Engineer Design

NEIL MAMMEN

TENTMAKER SYSTEMS CONSULTING GROUP

www.tentmakersystems.com

***************@****************.***

CONSULTING

Hands On System/Chip Architect and Technologist, Chip & New Product Specification and

Architecture, Board/System/Product/FPGA Architecture & Design. Technical Marketing and

Evangelism assistance. Product Applications Boards, Reference Designs and Support. ASIC

Verification and Validation boards and FPGAs.

Some Accomplishments and Skills:

Experience with ASIC Verification targeting very large FPGAs.

Experienced Video Systems Architect.

Most recent Projects include PCIexpress and High Speed Serdes FPGA and board design.

Skilled (with practical experience) in taking concepts, algorithms and customer requirements and creating a

manufacturable System or ASIC architecture; and then driving it through design to completion. Also

skilled at presenting and gaining customer (and VC) confidence and loyalty through training, presentations

and interaction.

Experienced High Density and high speed FPGA Architecture and Verilog Design. Altera and Xilinx.

Experienced Systems and Board Architecture, Design, Bringup Debug etc.

Experienced Chip/ASIC Architect.

Co-founded and raised $14.5M VC funding for a startup ASIC company in 2001 after the markets had

crashed.

Conceived and architected the world s first Clear Channel 40G Layers 2-4 Network Processor ASIC

multichip set. Design scales down to provide a Clear Channel 10G Network Processor. Took design

through funding, recruiting, Micro-Architecture and a functioning cycle accurate C-Model. Authored and

applied for 16 patents in multiple areas including Memory Bandwidth, Statistics Collection, Network

Processing, Traffic Shaping etc.

Architecting a 32G SAN switch chipset for company s new direction. Two new patents started but not filed

due to company closure.

Architected a large 200+ card Optical DSL system as a consultant. Design was built and is in the process of

deployment. Co-author of the patent issued on my Architecture.

Called in for Emergency Consulting. Prior 4-man team had taken 6 months and hadn t been able to get

high speed MAC design to work. Threw away entire prior architecture and started design from scratch.

Single handedly re-architected, designed, implemented and debugged and reliability tested in 6 weeks, a

complete 1G Backplane Proprietary IP Packet MAC in a space and speed limited FPGA at 125MHz for a

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) implementation. This allowed company to show working systems to

customers on schedule. This FPGA had about 8 flavors created and used in every one of companies

Networking blades. Expanded above design to provide a 2.5G MAC in an FPGA with internal speeds of

156MHz DDR. This allowed company to ship their 2.5G MAN products ahead of anyone else.

Neil Mammen Resume July 13, 2006 pg. 1

Co-author of two Luminous Networks patents in MAN field relating to Traffic Shaping and Reliability.

Designed and implemented FPGAs incorporating, I2S audio, VESA VIP and SPDIF standards.

Architected an OC192, Video Aware IP Network Processor. (Preliminary Specifications and Block level).

The startup company raised money partly on this architecture.

Responsible for Engineering Department of 40 engineers and technicians and documentation, taken over

from old VP of Engineering who was discharged.

Proposed and architected a MPEG2/ATM Multi-Re-multiplexer System solution for major European

Telco.

Proposed, architected, designed and submitted RFP for the winning SouthWestern Bell MPEG2

Deployment System solution. System was manufactured and deployed for testing.

Proposed, architected, designed and submitted RFP for the winning Hong Kong Jockey Club MPEG2

Deployment System solution, competed and won out against IBM (we were using their own chipset against

them).

Proposed, architected and designed the winning NORTEL DV-45 MPEG2 Codec contract.

Came up with the concept and wrote initial product requirements & specs of the iCompression MPEG2

codec chip. The worlds first single chip Audio/Video Data Encoder and TS Mux chip. Conceived of and

identified the strategic need for a single chip multi-featured codec and was instrumental in locating the

founders and helped promote and finance the company through NUKO Information Systems.

ICompression was later sold for $500M to Globespan. The resulting product is a current Single Chip

encoder that is being sold today.

Within 4 months of joining start up (unpaid), hired 3 engineers (also unpaid), architected, designed, laid

out, manufactured and debugged 2 new boards and 2 reference designs, to prototype a 7 channel real time

MPEG 2 encoder and decoder to demonstrate the world s very first multi-channel MPEG 2 codec to work

over DS3.

Architect and primary FPGA, Board and System designer of the NUKO Highlander MPEG 2 System.

Includes the MPEG 2 Multifunction Transport Stream Multiplexer and the NUKO Highlander MPEG 2

Multifunction Decoder. System includes multiple redundancy utilizing on board Alarms, redundancy SW,

SNMP, GUIs etc.

