Off-highway controls
Diagnostics and internal tools
I work field issues from the first report through to an answer. I also built the tools we use so that work is not stuck in someone's inbox.
I work at Cummins in Off-Highway Controls. A lot of my week is the same problem: something is wrong on a machine, the evidence is messy, and someone needs a next step that will hold up.
Since 2020 I have led the application support process. The team has visibility across more than 600 field issues. In the current system, 107 tickets were assigned to me, and all 107 closed complete. I also own Datalinks SME work across programs: how issues get triaged, who owns them, and when they need to escalate.
The tools came out of that work. Trace Converter automated CAN trace analysis that used to be something only a few people could do by hand. Zenith Tracker replaced scattered email and spreadsheet tracking. OFC Assist put J1939, faults, and parameter data in one place, with the source attached so people can check the answer.
B.S. Computer Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Florida State University, 2019. I started as a rotational Controls Engineer and am now Controls Lead for B4.5 and X15.
01. In regular team use
People were jumping between J1939 tables, fault lists, Calterm data, service docs, and emissions files. OFC Assist is a local desktop app that searches that material in one place and shows where each hit came from, so you can check it yourself.
02. Alpha through beta
Work used to live in inboxes and one-off spreadsheets. Zenith keeps program tasks, owners, deadlines, notifications, and history in one workbook. During the pilot I closed more than 30 enhancement and defect items and took 11 formal feedback submissions from users.
03. First tool I built
Reading PCAN traces against J1939 symbol files used to mean doing bit level work by hand. Trace Converter parses the traces, pulls SPNs across byte boundaries, handles PDU1 and TPCM, drops duplicates, and classifies SPN support with fixed rules. The same workflow can run on different controller setups without rewriting the tool for each program.
What is the symptom, how urgent is it, what evidence do we already have, and who owns it. I try to triage the same day.
Fault codes, calibration, logger or datalinks data, tests, and field history. I treat the complaint as a starting point, not the diagnosis.
Service documents, calibration records, older tickets, engineering notes, and the right specialist. I want a source before we call it settled.
Compare current and prior calibration. Check whether a parameter is new or just newly used. Separate hardware from software. Use a bench test when the field data cannot decide.
Level 1 is known. Level 2 needs more evidence or another team. Level 3 is new, safety, cyber, or architecture, and a person has to own it.
Write down why, not only what we did, so the next engineer does not have to reconstruct the case from scratch.
Naples, FL. Resume is on this page. This is my personal site, not a Cummins page.
If you want to talk about controls, diagnostics, field support, or the tools, email me.
