Mark Bersalona

My on-line resume is available.



I work at
L-3 Communications - Communications Systems East
1 Federal Street
MS: A&E 3C
Camden, NJ 08102
856-338-5917
Engineering links
Present assignment:

I'm currently transitioning from Direct Dial to OMNI - April 2000. More info later.

Presently assigned to the software team on STE Direct Dial (STE-DD). The STE (Secure Terminal Equipment) is a secure ISDN/PSTN phone for office environments. Direct Dial will develop a variant of the STE (C², or "C-squared") and gateway hardware (GW/IWF - Gateway/Interworking Functions) to allow "direct dialling" to and from U.S. Navy ships via satellite link(s) from ship to shore and over ISDN/PSTN networks for shore to shore. (So a person aboard one ship can dial the number of the nearest shore IWF, then dial the number of anyone else...including another shore IWF, then to another ship.)

The IWF hardware borrows heavily from the STE hardware, and the IWF software also borrows from the STE software. The processing is handled by FPGAs and Motorola processors; a STU-III modem piggybacks as a daughtercard and has its own processor. The STE audio processor also piggybacks as another daughtercard to handle vocoding; it has its own processors also. Most of the software is in C. Early in the assignment I was responsible for developing simulators for the IWF front panel and satellite link interface, but I'm presently responsible for the Host Link Control task (HLC; satellite link) and will be moving on to the Network Processor (NP; ISDN/PSTN links).

Previous assignments:

Formerly assigned to Improved Mobile Subscriber Equipment (IMSE), an INFOSEC program. I was on the software team for the Dismounted Network Key Generator (DNKG), a ruggedized laptop with software to generate security keys. The DNKG software is written in Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0 and Microsoft Visual C++. I've also designed and coded some of the embedded software for the Common Cryptographic Module (CCM), which will go into four different units, and the equipment-specific software functions for two of those units: the Trunk Encryption Device (TED), an encryption/decryption module for a communications channel; and the Secure Voice Order Wire (SVOW), a half-duplex secure phone. Most of the software is in C; target processor is the Intel 80251, a variant of the 8051. Our immediate customer is GTE, and the ultimate user will be the Taiwanese Army.

I've also written some utilities we use in the lab and in the factory - a Key Loader Simulator and the IMSE Uploader. Both are written in Microsoft Visual Basic 4.0.

Diagram of AMODSM Functional Tester setup


Formerly assigned to  AMODSM, an INFOSEC program. The KGV-23 is a small box about the size of an orange; it encrypts and decrypts training simulation data of a pod that mounts on platforms such as jet fighters. I was responsible for designing the AMODSM Functional Tester, used for design verification and acceptance testing.
Blow-up diagram of AMODSM Functional Tester card

Screenshot of Tester software as of 9612.11
  • Tester hardware is a PC with a custom I/O card (on the ISA bus) plus an external +28VDC power supply, to power and exercise the unit under test.
  • Tester software is written in Microsoft Visual Basic 4.0.

And the most interesting thing about the AMODSM Functional Tester? It actually works! I've even gotten a President's Award for my work...and a promotion. Cool, huh? (grin)




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