Creator of the "Mammen" VME Hotswap Methodology, before there was a VME64 Hotswap. Used

successfully and reliably in the NUKO Highlander System with 0 failures in 4 years. Units in use are still

running 8 years later

Architect and primary designer of the NUKO IBM MPEG 2 Encoder solution.

Co-Architect of the Multistream ATM Trunking Multiplexer and DeMultiplexer. Allowed the use of up to

9/36 MPEG 2 multi-rate bandwidth streams to work on OC-3 lines over ATM framing, with multiple

redundancy.

Sole applications engineer for the world s first C-Cube MPEG 1, 1+ & 2 Encoder chipset and microcode.

Supported over 25 customers (simultaneously) in enabling them all to come to market with Real Time

MPEG 1, 1+ and 2 Encoders. At one point in time, of the 17 production MPEG encoders available in the

world, had helped design and debug 15 of them.

Neil Mammen Resume July 13, 2006 pg. 2

Helped specify new product features and requirement for an MPEG Audio encoder vendor (that I was

unaffiliated with but needed for a product of my own). This audio encoder module proved to be an

enormous success for that company.

As a newly hired applications engineer, within 2 weeks, discovered and designed work around for an

interface flaw in primary product that 2 previous applications engineers and the chip's own design engineer

had spent 4 months trying to find. Fixing this problem resurrected a key design with a key customer and

allowed us to correct our Technical Manuals. Problem detection included having to evaluate original VLSI

design and state machines.

Through my direct intervention, effort and management resurrected and maintained a critical NRE account

worth over $500,000 just when the company thought we were going to lose it all.

Came up with an innovative work-around to help crucial customer get to market ahead of schedule before

critical inverse telecine microcode was available.

Debugged new chip revision to discover critical temperature issue, which further explained other failures

to date. This was a bug that had plagued the company before I attacked the problem.

Product Planning for world s first LSI Logic Audio MPEG 1 Decoder Single Chip. Defined features set,

designed Evaluation board and wrote software. Provided Technical Seminars for Customers and FAEs.

Chip forecasted over $10 Million in sales within the first 2 years. Wrote Technical Manual.

Applications support for LSI s first generation CCITT H.261 video chipset. Joined division and within a

month, implemented a last minute mask fix on the existing chipset to make it reliable. Included

recommending a new spin of the old chipset to correct system I/F problems and bugs.

In 4 months started up and established a fully functional applications group to support new SPARC RISC

chipset, SparKIT. Hired and trained 9 engineers. Developed evaluation boards for customer training and

chip debug, installed Customer Hotline, databases, started FAE magazine, FAEdback, etc. COMDEX

shows, developed and produced customer training seminars around the world.

As manager of the SPARC Applications Department was responsible for design and manufacture of

boards, chip specifications, product planning and debug of chips for the SparKIT-25 and 40, IU, FPU,

MMU and Peripherals to the Mbus and SBus. Included the assist of debug and porting of SUN OS 4.1 to

the new MMU and peripherals. Other support products included SUN OS and the original chips in the

SUN SPARCstation 1, 1+, 2, IPC etc. and their clones. Responsibilities included SPARC International

compliance test suits. Responsible for training FAEs and sales force on our chipsets as well as competitor s

chips.

Established, stocked and managed fully functional lab for 3 divisions, (SPARC, MIPS & DSP), included

set up for customer demos as well as setups for customer board debugging and support.

Responsible for production and content (with Tech Pubs) of entire line of SPARC Technical Manuals and

Data Sheets for above products. We produced over 20 publications of which 11 were Technical Manuals.

Worked with 12 PC manufacturers to enable them to create the first SUN SST1 (SPARCstation 1) and

SST1+ clones.

Taught RISC Microprocessor/System technical seminars around the world in cooperation with SUN

Microsystems.

Set up documentation procedure to allow the sign-off, control, production and update of technical manuals,

errata and appnotes through-out the world. Included the FASTfax system to immediately getting critical

Neil Mammen Resume July 13, 2006 pg. 3

applications and errata information to customers without having the delay of going to Tech Pubs. System

was later standardized and adopted by other divisions.

With engineering partner, discovered only way to correct more than $100,000 worth of already

manufactured TAXIchipTM parts. Saving inventory, customer loyalty, future sales, and company's public

image.

Primary, world-wide Application Engineer for the AMD TAXIchipTM, 125 MHz high speed, point to point

I/F chipset. Wrote the TAXIchipTM Technical Manual, designed the MINIcabTM and TAXIcabTM boards.

Wrote specs, assisted customers in their designs and designed future products. Taught TAXIchipTM

seminars around the US. The TAXIchip is currently an industry standard of sorts.

In 45 days designed an NTSC high speed 2 Km fiber optic video digitizing board for key customers, a

major show, seminars and engineering publications, resulting in major sales and publicity. This system is

now being used in a slightly modified form by various customers for security cameras as well as by airline

companies for personal video entertainment at your seat.

