// Electronics Engineer, EIT - Langley, BC

ARBAB
AHMED

I design hardware that works in the real world, from schematic capture and PCB layout through prototype bring-up and production handoff.

// 01 — About

Systems Thinker.
Hardware Builder.

I'm an electronics engineer focused on PCB design, hardware validation, and getting products from prototype to production. When I look at a design, I'm thinking about the whole picture: where it might fail, how it gets built, and what happens when the requirements shift.

That kind of thinking shows up the same way whether I'm laying out a board, debugging a prototype on the bench, or working through DFM feedback with a CM.

My strongest work is at the integration boundary: where layout decisions, component selection, power budgets, and real-world operating conditions all have to line up before anything ships.

Hardware & PCB
PCB Design Schematic Capture Altium Designer Mixed-Signal Layout Power Electronics DFM / CM Handoff
Validation & Test
Prototype Bring-Up Automated Test Jigs DAQ & Instrumentation Test Automation Bench Debug Hardware Validation
Embedded & Interfaces
Embedded C NXP S32 / MSP430 JTAG / SWD CAN / UART / SPI / I2C Sensor Integration
// 02 — Projects

Selected Work

// FEATURED · PROFESSIONAL
Unmanned Surface Vehicle:
10-PCBA Electronics Platform
Sole PCB designer on the electronics package for an autonomous unmanned surface vehicle with 10 PCBAs. Full schematic and layout ownership on three boards, with system architecture scoped in collaboration with the lead engineer. The platform integrated navigation, communications, sensor aggregation, and power management for field-deployed marine vessels.
Altium Designer Schematic PCB Layout Systems Architecture Prototype → Production
// PLATFORM SPECS
PCBAs10 assemblies
Layers4 to 8 per board
InterfacesCAN, SPI, I2C, RS-485, USB, PCIe
SubsystemsNav, Comms, Power, Telemetry
ECADAltium Designer
StatusField-deployed
// 01 · PROFESSIONAL
Multi-Voltage BLDC Motor Controller Validation
Hardware review and hands-on validation of client-designed brushless motor controller PCBAs across three concurrent product variants: 800V, 48V, and 12V coolant pump platforms. Resolved gate driver switching issues by calculating optimal resistor values and verifying on live hardware. Debugged NXP S32 peripherals via JTAG/SWD during bring-up. Built an automated test jig with DAQ integration and dummy loads; ran unattended long-duration dynamometer tests via CAN-to-Ethernet automation.
800V / 48V / 12V BLDC Gate Drivers JTAG / SWD Test Automation Hardware Validation
// 02 · PROFESSIONAL
Automated Test Jig for USV Electronics
Designed an automated test jig with purpose-built test circuits and dummy loads to validate the full USV electronics package before deployment. Incorporated external sensor communication to verify system-level electrical performance without needing the complete vessel.
Test Automation Hardware Validation Custom Test Circuits Dummy Loads
// 03 · PROFESSIONAL
Bow Sensor Aggregation & Navigation Lighting PCB
Redesigned the USV bow board handling a CAN-bus weather sensor, ambient light sensor, and capacitive water detection inputs. Processed sensor data onboard and relayed status messages to the main vessel controller. Onboard firmware evaluated ambient light levels and switched red, green, and white navigation lights in compliance with Transport Canada marine regulations.
CAN Bus Sensor Integration Embedded C Navigation Lighting PCB Layout
// 04 · PROFESSIONAL
Solar Power Monitoring & Charge Input PCB
Full schematic and layout redesign of the USV power input board. Monitors DC input from three solar panels and interfaces with the battery charger for the vessel power architecture.
Power Electronics Solar Telemetry DC-DC PCB Layout Altium
// 05 · PROFESSIONAL
I2C Address Conflict Resolution
When the USV power distribution scaled from 16 to 32 rails, two identical boards ended up on the same I2C bus with conflicting addresses. Solved it with a physical rework on existing stock, a motherboard revision adding pull-up/pull-down resistors to determine address by slot, and a firmware update to self-assign at boot. The boards shipped and are currently in vessels at sea.
I2C Hardware Rework Firmware Problem Solving
// 06 · PROFESSIONAL
Jetson Orin AGX Carrier Board
Schematic capture and initiated PCB routing on a 12-layer carrier board for the Nvidia Jetson Orin AGX, incorporating PCIe Gen3 x4 and USB 3.1 Gen1 interfaces. Part of the next-gen compute architecture for the USV platform. Project was discontinued before routing was completed.
12-Layer PCB High-Speed Interfaces PCIe Gen3 USB 3.1 Altium
// 03 — Experience

