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April 04, 2024

One Marvell Engineer's Passion to Restore a '69 Jaguar and How Marvell is Shaping What's Under the Hood of Automotive

By Mary Gorges, Talent Brand Content Manager

At Marvell, our engineers don't just excel in technology at work – but bring
that same passion and know-how to their personal projects. Take Jason Rogers, a Verification Engineer in Network Switching at Marvell, who spent the past three years giving a 1969 Jaguar a new lease on life.

During COVID, I needed something to keep me occupied and
it kind of snowballed into this big thing," Jason said. “What began as fixing a few things quickly turned into a full-blown restoration project.” Jason meticulously disassembled the car, removing and replacing every nut and bolt, and stripping it down to bare metal.  

Jason bought the car from the original owner (yes, who bought it brand new in ’69), so now that it’s completely restored, his next step is to take her for a ride. Inspired by the high-quality cars in California, where he now calls home, and drawing on his background in electronics engineering from his early days in England, Jason's journey became a masterclass in picking up new skills and solving problems. To manage all 19,500 parts with meticulous attention, he turned to online forums and YouTube to learn from other car enthusiasts.

Engineering insights from the past


The 1969 Jaguar, a luxury – and fast – car of its time, contrasts sharply with the advanced technology in today's vehicles. No electronic features, just good old hand-crank windows and analog gauges for the tachometer and speedometer. But when Jason cracked open the hood, he found a tangled mess of wiring and five decades’ worth of botched repairs.

There was accident damage too – at the rear and a passenger side which had been badly repaired and required removing and welding new panels. “I wanted the car to be better than when it rolled off the assembly line,” says Jason.

The big trend 50 years ago was all about speed, but now, the high-invest areas are to enable a smarter, safer, and greener vehicle. Marvell has a significant footprint in Germany, where much of the software for Ethernet – which is enabling these things – is developed.

Here’s a look under the hood 50 years ago, versus today.

50 years ago:

  • Electronic Connections: Even just five years ago, cars relied on individual electronic connections with minimal software integration.
  • Manual Tuning: Maintenance involved manual tuning, requiring car
    owners to bring their vehicles in for adjustments.
  • Point-to-Point Wiring: Vehicles utilized point-to-point wiring, employing outdated connectors reminiscent of those found in electronic toys.


Today:

  • Cloud Software Updates: With Ethernet technology, manufacturers can seamlessly download and update software from the cloud, enhancing vehicle functionality.
  • Digital Transformation: Modern vehicles operate on advanced circuit boards, minimizing manual interventions and allowing wireless communication.
  • Ethernet Connectivity: Cars today utilize Ethernet connectivity, replacing the traditional point-to-point wiring and enabling efficient data transfer between components.

 

The evolution of automotive technology

Marvell's automotive group has been pioneering the future of automotive technology. Over the last decade, the automotive industry has seen a significant shift, with individual electronic devices giving way to a more connected ecosystem. Marvell's innovations in zonal architecture are transforming cars into interconnected zones, allowing different systems to communicate over a single, thin Ethernet cable.

Ethernet, once primarily associated with internet connectivity at home, has evolved into a critical networking standard in automobiles. Its thinner and lighter design, paired with the capacity for far greater speed than in home use, provides all the bandwidth needed for next-generation applications. Car cameras, for example, can now communicate over Ethernet, enabling new functionalities through software updates.

The capability for speed and faster connectivity makes room for exciting possibilities inside the car. A recent Motor Trends article quoted Marvell VP of Marketing Amir Bar-Niv, who explained, “With Ethernet, the car transitions into a collection of interconnected zones, each zone containing sensors or devices, which we’ll call agents. Each zone now needs to have its own Ethernet switch that connects to all the agents of this domain at that zone, and then aggregates all this traffic over a single, thin Ethernet cable that is really building the backbone of the car.”

The article continues, “In this way, multiple onboard systems all communicate over the same network. By sharing, a car's design can be radically simplified. Rather than dozens of bespoke little chips scattered all around, fewer, more powerful central processors handle all the digital heavy lifting for the entire car.”

Marvell's focus on automotive-grade reliability ensures that these Ethernet systems meet the stringent safety standards of the automotive industry. With a proven track record and a comprehensive portfolio, Marvell aims to be the most trusted automotive Ethernet supplier.

Jason's extensive restoration of the 1969 Jaguar becomes a part of this transformative journey, connecting the legacy of automotive history with the cutting-edge innovations at Marvell.

In case you’re interested, Jason says he plans to hang onto his car for a while – to enjoy driving it.

Tags: What Makes Marvell

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