Authored and gave TAXIchipTM seminars given throughout the US.

Coordinated and organized transfer of manufacturing between wafer fabrication areas. Saved company

over $1,000,000 in fab operational costs.

Through persuasive and innovative action gained company approximately $15,000 by making available

rare but necessary machinery for sorting wafers so sales could be achieved.

Successfully cut through bureaucracy to resolve the problem of transferring mask plates between wafer

fabrication areas. Saved company over $50,000 in mask costs.

Pinpointed procedural error in fabrication process which eliminated repeat occurrence of the problem;

saving company up to $25,000.

Other Skills and Tools: Xilinx, Altera, Pascal, C, FORTRAN, PL/M, Assembly Languages, PALASM,

CUPL, ABEL, various Schematic Entry and FPGA development packages, AHDL, Verilog, StateCAD,

Synplicity, ModelSim, VCS, Silos III, OrCAD, PCAD, BASIC, PIC BASIC.

Other Activities: Motivational Speaking, Training individuals to give effective presentations, Training lay

people to be effective speakers and preachers, Video Editing and Production, Audio Production (I Witness

Band: Piercing the Darkness, 1991; Victory, 1993; At the Cross, 1994), Teaching and Preaching

Apologetics and Theology.

MOD Night Once a year, coordinate and manage an extracurricular activity involving over 120

volunteers and over 380 Junior High kids in a one/two night Outward Bound style Night Game activity

spread out around the Santa Cruz, CA or Portland, OR mountains.

Quick Architecture and Design Summary (Boards and Systems and FPGAs, unless indicated

includes design as well as architecture as well as FW, SW and Systems architecture and support.

Unless noted, systems were shipped for revenue), covers items mentioned above as well:

TAXIcab : TAXIchip Circuit Application Board

TAXIvideo : TAXIchip Video Transmission Board

Saavik 1 & 2 : LSI Logic MPEG 2 over DS2 ISA Decoder board.

Spock I : 9U VME Audio/Video Multiplexing board

Spock III : 8 input Transport Stream Multiplexing board designed using FPGAs.

Neil Mammen Resume July 13, 2006 pg. 4

Sarek III : 9U VME C-Cube MPEG 2 Encoder board. Multiple FPGAs.

DV-MPEG : Hot-swappable NORTEL Chassis Codec System (6U) consisting of the 4 boards below.

Riker : IBM MPEG 2 Encoder board

William : Hot-swap NORTEL Motherboard for above Encoder.

Troi : C-Cube Decoder Board

Deanna : Hot-swap NORTEL Motherboard for above Decoder.

Atlas : 9U VME Fully Redundant mother board for a full featured Codec

Atlas III : 6U VME Fully Redundant mother board for a ultra full featured Codec (not manufactured)

Sammy : 9U VME Video Input, Audio Encoder, MPEG TS muxer board

Uhura : 9U VME 9 channel ATM TS multiplexer over OC3c or DS3

(Specifications and co-architect)

Aruhu : 9U VME 9/36 channel ATM TS demultiplexer over OC3c or DS3

(Specifications and co-architect)

Sulu : 9U VME Full Featured Video Input, Audio Encoder, MPEG TS muxer board

(not manufactured)

XIM : Low cost ATM Transmit and Receive module for above systems (not manufactured)

DV3000 : 6U MPEG Codec System (not manufactured)

Highlander : Multi-Redundant 44/40 U chassis 9 channel 9U Codec system

Spock VIII : Single chip 8 input/8 data Transport Stream Multiplexing ASIC/FGPA solution

(not manufactured).

ICompression Single Chip Encoder

: Primary Systems level definition for the ICompression Single Chip MPEG 2 Encoder, also

initiated the founding of ICompression to provide me with a substitute for the C-Cube

encoder.

Picard : ICompression Encoder PCI board.

ReMuxer : Architect of the MPEG2/ATM Multi-Re-multiplexer System and Chassis

(not implemented).

TPM1 FPGA: DIVA Systems Transport Processor Module,

Completely re-architected and redesigned their Transport Processor FPGA.

TPMII : DIVA Systems Transport Processor Board II.

Architected the second generation of the DIVA board for Video On Demand. Architected

and designed the core FPGA, the M4SPROC, a 4 stream MPEG TS processor.

TPMtester : DIVA Systems Tester board.

Architected, designed, debugged this large test board with multiple connectors and

connections to allow a fast test and bring-up environment for the DIVA TPMII boards.

DVB2MII : Luminous Video TS DVB to Ethernet Board including all FPGAs. Implemented a module

to convert and reconvert Video TS to IP over Ethernet to allow it to be transmitted over any

100baseT network. Board and FPGA being used for demo systems at shows and was used to

capture a critical investment.

