09/30/2024 updated
100 % available
PCB Designer; Research and Development engineer
Zagreb, Croatia
Worldwide
Master of Science (MSc) in Electrical Engineering and Information TechnologyResearch EngineerPCB-DesignPCBRFRFIDfront endEmbeddedPrinted Circuit BoardPrinted Circuit Boards Layout Artist Power SuppliesAnalogous and digital developmenthigh Speed LayoutBOM (Bill of Materials)
I have more than 10 years in Embedded Hardware design. Through that time, I finished over 100 projects. Areas of expertise:
- System architecture design (high-level architecture compliant with functional and power requirements)
- Design and verification of power supplies (linear and switching-mode)
- Design and verification of analog, digital and RF circuits
- MCU-based low-power (battery-operated systems) - optimized power consumption
- High-speed interface design (DDR memories)
- RF circuitry design - embedding off-the-shelf antennas, designing own antennas, antenna matching via VNA
- Various RFID/NFC protocols hardware (and SW in small portion) design - understanding of the protocols
- PCB design
- 2-layer or multi-layer designs,
- Rigid, flex or flex-rigid PCB
- Met regulatory compliance standards on 2-layer PCBs regularly
- Design for manufacturing practices - my modules were manufactured in 500k+ pieces
- Design for testing practices - enabled ICT and FCT testing
- EMC testing
- Design of automated production test systems and procedures
- Certification / type approval (CE/FCC/IC)
- Project management
- Mentoring younger colleagues
- Working with the customer to meet the best possible solution
Languages
EnglishFluentCroatianNative speaker
Project history
- Access control platform including:
- multi-channel door controller with Ethernet/Wifi connection to the cloud platform
- PoE or DC-powered contactless NFC/RFID/Bluetooth reader with Eth/WiFi connectivity and user interface
- Powerline communications (PLC) addon that enables users to re-use the existing wiring infrastructure (one-pair wires)
- Compliant with UL294
- Lead hardware engineer, coordinate with mechanical engineers and consultations with software engineers to develop the complete physical product.
- Worked on achieving the best possible solution according to the client’s needs
- Controller
- Integrated in off-the-shelf enclosure
- Request-to-exit inputs
- Door sensor inputs (including end-of-line detection resistors)
- 4-channel outputs (wet or dry, 12 or 24 V locks support); complete protection implemented (overcurrent, inductive load support, overvoltage…)
- Ethernet and WiFi connectivity
- 24V DC power inputs with hot swap support (undervoltage, overvoltage, inrush current protection)
- Reader
- Power-over-Ethernet or DC input power support (custom cable solution is designed)
- Tight mechanical constraints resulted in thin customized PoE DC/DC regulator solution (using the pulse transformers and forward converter-based DC/DC conversion)
- Infrared-emitter-based proximity sensor
- Support of almost all low (125 kHz) and high-frequency (13.56 MHz) RFID protocols (I designed and am familiar with demodulation of these protocols)
- EM4100
- Various HID protocols
- MiFare and Ultralight
- Custom-designed RGB diffusor for RGB user indication
- Custom plastic and metal enclosure solution; the requirement was a modern design, easy installation and vandal-proof design
- Requirement for a dark (black on visible light) plastic cover, but transparent for IR light (proximity sensor) with translucent circle for RGB indication
- Optimized and industrialized the design to enable the mass manufacturing
- Connections with plastic injection molding and metal die casting manufacturers
- Powerline communications (multiple generations) addons
- Multiple generations designed (HomePlug 1.0, IEEE1901)
- Enables the end users to re-use their existing ona-pair wiring infrastructure, while maintaining high-bandwidth connection
- Railroad safety standard compliant isolated RS-485 to CAN converter
- Redundant (two-channel) architecture, implemented via Altium Designer multi-channel support
- Based on Xilinx XA Zynq-7000
- 8-layer PCB
- DDR3 memory interface
- Battery-powered device used as a sports tracker, tracking the location and biomedical parameters
- Connected to a training T-shirt via four buttons
- Heart rate and breathing (capacitive) sensing electrodes implemented in a shirt
- Discretely implemented GNSS tracker based on u-Blox solution
- BLE connectivity with chip antenna
- Heart-rate monitor based on AD8232
- Breathing rate monitor based on a capacitive sensor
- Tight mechanical constraints; developed a complete system architecture to maximizie GNSS and BLE performance while maintaining maximum possible battery lifetime (maximizing battery volume)
- Tight cooperation with mechanical engineers, who implemented the design with inputs from industrial designer
- 4-layer PCB, which complied with CE testing
- Complete product is IP65 compliant
- Designed a prototype product, done industrialization (including BOM optimization, PCB panelization, added production testing support…)
- Developed a production testing procedure and a test jig
- Product is manufactured and sold in over 10k pieces
Portfolio
SmartWaste
Ultrasonic sensor for measuring occupied space in waste bins
Reader 1.0
Access Control Reader 1.0
Televend
Connectivity module for vending machines
Controller Pro 2.0
Multi-channel Controller for access control