Experience | Siddharth M

Relevant Experience

CO-OP Experience

Relavent Extracirriculars

Co-op

Co-op Experience

Aversan Inc, Hardware Engineering Co-op

Hardware & Firmware

Diagnosed and resolved a power failure on an LCD board by identifying a shorted LED driver and damaged common-mode choke; replaced faulty components to restore full functionality and meet the 13.5 V requirement.
Debugged a long-standing display startup issue where the screen remained pink due to processor–display MCU miscommunication; probed power rails and SPI lines, reviewed firmware, and traced the root cause to improper buffer pin voltage; implemented hardware fix that eliminated the issue across all units.
Investigated graphics controller communication failures between the display MCU and BT817 when handling large SPI packet transfers; probed SPI lines, analyzed test code, and traced failures to packet-size-dependent buffer and CS-line behavior; flagged likely root causes (software implementation bug vs. hardware limitation) and outlined next debugging steps
Investigated regulator failures on a processor board by dead-bugging LDO and buck converters and testing downstream circuits; determined unrecoverable BGA pad damage and advised retirement of the board, preventing wasted rework effort.
Analyzed an extended pink screen issue persisting on display board, isolated it from unrelated divider issues, and confirmed board functionality under test conditions; defined next investigative steps to pinpoint the cause
Conducted thermal testing of LCD backlight circuits across –70 °C to +125 °C; identified intermittent current spikes (200 mA vs. 20 mA nominal) occurring above 70 °C; recommended cross-unit testing to determine whether behavior was unit-specific or temperature-dependent

Starfish Medical, Electrical Engineering Co-op

PCB Design, Bring-Up, & Validation

Designed the schematic and layout for an impedance matching board for a client looking to develop an innovative ultrasonic cancer treatment method. The purpose of the board is to ensure maximum power transfer to the fifty-six 3-axis ultrasonic transducers used in a non invasive cancer treatment.
Applied Advanced PCB design concepts such as high density component placement and multilayer routing, to reduce the size of the PCB. Additionally, I included stitching vias to aid in grounding of all copper planes, while also minimizing crosstalk between the 350KHz signals.
Applied advanced tools in Altium, such as rooms, pin swapping, and multi routing to increase the effectiveness of the layout.
Modified the shape length, reference pour, and routing of a flex PCB designed to be soldered to the transducer used in the NovusTX assembly. Included a rigidflex overlay and teardrop connections between pads and traces to maximize strength when the flex PCB is placed under bending stresses.
Designed an interface board to connect the Verasonics board to the flex PCB, using pin mapping to ensure all pins on the interface board routed to the equivalent pins on the flex PCB and Verasonics PCB.
Completed the bring-up and testing of a breakout board for the NovusTX ultrasonics device for VNA testing. Soldered several intricate components, including FFC and U.FL connectors. Applied soldering techniques such as adding flux, then performing drag soldering for connectors with densely packed pins, using a solder wick to clean any bridging that occurred.
Used an isopropyl based ultrasonic cleaner to remove dust and impurities from PCBAs.
Conducted several verification tests to prove the effectiveness of the PCB, including continuity checks and VNA testing, to validate the connections and signal integrity (via S-parameters) respectively.

Other Electrical

Developed a 3 port co-axial power transfer cable to a laser engine vital to the optical surgery device being developed for our client Stroma. Sourced the appropriately specked cables (R59 SHV cable with bulkhead connectors with 50 ohm impedance) to safely supply 2.2 KV with impedance matching to ensure maximum power transfer.
The third port of the cable is used to monitor the feedback of the supplied power. Best soldering practices to ensure solid connections were used, with rated insulation jackets used to cover all solder joints.
Hi-Pot Testing was conducted to ensure the harness could withstand the voltage for this application. a leakage current of 0.00 mA resulted using a test voltage of 2.5kV.
Calculated heat dissipation across major components for Main PCB for Stroma device to determine the amount of heat generated, to accurately select the correct method of cooling to prevent the system from overheating. The selected cooling method included heat sinks with fins placed on the most critical components, and a fan installed with the assembly to convectively remove heat.
Designed schematics and footprints for several components added to Starfish's component library, including MC units (stm32: STM32H723VGT6), connectors (0768661011), integrated circuits (32 bit ADC: AD4134), and cables (flex flat cable).