LMAC 1G : Luminous Backplane MAC FPGA. Multiple flavors of this FGPA are being shipped in all

Luminous Products, with multiple per card and upto 6 on the Switch Card.

LMAC 2.5G: Luminous Backplane MAC FPGA. This FPGA is being shipped in all 2.5G Luminous

products.

VIP Interface: FPGA that interfaces MPEG TS and I2S and SPDIF to a VESAVIP bus.

PCI to HPI bus interface: FPGA that interfaces PCI to local bus. Includes CCIR656 Interface to PCI,

interface ensures ability to preview with VCR FF and REW inputs.

PCIexpress Northstar III: Implementation of Xilinx core for proof of concept. Done in 12 weeks to demo

with working video.

PCIexpress FPGA/ASIC Verification suite of boards: Validation of PCIe and Video ASIC RTL in FPGA

PCIexpress ASIC board: Validation board for PCIe ASIC chip with video

Multiple other PCIe designs.

Background Summary:

Neil Mammen Resume July 13, 2006 pg. 5

Tentmaker Systems Consulting: 2002-Present

- Xilinx Inc.

- Philips Semiconductor (various groups within Philips)

- WIS Technologies (various fill in roles within WIS)

Propulsion Networks: 2001-2002

- Co-Founder, Chief Architect and VP of Technology.

Conceived, Proposed, Defined and Architected a Metro/Core

Router 40G/10G Network Processor. Raised $14.5M

All schedules met. Fully functional gate level C-Model

demonstrated. Received lots of customer enthusiasm and

validation. Author of 16 patents (some still being applied for).

Due to delayed market for 40G Network Processors, the VC s

opted to close down the company and sell off the IP.

Luminous Networks: 2000-2001

- Was consulting - joined at the request of the CTO and CEO

- Principal Architect, Office of the CTO

Co-Author of 2 patents

- Director, ASIC Design.

Took over the ASIC group till I was able to hire someone to

replace me at the request of the CEO.

- Left to start my own company as per my prior agreement

with the CTO.

Tentmaker Systems Consulting: 1998-2000

- Xalted IP Networks 2000

- Luminous Networks 2000

- Azanda Microsystems 2000

- DIVA Systems 1998-2000

- Cradle Technologies 2000

- Pulsent Technologies 1998-2000

- Dynachip 1998

- ShivaSAT 1998

- ADC Communications 1998

NUKO Information Systems: 1994-1998

- Chief Technology Officer & VP of Engineering 1997

- Chief Technology Officer 1996

- Chief Technologist 1995

- Director of Engineering 1994

Tentmaker Systems Consulting: 1994

- NUKO Information Systems 1994

C-Cube Microsystems: 1992-1994

- Manager, System Design and Applications

- Senior Staff Applications Engineer, System Design

LSI Logic: 1989-1992

- Senior Staff Member, Applications, DSP Division.

- Manager, SPARC Applications Engineering

Advanced Micro Devices: 1984-1989

Neil Mammen Resume July 13, 2006 pg. 6

- Senior Product Planning and Applications/Strategic

Development Engr, High Speed Serial

Interface/Optical/Networking Development Group.

- Product Engineer, Microprocessors Division.

Spectra-Physics: 1982-1984

- R&D Associate Engineer, Laser System Division (Eugene,

Oregon) Electronic Design and Interface.

UC Berkeley Extension: 1987-1994

- Taught Digital Logic Design and Digital Logic Design Lab.

Highly ranked by Students Surveys.

Education:

- MSEE 1984 Computers and Solid State Physics, Oregon

State University.

Masters Degree Thesis: A Bit Slice Microprocessor Learning

System

- BSEE 1982 Electrical and Computer Engineering, Oregon

State University.

Societies and Awards

- President, Tau Beta Pi OR Alpha Chapter 1983

- Eta Kappa Nu

- Chairman of IEEE Student Organization 1984, OSU

- Teaching Assistant of the Year Award 1984, OSU (Electrical

Engineering Department Students)

- Wyle/EE Times American By Design Contest, 1st Place

Design Winner for Digital Devices. 1995.

- Wyle/EE Times Idea Quest Grand Prize Winner 1997.

Winner of the Saturn EV1 Electric Vehicle.

- NUKO Summit Award 1995 Most Valuable Employee

Voted by all employees.

- NUKO Summit Award 1996 Most Valuable Employee

Voted by all employees.

Business and Personal References:

Jayshree Ullal,

VP Marketing, CISCO Systems

Bob Kondamoori,

Previous Position: CEO and Chairman of the board, NUKO Information Systems

Ram Kedlaya,

Previous Position: VP Business Development, NUKO Information Systems

Personal Reference: Pastor Bill Buchholz

Senior Pastor, Family Community Church

Additional References Available on Request

Neil Mammen Resume July 13, 2006 pg. 7

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