Where I've Worked

Feb 2024 — Sep 2025
Hedgehog Technologies
Electronics Engineer · Burnaby, BC
  • Primary PCB reviewer for client-designed 800V BLDC motor controller assemblies, catching ground loops and misconfigured MCU pins before boards went to manufacture
  • Led prototype bring-up and hardware validation on high-voltage motor control PCBAs, resolving issues through board-level modifications to bring prototypes to full spec
  • Identified gate driver switching performance issues by calculating optimal gate resistor values and verifying on live hardware; findings adopted by the client in subsequent revisions
  • Debugged NXP S32M244 motor controller hardware using PEmicro Cyclone JTAG/SWD, including live breakpoint debugging and peripheral register inspection during bring-up
  • Developed test firmware for peripheral validation when production firmware was insufficient for specific test requirements
  • Designed and built an automated test jig with 4-20 mA instrumentation, DAQ integration, and dummy loads to validate motor controller hardware under realistic operating conditions
  • Conducted dynamometer and pump testing with CAN-to-Ethernet gateways and custom automation software, enabling unattended long-duration validation runs
  • Redlined schematics, layouts, and BOMs for component shortages; authored ECOs and test reports to document all design changes
Feb 2022 — Sep 2023
Open Ocean Robotics
Jr. Electronics Engineer · Victoria, BC
  • Sole PCB designer on a 10-PCBA autonomous unmanned surface vessel; full schematic and layout ownership on three boards from concept through production handoff
  • Owned layout and stack-up definition (4 to 8 layers) in Altium for mixed-signal MCU-based boards supporting solar telemetry, navigation lighting, and bilge monitoring on deployed USVs
  • Proposed and designed a consolidated 8-layer validation PCBA combining a planned 3-board next-generation architecture, integrating high-current power, mixed-signal circuitry, and communication interfaces with an Nvidia Jetson SBC
  • Performed schematic capture and initiated PCB routing on a 12-layer Jetson Orin AGX carrier board with PCIe Gen3 x4 and USB 3.1 Gen1 interfaces
  • Designed automated test jig with purpose-built test circuits, dummy loads, and external sensor communication to verify system-level electrical performance of the full USV electronics package before deployment
  • Wrote MSP430 firmware to dynamically assign I2C addresses via hardware strap pins at boot, resolving a bus conflict when the power distribution scaled from 16 to 32 rails
  • Built and maintained the Altium component library and led the migration from KiCAD alongside an outside consulting engineer
  • Worked directly with contract manufacturers to review layouts, address DFM feedback, and resolve assembly issues during prototyping
May 2019 — Aug 2019
BCIT — SMART Microgrid
Research Assistant · Burnaby, BC
  • Built and tested wiring harnesses and fixtures for AC grid-tied power electronics systems
  • Ran hardware test procedures on off-the-shelf power electronics and wrote formal test reports for verification
  • Proposed a microgrid UI/UX upgrade to replace the existing OEM HMI and cut deployment costs
// 04 — Education

Academic Background

Sep 2017 — May 2021
BCIT
B.Eng. Electrical Engineering · Burnaby, BC
  • Capstone: built a PC power supply from scratch, schematic through physical build and testing
  • Graduated as Engineer in Training (EIT)
// 05 — Contact

Let's Build
Something.

Open to PCB design, hardware validation, and electrical product development roles. I'm looking for teams where technical rigor matters.

Email Me → LinkedIn ↗