Firmware

Developed firmware to gather vibration data from 3 accelerometers using an STM32 to analyze the data. Initially planning to use I2C, I calculated the required sample rate needed to get an accurate reading of the estimated 2kHz signal samples using the Nyquist Theorem.
Used a combination of an oscilloscope and a logic analyzer to probe signal transmission from sensor to STM, to monitor signal capacitance and speed respectively.
Realized that the two I2C ports on the STM32 wouldn't be sufficient to sample data at the minimum required rate of 4kHz due to clock speed limitations, so I switched to using SPI (which has up to 10 MHz clock). This allowed all 3 sensors to be connected to a single SPI bus, reducing the number of pins needed.
Due to cable lengths of 80 cm, reduced SPI clock speed to 2MHz, as to not compromise sampling rate, while maintaining sufficient signal integrity.
Developed a python script to convert the values to human readable numbers and log the data to a CSV file.

Wrmth, Electrical Engineering Intern

IoT & Firmware

Developed the firmware needed to operate a custom-made concrete 3D printer. Utilized a Duet 2 Wi-Fi as the mainboard, with a modified configuration file to reflect the design choices made. Additionally, set up an Ubuntu server on a Raspberry Pi 3B to allow for Klipper control, to remotely access the printer.
Set up a a Debian server on a Raspberry Pi 4B to host Klipper, for remote access an IDEX 3D printer. Additionally, designed a custom printer.cfg file tailored for our specific printer (the Sovol SV04).
Developed a script for a 6-axis robot arm to allow an Arduino to provide instructions to it's SSC-32U servo controller

Electrical

Designed and routed the electrical schematic for the mainboard to connect to the motors, end stop switches, display, and Raspberry Pi with Klipper.
Designed and manufactured a quality control (QC) device for the electrical harness of the chair. It utilized an Arduino Mega and an I2C display to read resistances in the 24-pin harness when one end was plugged into the device and the other end into the chair. Initially, I used a Wheatstone bridge design, but switched it to a voltage divider, as a more compact design at the expense of accuracy was desired, to connect multiple wire pairs at once. A portable enclosure was designed for the device.
A secondary circuit was designed for the QC device, and placed on a PCB for more resilient connections and compact size. It utilized a diode, transistor, and LEDs to test if the chair LED strips functioned properly.
Used the QC device to measure the resistance in the harnesses of several chairs, determining that resistances were higher than expected in certain cables. This was traced back to to the harness connectors being faulty.
Redesigned the wiring system to circumvent the need of the faulty connectors.
Designed a control system using an Arduino Uno and 3 joysticks to control the 6 axes of the arm via the SSC-32U motor driver. The robotic extruder arm is designed to be integrated as a secondary extruder into the concrete printer setup, for additional details and touchups.
Designed a cable clip to integrate seamlessly into the chair design, with the purpose of holding the power cord against the chair. This function was pursued for aesthetic purposes, as well as safety, to reduce the likelihood of power cord damage.
Undertook the electrical assembly of the chair heating mechanisms, routing the connections between the power supply, distribution board, heaters, thermistors, and heating pads placed under the seat and armrests.
Detailed documentation of all research conducted and processes completed during the term, complete with detailed descriptions, sections, clear, labeled images, and company watermarks.

