Selected Engineering Projects

These projects reflect my interest in hands-on engineering, rapid iteration, and building practical tools.
Professional projects are described at a high level and avoid proprietary details.

Hardware-Accelerated Cryptography Integration

Problem:
Integrate and validate hardware cryptographic engines across multiple microcontroller families while maintaining a consistent API surface.

What I Worked On:

  • Integrated AES (ECB, CTR, GCM, CCM, XTS), SHA, ECC, TRNG, and PKE hardware engines
  • Designed wrapper layers to normalize behavior across different hardware implementations
  • Debugged DMA interactions, interrupt behavior, and hardware state machines

Key Takeaways:

  • Hardware acceleration introduces non-obvious timing and state constraints
  • Clear abstraction boundaries are critical for long-term maintainability

Host-Side Embedded Test Framework

Problem:
Embedded cryptographic code is difficult to validate purely on-device.

What I Built:

  • Host-side unit testing framework using CMake, Unity, and GCC
  • Hardware abstraction mocks for crypto engines, DMA, and interrupts
  • Automated regression testing and coverage reporting

Why It Matters:

  • Enables fast iteration without flashing hardware
  • Improves confidence in correctness and edge cases

Personal & Side Projects

These projects reflect my interest in hands-on engineering, rapid iteration, and building practical tools.

Mini Guitar Hero Controllers

Mini Guitar Hero Controller

Motivation:
Commercial Guitar Hero controllers have become surprisingly expensive, and I already owned a 3D printer along with many of the required electronic components.

Rather than purchasing new controllers, it was cheaper and more interesting to build my own.

What I Built:

  • Compact custom Guitar Hero-style controllers
  • Used an ATmega32U4-based board (Arduino Micro form factor) for native USB HID support
  • Leveraged existing parts such as switches and wiring, minimizing new component costs
  • Designed and 3D-printed the enclosure and mechanical components

Why It Was Worth Doing:

  • Reduced cost compared to buying original controllers
  • Full control over form factor and input layout
  • Reinforced firmware, hardware, and mechanical integration skills

Shared Household Calendar (Magic Mirror–Style Display)

Shared Household Calendar Display

Motivation:
At one point, my girlfriend, her parents, and I were all living in the same house. Coordinating appointments, vacations, and medical visits across multiple people became difficult using individual calendars.

We needed a single, always-visible source of truth.

What I Built:

  • A shared calendar display connected to multiple Google Calendar accounts
  • Integrated each person’s calendar with color coding to clearly show:
    • Who has events
    • What day events occur
    • Overlapping schedules
  • Designed the system to be readable at a glance from across the room

Why It Was Worth Doing:

  • Reduced scheduling conflicts and missed appointments
  • Improved visibility for shared plans and travel
  • Demonstrated practical integration of software services into a physical display

Shop Vac → Pet Vacuum Adapter

Pet Vacuum Brush

Motivation:
Pet grooming vacuum attachments are convenient but often limited by weak suction and small collection capacity. I already owned a shop vacuum with significantly stronger suction power and a much larger capacity.

The goal was to reduce grooming time and avoid frequent stops to empty the vacuum by leveraging equipment I already had.

What I Built:

  • A custom-designed adapter to connect pet grooming vacuum brushes to a shop vac
  • Iterated the adapter design using 3D printing to ensure proper fitment and airflow
  • Designed the part to be durable enough for repeated use while maintaining a good seal

Why It Was Worth Doing:

  • Stronger suction improved grooming effectiveness
  • Larger capacity reduced interruptions during grooming sessions
  • Less time wasted grooming
  • Reinforced practical mechanical design and rapid iteration skills

3D Printing & Functional Parts

  • Design and print small functional components, adapters, and fixtures
  • Focus on tolerances, mechanical fit, and real-world usability
  • Frequently used to support electronics, prototyping, and household projects