Work case study · Embedded systems
Bringing up a 10 GbE media converter.
At Moog Space & Defense, I developed the low-level firmware and lab workflow needed to configure, observe, and debug a four-port 10G Ethernet PHY on a next-generation media converter.
- Role
- Embedded Systems Co-op
- Period
- January–June 2025
- Core
- MSP430 · Marvell PHY · SPI/XMDIO
- Context
- Sanitized public summary
01 · The problem
A control path for unfamiliar silicon.
The converter depended on a multi-port 10 GbE PHY with a management interface that did not map directly onto the microcontroller’s native peripherals. The immediate need was a reliable way to configure registers, validate state, and support the broader prototype team during bring-up.
02 · My ownership
Firmware, interface emulation, and bench debug.
I developed modular MSP430 firmware and used SPI to emulate the required XMDIO management flow. That meant understanding the PHY’s register model, sequencing initialization, and turning datasheet requirements into code the hardware team could reuse.
When behavior diverged from expectations, I worked directly at the bench with 100 GS/s oscilloscopes, EXFO network testers, optical power meters, and thermal imaging systems to separate software, signal-integrity, and board-level failure modes.
03 · Engineering result
A reusable bring-up path, not a one-off script.
The result was a structured codebase and repeatable debug path that the electronics team could extend as the prototype matured. I also contributed hands-on failure analysis to what the group described as its top global priority effort.
Specific product details are intentionally omitted. Everything here is drawn from Aaron’s public résumé and LinkedIn reflection.
Read the original reflection ↗