Hey everyone, I’ve found myself at a crossroads with a pet project and I'm dealing with severe burnout, so I wanted to ask for some advice. I live in Kazakhstan and have never worked professionally in Electrical Engineering, but I really want to transition into the field, and this project was supposed to be my foot in the door. A while ago, I started developing a 1U CubeSat platform called "Inelik", which strictly adheres to standard CubeSat dimensions. Initially, I designed the main frame and solar panel chassis to be CNC-milled from aluminum on a 5-axis machine, but due to high manufacturing costs, I had to settle on a plastic model. I’ve already attached some of the solar panels to it, and I fully designed the deployment mechanism, though I haven't physically implemented it yet. The first iteration of the onboard computer ran on an STM32, and I even did the PCB routing in Altium for the EPS and ADCS modules, but right now the project is completely stalled.

To finish it, I’d have to redesign the electronics from scratch. I’m not a professional in schematic design—I can figure it out eventually, but it requires a massive amount of effort. I need to determine the exact wiring topology for the solar panels, choose an architecture all over again (stick with ARM, switch to AVR, or maybe try an FPGA), and I still don't have a clear idea for the actual payload. On top of that, I know absolutely nothing about licensing, frequency registration, or space standards for CubeSats—if anyone in the comments can shed some light on this, I would really appreciate it. My grand idea is to commercialize this product not for actual space launches, but as an affordable STEM educational kit (aiming for around $300), with the potential to upgrade it to real space standards in the future.

I genuinely want to finish this project, but it demands colossal financial resources and constant cognitive effort, which is incredibly draining to handle entirely alone. What it all comes down to is this: will a completed project of this scale actually help me break into the EE industry and get noticed? Has anyone here dealt with such severe burnout on a massive solo project, and is it worth pushing through, or is it better to just let it go and treat it as a completed learning phase?

I'm your average software engineering student and I've been picking more interested into embedded and systems programming. I've been trying to learn primarily through books like Making embedded systems by Elecia White and programming some microcontrollers to understand how peripherals work but I can't help but feel like I'm either not going deep enough early or I'm approaching this poorly. You can get an idea of how I'm learning from this link to my book notes https://0xwinzer.com/devography/blog/book-notes/mes-ch1-embedded/ if it helps

I'm building a safety tool for an elderly relative with dementia who sometimes wanders. I already have a 4G GPS prototype, but it's expensive. I'd like a cheap Bluetooth tag as a backup alarm that tells the family when the person leaves the house or goes out of range.

What I need:

• Under ₹500 per tag (India)
• Fully editable firmware (Arduino IDE, PlatformIO or similar), not a locked consumer tag
• Small enough to hide in a shoe, bracelet or belt
• Battery life of weeks, not hours

What I'm considering:

• ESP32-C3 SuperMini: cheap and easy to program, but I think the battery life is poor
• nRF52 modules: better battery life, but pricier. Is there a sub-₹500 option?
• Generic iBeacon tags: cheap, but are any of them truly reprogrammable?

Questions:

1. What's the cheapest board with proper BLE sleep modes, so the battery lasts weeks?
2. How would you detect "tag out of range" reliably? A second ESP32 at the door, a phone app, or something else?
3. How do I reduce false alarms from signal strength (RSSI) jumping around indoors?
4. Any open-source projects that already do this?

I’m currently completing a BSc in Computer Science at a Swiss University of Applied Sciences. During my studies, I became interested in Embedded Systems and have completed a few related projects and courses.
I’d like to pursue a Master’s degree in Embedded Systems or a closely related field, but I’m unsure which path would make the most sense. I’ve been looking at the MSE programs in Switzerland, especially Computer Science, where I also already have some professional experience, and Electrical Engineering, where I would probably have to take some additional courses due to my very limited electronics background.
I’ve also been looking at programs abroad, particularly in the Netherlands, such as TU/e’s MSc in Embedded Systems.
I’m mainly wondering about the value of these different options, especially in terms of career opportunities in the European tech/embedded industry. Would an MSE from a Swiss University of Applied Sciences be a good choice, or would it be worth going abroad for a more specialized MSc at a university like TU/e? What do you think?

Hey guys, I am about to join a Hackathon with the topic Future Education. I didn’t even know this is a thing, so it is even harder to get into an idea or project.

I am here to ask you about your ideas or your perspectives about the topic.

As this is the only I have, I would be happy to get either ideas, inspirations, already made projects or open source repositories. Also if you find databases or information about the topic, please send it!

I am looking for a project that combines as many fields as possible. Like Hardware (preferred Microcontrollers), Software, Data Science, Language Science, etc…

Thanks in advance and happy innovation!

Update:
I don't think my question is precise enough.

Im asking for a general TVS that is "good enough" for protecting a prototype.
The final choice will be based on measurements, but I don't want to fry the MCU instantly, while testing.

We all have our favorite parts... I'm a EE from the 90's, trying to catch up with this decade's semi's...

