2021…

…was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I was able to move on from a relationship that had run its course and a job that was developing me only as an electrical engineer, but my career still suffered a bit as a result. Luckily I still have lots to be proud of! Here’s a few of the highlights of the year for me:

Flowchart of project plans: I’m currently working on a test frame for a new battlebot revision and a PCB reflow heater, which will both enable future projects.

2022 Preview

2022 will be a year of massively expanded horizons for me personally. I’ve been incredibly limited in 2021: when at Harvard I didn’t have time to make anything personally, but while working remotely I’ve been incredibly limited in my access to tools (3D printer and hand tools). With the reflow heater I’m working on and the 5 axis Pocket-NC-style milling machine I’m planning on buying, I’ll have the personal metalworking and electronics fab abilities to support projects on a whole new level!

There’s 3 skills specifically I want to build or demonstrate in 2022:

My high school coaxial swerve drive that only required waterjet parts was much more limited in design and only ever lived in CAD.

#1: Machining / Machinery Design:

I haven’t used a mill or lathe since college, and I’ve never used a 5 axis CNC, so I’m super excited for the learning opportunity this new mill will give. Once mastered, this new level of precision will allow me to flex my machine design & mechanical engineering chops in a way I never have before.

The first big project I’m planning on making is a go-kart-scale differential swerve drive. I’m super excited to design and machine the complex bevel gear, suspension, and frame elements required for such a design.

#2: Drawing

My goal is to be comfortable quickly mocking up sketch ideas.

In the past I’ve been taught industrial design sketching, but my experience is limited to slow, planned sketches to communicate static product designs. Right now it takes me 1-2 hrs with a ruler to get an idea across and I spend 99% of my focus on the sketching. By the end of the year If I’m to collaborate with industrial designers at a product design firm and become an overall more creative engineer, I need to get to the point where I’m not focused on how I move the pen and can focus on the concept.

My starting point for now is a course in anime drawing and digital drawing so I can pick up the 2 skills that are completely absent, drawing humans & drawing digitally in a fun way while practicing my sketching fundamentals as well.

#3: Electronics & Controls:

Motoeus motor controller I want to minaturize for use in battlebots

I’m confident in ability to design, assemble, and test integrated PCBs for simple consumer products, and I’d love to be able to show that in a non-NDA’d project I could open source or sell. My tentative plan is to make a version of the Moteus motor controller miniaturized and tailored for direct-driving wheels on 1-3lb combat robots.

Controls wise I’ve never implemented a PID loop from complete scratch believe it or not, so I’m super interested in designing the controller for the reflow heater I’ll be making, and building from there. A differential swerve requires tight control of 2 motors (less than 45 degrees positional difference while spinning at >5k rpm) so I’ll have to build up to that a bit and master positional motor control.

Goals

I’ve always been great about setting goals but very seldom do I come back to review them in any measurable framework: so here’s a few SMART goals to be evaluated at the end of 2022.

Contribute to at least 1 product that ships and delivers to customers (either as part of my employment or a personal project)
Release or contribute to at least 3 open-source mechanical designs (like the power supply I’ve been working on)
Compete and place in any sort of engineering challenge / tournament (i.e. beetleweight battlebots)
Bench, squat, and deadlift my bodyweight (currently at least 105lb / 165lb on each)

I also have made a personal career and financial goal of making a certain amount of money this year. I’m not comfortable disclosing the amount, but I’ve decided to use this metric to make a goal of for a few reasons. Firstly, I’ve made a priority of choosing jobs that prioritize my learning and growth in the past, which has resulted in employers that don’t value me highly or have the resources for me to work efficiently (three cheers for academia). Secondly, it incentivizes me to find a job as quickly as possible, and the types of companies that engineer consumer tech products (like I want to) pay well. Finally, I’m at a point where my personal projects are becoming limited by tool access, and I need funds to invest in tools to continue growing. I know talking about financial goals like this can come off as greedy or self-centered but I think this is actually a good metric for me at this point in my career.

Final Thoughts

Overall I’m in a great place now and I’ve got some really exciting prospects going forward!

My career still holds me back, but I’m in a place now where I can sit down and grind out applications. I’m still bad at networking, which limits my avenues, but I know that if I submit enough applications and talk to enough people, something will come my way. I’m excited to be looking for a new job in product development!

I can’t wait to see where I’m at a year from now!

B(uild)Log

New Year New Plans