Waterloo Baja SAE Team, Mechanical and Electrical Co-op

Designed a PCB using Altium to regulate power from the 12V battery for different purposes throughout the vehicle. It contains a buck converter to step voltage down to 5V, for the DAQ system, and a boost converter to step up voltage for the differential and brake light.
Designed the schematic for the brake light circuit, created a bill of materials, and wired the circuit into the car such that it would be easily accessible.
Designed and throttle mechanism to be functional yet simple to manufacture. Machined parts for the throttle using a lathe and mill.
Designed the gearbox mechanism to allow varying output to the differentials from the engine, as well as a mount to dampen engine vibrations by holding the gearbox rigid.
Machined and connected the driveshaft between the differentials and the gearbox, allowing the car to be all wheel drive.
Designed a mount for the Fuel tank such that it is placed above the engine, but with a splash shield to carry spilled fluid away from the engine. Machined and welded the tubes and tabs for the mount using saws, belt sander, tube notcher, angle grinder and TIG welding.
Wired the kill switch mechanism to ensure fuel to the engine can be cut off by the driver and the pit crew.
Precision machined couplers for the driveshaft and steering rack to tolerances within 1 thou.
Delegated machining tasks to new members, as well as demonstrating how to use various machines.

AOMBT, IT Support Specialist

Lead the research, presentation and migration of sensitive organization documents from the local server to SharePoint and OneDrive.
Trained Team members how to navigate SharePoint and OneDrive.
Provided technical assistance to staff following the migration to the cloud server, creating group help meetings, one on one help sessions, and regularly followed up with staff to ensure smooth transition.
Researched and implemented changes to further streamline consistency in the work environment for all staff.
Lead the research, presentation and testing of a new external communications system for the organization (Teams Phone).
Trained staff on using the features offered by Teams Phone, including call queues and Auto Attendant.
Created training documents for SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams Phone setup for future reference for staff members.

The Rapid Prototyping Centre, Engineering Assistant

Manufactured parts and designs using FDM 3D printing technology and laser cutting technology to ensure customer satisfaction.
Took on added responsibilities of setting up out of service 3D printers independently, using available online resources, to offer a new service to customers (customer run 3D prints).
Subsequently advertised this new service via the website, flyers as well as introducing it to interested customers of the RPC.
Identified problems that arose with the machines used by employing trial and error testing to quickly discover solutions, maintaining the flow of orders.
Worked with customers who had limited knowledge of CAD to create drawings and parts in AutoCAD and SolidWorks for them, that would result in the finished product they imagined.
Taught the usage, function and maintenance of all the machines in the RPC (the industrial and Desktop 3D printers, the print baths, soldering stations, reflow oven and laser cutter) to a colleague in the engineering department, to streamline the flow of orders at the RPC between terms.
Worked with the following term's co-op student to develop ideas to further streamline the operation of the customer run 3D printing service.

Experience

Relevant Experience

Waterloo Aerial Robotics Group (WARG), Electrical Division member

Performed circuit debugging to determine sources of error in the wiring of the drone before competition.
Selected a Buck IC based on several criteria (efficiency, input & output voltage range, current).
Calculated values for the passive components needed for the desired input and output voltages and sourced said components from Digi-key.
Used Altium to design the schematic sheet and layout for the buck converter, stepping down voltage from 5V to 3.3V.
Generated the manufacturing files for the bare PCB manufacturing.
Hand Soldered all components to PCB using best practices to ensure clean, tapered joints between pad and pin.
Ran continuity tests to ensure all components were well soldered and working as expected.

Apple Mentorship, Student

Completed the App Development with Swift course, in partnership with Apple Canada.
Developed interactive apps for children's game concepts, such as a word guessing game, with apples falling from the tree for each wrong guess. Object layout and constraints were utilized in the design of this app.

FIRST Robotics Team, Mechanical & Electrical division member

Operated power tools and worked with a CNC machine to design and create sections for the robot chassis, as well as the mechanisms to score points during competitions.
Routed the data & power transmission systems to ensure the power demands of each element were satisfied, and data disruptions were kept to a minimum.Designed an oganized schematic layout that was followed for the routing, to allow ease of circuit debugging when necessary.