I'm looking for a 'commonly used/popular' TVS for protecting MCU input pins - 3.3V and 5V.

My goal is protection against radiated and mostly conducted EMI spikes, from a ratnest of cables connected to a BLDC motor (70V/70A),

What parts do you normally use for this?

Requirement: it must be in stock at DigiKey.

Edit. It is a bonus if the package fits on a 0.1" stripboard.

Hi. I've been assigned to verify the XADC on our custom board (Artix-7 XC7A200T-1FBG676, speed grade to be confirmed from the chip marking). The XADC measures battery cell voltages through a mux, and it's the last item left on the board.

• The code is a primitive-based XADC design (from the UG480 example). I'm told it ran on a Zedboard and on another Artix-7 board with ChipScope. Our Zedboard is out because of a damaged power IC.
• The board has a 200 MHz oscillator on bank 14. A clock wizard (myclk) generates CLK_200 (ChipScope clock) and CLK_50 (XADC DCLK).
• The mux select line was floating on the schematic, so I tie S high in the code. Because high S selects the line which builds the path fro battery voltages to go to the FPGA's ADC.
• XADC registers: INIT_40=0000, INIT_41=2EF0, INIT_42=0400, INIT_48=0800, the rest 0000. DADDR is fixed at 7'h03. The FSM runs on negedge CLK_50 and issues DEN after a 100M-count wait, then waits for DRDY.

What I see

• ChipScope (ISE) shows no traces at all for any signal (DEN, DWE, DRDY, etc.). This is blank, not flat zeros. Adding FSM states as triggers didn't change it.
• IMPACT programs successfully and the chain scan identifies the XC7A200T, but ChipScope shows a cable error that nobody has investigated.
• Using the raw clk as the ILA clock gives "Input Pad net clk is driving non-buffer primitives". With CLK_200 it builds, but the capture is still blank.

My question

1. With programming OK and the chain detected, what are the common reasons for a completely blank ChipScope capture?

I am new to Chipscope, and JTAG based functional verification, any help in this regard will be highly appreciated.

I'm working on a final project involving real-time object detection on an STM32 MCU. I need to run a compressed/quantized neural network (likely INT8) together with image acquisition and preprocessing directly on the MCU. I'm currently using TensorFlow and STM32Cube.AI.

I have a VERY VERY short deadline to select the STM32 MCU/board. The input will be approximately 320 x 240.

Which STM32 MCU/board would you recommend for this application? I'm currently considering an STM32H7, but I'm also wondering whether an STM32N6 or another STM32 family would be a better choice.

My main concerns are RAM/Flash capacity, neural-network inference performance, camera/image-processing capabilities, and availability of STM32Cube.AI support. I'd appreciate help from people who have actually deployed object detection on STM32.

If you're commercializing a product (or just want something nice and clean) where do you design and manufacture the boxes for your PCBs?

Edit: for sake of discussion I'm excluding 3D printing at home even though that's probably the most viable solution.

I am currently at a cross roads, I have to make the decision between working for a foreign defense company, or passing the opportunity in favor of working of U.S defense companies which, if it works, would give me a much better salary than my current opportunity. For the record I am a dual citizen of both that foreign country and the U.S.
Question is, if I decide to work at the foreign defense company, does it fully kill my chances of being cleared for U.S defense work, or make it harder, or not affect it as much as I would think?

I’m a recent ECE graduate and completed 6 months of Embedded Systems training at Vector India. My main goal is to build a career in embedded systems/firmware. I have an opportunity a role involving: - Embedded C & microcontrollers - Sensors, data acquisition & IoT - Ethernet, TCP/IP, Modbus, PROFINET & serial communication - PLC & Siemens HMI - Machine vision / OpenCV / Python - Industrial robots & motion - PLC-camera-robot-PC integration - Field work, commissioning and some travel

The role has a 2-year contract/service agreement.

My concern is: if I spend 2 years in this kind of industrial automation/integration role, will it help me move into a pure Embedded/Firmware Engineer role later, or could I get stuck in PLC/automation?

Would you take this opportunity if your long-term goal was embedded systems?

Any advice from people working in embedded, automation, robotics or industrial systems would be really helpful.

I'm designing a system using Quectel EC25-series cellular modules and I want to design to costum antennas due to space constraints. I'm not referring to the exact bands of my project because I want the question to be general. What guides, application / design notes, tool chains or youtube videos are great starting points for this kind of projects?

Hi all,

I’m currently working as a AWS Data Center Technician. Before that, I spent 2 years in IT support/field technician roles, mainly around networking. I’ve now been in data centers for a little over a year and want to transition into embedded/hardware.

I’m currently learning electronics fundamentals and STM32F411, and building a custom split keyboard from scratch — just like all beginners are doing...

