David Richardson Computer Engineering • FPGA • Embedded • C/C++

Hi, I'm David Richardson.

Computer Engineering student building systems at the intersection of physics, mathematics, and computation — from FPGA-based real-time sensing and control to high-performance C++ simulation engines and data analysis pipelines.

I focus on bottom-up, rigorous implementations where theory and hardware meet: embedded systems, FPGA/RTL design, numerical modeling, and algorithmic simulation.

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Current Focus

  • FPGA Signal Control System (Nexys A7: ToF, VGA HUD, UART, PWM)
  • High-performance C++ Barnes–Hut N-body simulations
  • Automated CSV data standardization and analysis pipeline

At a Glance

  • B.S. Computer Engineering — University of Michigan–Dearborn
  • Embedded systems • FPGA/RTL • C/C++ • Numerical modeling
  • Driven by connecting rigorous theory to hardware and code

Profile

I am a Computer Engineering student with a strong foundation in circuit design, embedded systems, scientific computing, and high-performance C/C++ development. My work is grounded in the mathematical and physical principles that underlie computation, which helps me design systems that are numerically robust, hardware-aware, and optimized from first principles.

I’ve built projects that span FPGA-based real-time sensing and control, ToF telemetry pipelines, N-body simulation frameworks using spatial data structures, and robust C++ data analysis tooling. I enjoy working where hardware, software, and mathematical models converge.

I am particularly interested in opportunities involving:

  • Embedded systems and FPGA/RTL-based digital design
  • High-performance numerical simulation and modeling
  • Signal processing, control, and real-time telemetry systems
  • Data analysis, visualization, and technical tool-building

Long term, I aim to contribute to technically rigorous teams—whether in research, R&D, or product engineering—focused on complex, interdisciplinary systems.

Education

B.S. Computer Engineering

University of Michigan–Dearborn
2021 – Present  •  Dearborn, MI

Coursework and projects spanning digital systems, embedded systems, FPGA/RTL design, numerical methods, and scientific computing.

Brother Rice High School

2017 – 2021  •  Bloomfield Hills, MI

Graduated with a strong foundation in mathematics, physics, and problem-solving, which became the basis for my later work in engineering and computation.

Technical Skills

Languages

C, Modern C++17, MATLAB, Verilog, VHDL, Bash, HCS12 & x86 Assembly, LaTeX, Markdown

Algorithms & Numerical

Barnes–Hut N-body kernels, spatial hashing, fixed-point modeling, Eigen, FFTW, OpenMP, STL parallel algorithms

Embedded & Hardware

HCS12, ARM Cortex-M, Arduino, UART/I²C/SPI, Analog Discovery 2, Nexys A7 (Artix-7 FPGA), EK-TM4C123GXL, PCB layout

Frameworks & Libraries

openFrameworks, Qt (Widgets & QML), ImGui, Boost, GLM, Armadillo

Simulation & EDA

MATLAB/Simulink, LTspice, PSpice, Multisim, WaveForms, Vivado Design Suite

Dev Tools & Platforms

Git, GitHub Actions (CI), CMake, Ninja/Make, Visual Studio, Xcode, Qt Creator, CodeWarrior, uKeil, Parallels, macOS, Linux (Ubuntu & Arch), Windows 10/11

Featured Projects

FPGA Signal Control System

FPGA • Verilog • Real-Time Telemetry

Integrated real-time sensing, control, and visualization framework on a Nexys A7 FPGA: ToF distance mapping, PWM fan control, UART telemetry, VGA overlays, PIR-based occupancy, and rotary encoder–driven surveying.

  • Designed CDC-safe Verilog modules for ToF polling, UART streaming, PWM generation, and VGA HUD rendering.
  • Implemented Q1.15 fixed-point math, packetized telemetry with timestamps and status, and a range-plot framebuffer engine.
View on GitHub

Generic Quadtree Barnes–Hut N-Body Simulator

C++17 • Numerical Simulation

Real-time 2D interactive N-body engine using quadtree spatial partitioning and Barnes–Hut approximation for large-scale particle systems.

  • Built a modular C++ quadtree for adaptive force approximation and efficient neighbor queries.
  • Integrated stable time-stepping and visualization to explore gravitational dynamics interactively.
View on GitHub

Serial Hashed-Octree Barnes–Hut 3D Simulator

C++17 • Spatial Data Structures

3D N-body simulation framework using a Morton-ordered hashed octree for scalable force computations and improved memory locality.

  • Implemented hashed octrees with Morton codes (Z-ordering) to improve cache locality.
  • Developed 3D Barnes–Hut kernels suitable for serial high-performance evaluation and future parallelization.
View on GitHub

Automated CSV Dataset Standardization, Analysis, and Modeling

C • Data Analysis

Modular 100% C analytics engine for large scientific datasets, providing schema inference, transformation, statistical modeling, and diagnostics.

  • Designed custom tokenizers, parsers, and columnar representations for heterogeneous CSV data.
  • Implemented utilities for standardization, integrity checks, and high-level modeling across multiple datasets.
View on GitHub

OpenFrameworks User-Interface Library

C++ • UI Systems

Lightweight UI layer for OpenFrameworks, supporting reusable widgets, event dispatch, and layered rendering for visualization tools.

  • Designed composable GUI components for graphics and simulation control panels.
View on GitHub

People Prompted Provisory Power (HCS12)

Embedded • Power Management

On-demand power management system using the HCS12 microcontroller with motion-triggered control of load behavior.

  • Implemented motion-driven duty cycling and control logic for responsive power usage.
View Report

Discrete Linear Voltage Regulator Design

Analog • Simulation

Rigorous analysis and design of a discrete linear voltage regulator including loop stability, load regulation, and thermal behavior.

  • Used LTspice and theoretical derivations to validate performance across line and load variations.
View Report

Contact

If you’d like to talk about embedded systems, FPGA design, simulation engines, or potential roles and collaborations, feel free to reach out.

Formal references available upon request, including:

I’m open to internships, research positions, and early-career engineering roles in embedded systems, FPGA/RTL, and simulation-heavy software.