Chief Technology Officer and later VP of Technology, and ran their tech offices in Boston and California.

And I was co-founder and president of Velocomp where we created the patented iBike bicycle computer and power meter before I sold my share in the company to my co-founder.

I am a graduate of Cornell University and have received a long list of academic awards and scholarships.

Subcontractors

Depending on the project, we may use one or more of the following types of third-party contractors: Read about our subcontractors

Hardware Design

I have extensive experience in hardware design creating hundreds of electronic circuits of all types, from the chip level to circuit boards to full systems of interconnected modules, for products such as:

  • Handheld diagnostic tools
  • Automotive engine controls
  • Bicycle power meter & computer
  • Mixed-signal ASIC for Picture-In-Picture (PIP) TV product
  • Set-top boxes (browse the Internet through your TV)
  • Laptop computers
  • PC expansion cards
  • Embedded systems
  • Printers
  • USB adapters
  • LCD display controllers
  • Logic analyzer
  • Data recorders
  • Battery chargers
  • Factory automation
  • Laboratory instruments
  • Emission test equipment
  • Vehicle data monitoring
  • Powerline communications
  • Digital communications
  • Household “Smart” Appliances
  • Power supplies and power conditioners

Here are some of the types of circuits I have incorporated in my designs: Continue reading “Hardware Design”

Software Engineering

I think of myself as an electrical engineer first and programmer second, perhaps because I started as a hardware engineer.  Yet my clients have relied on me for decades to create mission-critical code.  And due to the changing nature of technology, more and more of my time is spent on software.  Clients call me to fix programs that other consultants or their in-house staff have written.  I have managed several software departments, including stepping in as a temporary manager for clients.  And I was a sought-after programming instructor, teaching hundreds of students all over the country at organizations like Lockheed-Martin and the NSA.

Whether you need firmware or software to work with the electronics I design or have a software-only project, I can probably help.  I have worked at all levels, from carefully hand-crafted assembly language where every microsecond mattered, to large business applications.

Here are different classes of software projects I’ve been involved with, along with some examples: Continue reading “Software Engineering”