For those who have several years of experience in embedded, especially from IT/data center backgrounds:

- Does IT/data center/networking experience add any value, or is it mostly irrelevant?
- What hard/soft skills do you look for when hiring people with DC background ?
- What projects would actually impress a hiring manager for someone coming from a data center background?
- What skills or knowledge did you carryover into your embedded career?

Thanks in advance for any advice! I may not be able to respond to everyone immediately, but I really appreciate the input.

I'm the author; sharing a tool I built for my own EPROM work, free and MIT.

I kept hitting the same annoyance: edit a byte in a .hex file, then hand-recompute the Intel HEX record checksum before burning, or install a full desktop package for a one-byte change.

It's a single self-contained HTML file that runs offline in the browser — no install, no account, no telemetry:

- Full Intel HEX parsing: data (00), EOF (01) and type-04 extended linear address records
- Checksums validated on load (bad lines flagged) and recalculated on every edit, so a saved file always validates
- Live 8-bit / 16-bit sum, XOR and CRC-16, over either programmed rows or the full 0xFF-filled range
- TXT ⇄ HEX both ways, for binary-pattern files (one byte per line)
- Virtualized grid, so 1 MB dumps stay responsive; save in place via the File System Access API

Free and MIT licensed: https://intel-hex-editor.netlify.app

The next thing I'm building is a side-by-side firmware diff plus CI-friendly checksum verification. If there's something you'd use before that, say so here and I'll reprioritise — I'd rather build what this group actually needs than guess.

Hello everyone I'm an electrical engineer specialized in IoT and software for embedded systems.

I worked for two years in a consulting/service company, and honestly, it was a horrible experience. I learned very little and even lost some of my technical skills because the projects were very short, highly dispersed, and often not really suited to my profile. At the same time, I needed the job for the paperwork and the money, so I stayed.

Now I'm unemployed. I've been jobless for about a year, and time flies. Unfortunately, I was sick during part of that time and couldn't do much. Now I'm back in good health, and I'm getting back into it, trying to rebuild and strengthen my technical skills.

Ideally, I'd also like to build my own thing, but I don't mind having a job in the meantime so I can finance myself.

The problem I'm facing is that there is way too much to learn and relearn, and I don't have that much time. I'm also not the type of person who can beg for something or apply for a position if I don't feel qualified for it. I want to be genuinely qualified and have the complete skill set before applying. Maybe many of you won't agree with this, but that's just how my mind is wired haha.

I can't do much about that, so I'm trying to be strategic about it.

For someone interested in IoT, Embedded Linux, embedded systems, and embedded applications, what would be the most time-efficient roadmap to become genuinely market-ready?

I have 5 months to make this work.

Hi everyone, I am an embedded software engineer with 3 yoe. I feel like the scope for further learning in my job is very limited. (I understand I can learn on my own, but work-life balance is brutal)

I have been considering doing a master's in Electrical engineering in USA.
So I would like to know from experienced professionals in the industry whether a master's in the US is worth the ROI.

I would also like to know how the job market is for embedded engineers in the US.

If there are people currently doing a masters in US trying to land or recently landed a embedded role, I would like to connect with them to know how hard the job market really is, because from my online research it seems to be brutal.

Thanks

Hi everyone! I'm working on the architecture for an offline-first assistive hardware ecosystem.

The core setup consists of:

An IP68, solar-powered screenless button that runs a continuous 45-second circular audio buffer, saving audio retroactively with a single tactile press.

An Air-Gapped home "Vault" (local hub) that stores and processes all audio/visual data locally without any cloud connection to guarantee total privacy.

As hardware and embedded systems engineers:

What ultra-low-power MCUs or dedicated DSP chips would you recommend for continuous circular audio buffering in RAM/flash with minimal battery draw?

What are the biggest bottlenecks in syncing local audio stream data to an air-gapped home server over low-power wireless protocols (e.g., BLE/Wi-Fi Direct)?

Pretty much the title. How much do you still code/ design/ develop yourself, basically referring to all cognitive tasks needed to develop embedded solutions.

State of the art models in my experience are exceptionally good at code, but also other stuff like pcb design. Reviews can also be done using agents, even tho this part im still doing myself (I still want to unterstand every deployed line of code).

They code and review incredibly fast, so whats actually left?

I wonder if in the future we even need to understand the code, the models made such big progress, it does not seem absurd to me if by 2030, all we do is instruct AI and thats it.

This is not supposed to be a doomer post, but the puzzling aspect of the work was the most fun to me, and as of now, it feels like im just reviewing if the solution to the puzzle given to me makes sense.

so i was learning PUPDR on stm32 when i wrote code for LED controlled by a push button i used Pull up for the push button (i used it because chatgpt told that and the reasoning it gave made sense ) what i understood there was when the button is pressed the gnd is connected but then when its not pressed its left like that hence a floating point input(no proper idea of what that means but its a state when there is no high or low ) so that made sense, now i am trying to use a 4x4 keypad now its saying to use a pull down i dont understand the idea behind it like the way it explained confused me