Paul Steane's Curriculum Vitae
Web Page: https://www.steane.com
Present Situation
At the end of March 2018 I set up my own company Paul Steane Engineering Limited offering my services as a freelance/consultant electrical and electronics engineer.
For confidentiality reasons details of work performed are not listed here. Please contact me using the E-mail link above if you think I may be able to help you.
Previous Employment
- from February 1998 to March 2018: Solutions Engineer/Electronics Engineer, Alstom Transport, Preston, UK (was Customer Services, GEC ALSTHOM Traction Ltd. until 21 June 1998)
- from 1989 to February 1998: Senior Design Engineer, GEC ALSTHOM Traction Ltd., Manchester, UK
Major Projects (in reverse date order)
- 2015-2017: lead engineer on a project to design, build and install an updated safety monitoring system on a fleet of d.c. e.m.u. trains
- 2014-2015: update the Class 319 traction control software to suit operation on the higher overhead line supply voltages found in North West England
- 2013-2014: further application of the data acquisition equipment to a different fleet of trains.
- 2011-2013: development of data acquisition equipment for monitoring and downloading live data from a fleet of trains. Hardware design and embedded software design.
- 2009-2010: further development of diagnostic capabilities of Class 319 equipment.
- 2007-2008: development of reliability improvements and extra diagnostic capabilities for Class 456 traction control software.
- 2005-2006: development of reliability improvements and extra diagnostic capabilities for Class 319 traction control software.
- 2003-2004: development of improved diagnostic software for 1980s/1990s GEC/Alstom traction equipment.
- 2000-2002: continuing development of camshaft control system for d.c. trains, including application to UK Class 442 e.m.u. and fitment to train 442409 (photo available).
- 1998-1999: final design of hardware and software for refurbished camshaft control system for d.c. trains, including commissioning in Melbourne, Australia (photo available).
- 1997-1998: design and supervision of design of items to allow the Traction and Auxiliary Convertor equipment of Alstom's Juniper train to more easily obtain its Vehicle Safety Case.
- 1997: design of PWM Encoder Unit - a self-contained unit to read the position of the driver's Master Controller, or the demand level from an Automatic Train Operation system, and transmit this Tractive Effort demand information as a PWM signal down a pair of train lines:
- standardised design - used on many different contracts, using Lattice EPLD for control logic;
- fully compliant with new BS EN 50155:1996 requirements
- used on contracts such as Arlanda Airport Express (photo available)
- 1996: design of new propulsion control electronics for refurbishment of Kowloon Canton Railway (Hong Kong) vehicles (photo available), with the following features:
- functionally identical to equipment provided some 15 years earlier, for inter-working compatibility;
- single PCB, compared to original rack-based system, giving large cost saving;
- use of more modern components and techniques, for example to eliminate select-on-test components;
- actual reliability figures for 60 units as at August 1999: 2.5 million km between failures
- 1992-1994: design of hardware for Train Management System for Seoul Subway Lines 4, 7 & 8 in South Korea:
- design of two Actel Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) devices as peripherals for ARM610-based microprocessor PCB;
- design of Actel FPGA device as the peripheral controller for Input and Output Interface PCBs based on the Manchester Metrolink design but adapted for the new bus;
- three visits totalling two months were made to South Korea to assist with commissioning trials.
- 1989-1991: design of Programmable Logic Controller for Manchester Metrolink Light Rail Vehicles:
- hardware design of Input and Output Interface PCBs interfacing proprietary 8086-based bus system to the electrically noisy vehicle systems;
- software design of the Application Programme, including Fault Logging and Reporting (written in PL/M and 8086 Assembly Language).
Historic Employment
- 1980-1989: Design Engineer, GEC Industrial Controls Ltd., Rugby, Warwickshire, UK
- 1976-1980: Student Apprentice, GEC Industrial Controls Ltd., Kidsgrove, Staffs., UK
Areas of expertise
- Analogue control system design.
- Digital logic design, including:
- 4000 series, 74HC series etc. logic families;
- complex Programmable Logic Devices such as Actel, Lattice & Xilinx.
- Interfacing with electrically noisy equipment:
- RIA, IEC and EN standards;
- EMC requirements.
- Microprocessor system design, including:
- 8086, 8051, 8096/80C196, ARM and MicroChip family devices;
- dedicated peripheral device design.
- Software programming, including:
- Assembly language for 8086, 8051, 8096/80C196 and ARM family devices;
- Basic, PL/M, C, C++, C#, PHP.
Academic Qualifications
- 1980: Bachelor of Technology 2.2 (Hons) Electrical & Electronic Engineering (‘Thin sandwich’ course with industrial training at GEC Industrial Controls at Kidsgrove)
- 1976-1980: University of Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK
- 1976: 4 'A'-levels:
- Grade A: Mathematics.
- Grade B: Further Mathematics, Physics.
- Grade C: General Studies.
- 1973/4: 8 'O'-levels:
- Grade 1: Mathematics, Physics.
- Grade 3: Chemistry, Additional Mathematics, English, French, Latin, Geography.
- 1969-1976: Queen Mary's Grammar School, Walsall, West Midlands, UK.
Professional Qualifications
- 1990: Member of Institution of Electrical Engineers
- 1990: Chartered Engineer
Computer Literacy
- Advanced knowledge of DOS and Windows.
- Good knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel.
- Good knowledge of HTML and CSS.
- Familiar with UNIX.
Interests and Hobbies
- Preservation and restoration of AC Electric Locomotives (active member of The AC Locomotive Group)
- Railways in the UK and Europe:
- Travelling by Train;
- Locomotives and rolling stock;
- Study of closed railway routes;
- Signalling systems;
- Safety and Accidents.
- Listening to Classical Music.
- Computers.
- Photography.