PSI Corporate Resume
Programmed Scientific Instruments, Inc. is a privately owned electronic design consulting firm based in Arcadia, California. PSI was established in 1979 by Richard Suchter, a graduate of the California Institute of Technology. While PSI can handle a wide variety of electronic design consulting tasks, the primary strengths of PSI lie in the area of instrumentation design and prototyping.


PSI Design Capabilities
Digital design
  • embedded computers and microcontrollers
  • programmable logic devices
  • ASIC designs
  • specialized processor designs for high performance applications
  • standard-cell IC design and layout
Software / Firmware design and coding
  • conventional off-the-shelf microprocessors and microcontrollers
  • software for proprietary and obsolete microprocessors and microcontrollers
  • hardware-software interface
  • device drivers
  • operating systems
  • IRDA applications
  • I2C applications
Analog / Mixed-signal design
  • board-level design using standard components
  • sensor interfaces: optical, imagers, chemical, inertial, magnetic, strain, tilt, temperature, pressure
  • full-custom integrated circuit design
Special services
  • prototype assembly
  • contract with volume manufacturers
  • integrated sensor designs: optical, imagers, temperature, magnetic, chemical
  • neural network and other special signal processing architectures
  • electronic engineering consulting



Past PSI clients include:
Abbott Laboratories
American Sigma Incorporated
Analog Technology Corporation
BG Instruments, Incorporated
Brunswick Corporation
California Institute of Technology
California Measurements, Incorporated
Clinical Microsensors
Intel Corporation
Konigsberg Instruments
Leslie's Pool Supplies, Incorporated
Mattel Corporation
MDH Corporation
Micro General Corporation
Monroe Electronics
NASA
Ortel Corporation
Pacific Energy
Paul-Munroe Hydraulics Incorporated
Radcal Corporation
Sigma, Inc.


Personal Resumes of PSI's Technical Staff
Richard Suchter
Mr. Suchter has been involved in the design of computer systems for 36 years. His experience ranges from mainframe computers to minicomputers and microprocessors and covers both hardware and software designs. Mr. Suchter has designed several successful high performance, special purpose computers as well as the programming languages and application software required to utilize these machines.

Through his consulting firm, Programmed Scientific Instruments, Inc., Mr. Suchter has successfully developed instrumentation employing microprocessor technology. These instruments were used in medical, commercial and laboratory environments. This broad range of applications coupled with Mr. Suchter's knowledge of both the hardware and software aspects of computing, has given him a unique and useful understanding of computer technology.

In the medical instrumentation field, Mr. Suchter has written the operating program for peristaltic feeding and intravenous pumps for major medical equipment manufacturers. There are over 100,000 units of these pumps in use throughout the world and there have been no changes to the software since their introduction 10 years ago. The programs for these instruments were developed using special programming tools that Mr. Suchter created specifically for these applications. These tools and the software created by them withstood thorough and rigorous validation by a company specializing in such work before the instruments were sold into the market.

Mr. Suchter has also assisted many small companies in the design and development of new products and in one case, has provided the all the software for a companies complete line of thermal printer products. In addition to the standard versions, Mr. Suchter has also created dozens of custom programs for this company, which, in turn, gave them a significant competitive edge over other printer manufacturers, making it possible for them to expand into markets which otherwise would have been closed to them.

Recently, Mr. Suchter co-founded a company to commercialize some of the embedded software development tools that were developed by his consulting firm, Programmed Scientific Instruments, Incorporated (PSI). Mr. Suchter has since sold his interest in the embedded tool company which now has about 800 seats of tools installed throughout the world.

Before becoming a consultant and starting PSI, Mr. Suchter was chief engineer for a small firm involved in the design and fabrication of space satellite instrumentation. Some of the instruments that he worked on were used on the Apollo flights that landed men on the moon. One such project involved the design and programming of equipment used to calibrate a scientific instrument that measured the gamma ray spectrum of the space between the earth and the moon, giving scientists more insight into the origin of the universe. A highlight of that project occurred when Mr. Suchter went to Kennedy Space Center to assist in the final calibration of the equipment before the launch of the Apollo 15 mission. Another project Mr. Suchter worked on was an instrument used on the Mariner probe to the planet Mars that measured the amount of water vapor in the planet's atmosphere.

Mr. Suchter also managed the project that resulted in the design and fabrication of the Planetary Ranging Assembly for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's deep space net. A copy of this equipment was installed at each of the 5 deep space tracking stations located around the world. This equipment measured the distance between the tracking station and the deep space probe using time of flight and Doppler techniques to achieve an accuracy of a few meters at ranges as far as the planet Jupiter. This equipment is still in use to this date and was used for all deep space missions including the two voyager probes that have now left our solar system.

Mr. Suchter holds a degree in engineering and applied science from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California. He is married, has two sons ages 22 and 27 years and lives in Arcadia, California with his family. He enjoys tennis, skiing, swimming and bicycle riding.


PROGRAMMED SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS, INC.
1031 MONTE VERDE DRIVE
ARCADIA, CALIFORNIA 91007-6004

TEL (626) 446-6315
FAX (626) 236-9364
EMAIL info@programmedscientific.com