The World of Embedded
Nicholas
Experience Information
Employer: Simms Electronics
Job Title: Co-Op Student/Intern
Major: Computer Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Simms Electronics is an electronics company that was founded in the early 2000's. Matt Simms created the company in an effort to focus less on the corporate technology aspect and more on the source of creative and constantly moving innovation in the world, the world of embedded systems. While the company has remained relatively small in size over the years, the scope of the projects have ranged from simple circuit boards, to boards that communicate with multiple other PCBs in a cohesive unit, from basic receiver/transmitter In Ear Monitors to highly integrated air quality monitors and wireless network devices. Focused on solutions and embedded design, Simms Electronics has been a hub for pushing innovation in technology.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
My first project since I've been here and the one I plan to see through it's entirety is a UV device meant to kill bacteria in hospital settings. I have done work with this project in almost all of its functional areas. I started working with the voice commands, testing the sensors and bulbs, testing distance and motion, and even soldering and doing EMC testing on the boards to test the device against radiation standards. That has been the project I have spent most of my time here with as well as the one I've done the most testing with. I have also been able to work alongside my co-workers in writing test software in C# (a new programming language for me up to this point) for a motor on conveyor systems as well as being able to write most of the test software by myself for a Radon Detector. I did a lot of testing with small beacons testing distance and motion as well as troubleshooting a remote control for a light that would be use in an Operating Room setting.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
Some skills and knowledge I was able to acquire through this Co-Op were essentially different ways to look at problems and different approaches to tackle them. A lot of soft skills that I learned included organizational techniques. My boss told me that his mentor heavily stressed organization as it could result in complications, especially with electronics and electrical devices. This came up when we had to rewire the UV device we worked on because the wires were not organized well, as this would make it confusing for an engineer in the field to troubleshoot if the machine needed repairs let alone the radiation and electrical noise caused by the wires simply being disorganized. I also learned how to approach work in a more cautious manner and taking my time to look things over and understand the concepts rather than barrel headfirst into a design change and potentially ruin the functionality of a component. One of the big skills I learned was being able to write software in C#, not only did I learn how to write in C# but my boss also stressed how to write efficiently in C#. If I wrote my code efficiently, I could safe processing power as well as making my code more readable and easier to make edits to, as oppose to writing it in a sloppy manner and spending more time fixing it than I would've writing it better in the first place. The main idea was being able to step back from a tunnel-vision view of programming and truly understanding the scope of the code I write in terms of functionality and in the big picture of the entire program itself. Some hard skills I learned included microsoldering and some knowledge in PCB layouts and PCB component functionality and design.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part about the experience was the sheer diversity and amount of projects I was able to work with. Generally, I was always working on something new or working with different concepts instead of doing the same thing every day. Despite being so different, a lot of projects had concepts that related to other projects, such as multiple projects of mine dealing with MODBUS protocol and serial communication. The great part about the projects were that despite being so different, they shared concepts in one way or another that made the projects feel like I wasn't completely walking into them blind, while still being able to discover something new.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
This experience has given me knowledge and mindsets that I'm happy I learned and could only be learned in a real-world setting. My biggest concern in college has been not knowing enough and going into the real world with a lack of ability to understand concepts let alone complete tasks. While I am still inexperienced in the world of engineering, this Co-Op has given me a lot of foundational knowledge as well as the mindsets to approach ideas and tasks from different and efficient perspectives. While I haven't bound myself to strictly embedded systems or strictly programming, this Co-Op along with schooling will give me the ability to be able to choose which area of computer/electrical engineering I would like to go into for a career when presented with careers in different areas of the field as well as different scales of size.