Thomas will be graduating from Maui Community College with two Associate of Science degrees from the Electronic and Computer Engineering Program. He will be the first in his family to graduate from college with any type of degree. He would like to be part of the technical workforce in Hawaii; working with electronics, adaptive optics or remote sensing in either private or government sectors. He is presently changing careers from the construction industry to a technical field. Thomas is married and has a 3 year old daughter. 

Home Island: Maui
Institution when accepted: Maui Community College

Akamai Project: Characterization of a Position Sensor Device

Project Site: Boeing

Mentor: Jason Zhang

Project Abstract:

The characterization of a position sensor device provides accurate data collection of the position of a light source. Each individual (PSD) has its own inherent anomalies within its collector array area, which can cause inaccurate data collection. A source of light is positioned on the PSD array at increments of one 1mm and the voltage levels of each individual cell are recorded throughout out the 10mm square PSD array. The data (voltage levels) were entered precisely into a photo-plot application (Math-Lab) to output a precise representation of each individual array in a grid form. Based on an ideal 10mm square grid pattern the superimposed grid of the tested PSD was then compared. The inherent qualities of individual position sensors can than be assessed for product defect or an anomaly. The characterization process is an important diagnostic procedure that will provide valuable information about the condition of individual Position Sensor Devices.