John Mladenik of Logi-core

Biography:

John Mladenik is self-employed Electrical Engineer that’s worked on electronics, systems, circuits and chip designs in the San Diego area since 1994. He received his BSEE in 1982 from Purdue University and his MSEE in 1986 from California Polytechnic University, Pomona. In 1995 he founded his own company, Logi-Core Engineering and Incorporated in 2009.  In 2001 John founded the Robotic Death Company to build combat robots for professional, televised competitions. In 2003 John’s team won the RFL National Champion Heavyweight competition with Megabyte, becoming a member of the Robotic Combat Hall of Fame. In 2018 Megabyte was chosen The Most Popular Robot in China.

Mike Lindberg of Philips Respironics

Biography:

Mike Lindberg is a Senior Staff Electrical Engineer who designs medical ventilators for Philips Respironics in Carlsbad, CA. He works with the Robotic Death Company as a team member specializing in motor controller electronics. Mike began his early electronics career as a middle schooler exploring junkyards for parts to build radio receivers, motors and nefarious devices for zapping friends with electrical shocks. In 1980 he received his MSEE from the University of Minnesota studying Flicker Noise in Indium Antimonide Hall Sensors under contract to Hitachi Corp. Mike worked in Aerospace designing power equipment for the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station and Geostationary communications satellites. In commercial industries he designed power magnetics for computers and for satellite / internet communications equipment. Mike holds numerous patents in power electronics, linear motors, magnetics and sensors and has served as Vice President of Engineering for two previous companies.

Mike and John work together at Philips where they developed a brushless motor controller for a blower in a medical ventilator; Mike doing the analog and system level design, John doing the FPGA with a PID current control loop.