Mechatronic design & 3D CAD
Mechanisms, enclosures and assemblies drawn in SolidWorks. I watch tolerances, assembly, and whether a part can be made without it becoming needlessly expensive.
- SolidWorks
- FreeCAD
- Blender
Electronics engineer · Mechatronics · Netherlands
From sketch to working prototype.
A device, a machine or a test setup. I do the design, the electronics and the software. I build the prototype too. One point of contact from the first idea to the test rig.
- Based in
- Didam, Netherlands
- Response time
- Within 1 working day
- First call
- Free, 30 minutes
Previously worked at
- VanRaam
- IAH / Siltech
- Microflown Avisa
- Inspiro
- Mechatronic Engineering 2.0
Why one person
One person, from enclosure to firmware
In a small product, the mechanics, the electronics and the software have to fit together. At a large consultancy one person draws the enclosure, another the board and a third the firmware. Something goes wrong every time the work is handed over. Usually it is something small, like a board that does not quite fit or a connector in the way.
I do those three things myself. I am not the best at everything. But the parts fit together because I drew all of them. The board fits the enclosure because I made both. The firmware knows how the sensor is wired because I designed the circuit.
I build it too. Prototypes off the 3D printer, boards from a fab house, a test rig on the bench. At the end of the project you have a working unit in your hands.
Services
What I can do for you
Five things that usually end up in the same project. Hire me for one of them, or for the whole thing.
Electronics & PCB design
Circuits and boards, analogue or with a microcontroller. You get the schematic, the layout, the bill of materials and the files a fab house needs to build it.
- Altium Designer
- KiCad
- Altium CircuitStudio
Test rigs & measurement systems
A rig that measures what you need to know. Loading motors and reading sensors, with the data logged automatically. So you know something works before you build further.
- Python
- C/C++
- Data acquisition
Prototyping & small series
Making prototypes and adjusting them until they work. 3D printing in plastic, and for larger numbers silicone moulds, vacuum casting or laser work.
- FDM
- Resin
- SLS / SLM
- Vacuum casting
Audio electronics
Six years working on audio cables, loudspeakers and amplifiers. Research into magnetic fields and acoustics, and testing and measuring audio equipment.
- Analogue design
- Acoustics
- Audio analysis
Work
A few things I have built
Each project says what I did myself. Some were research, others design and build from start to finish.
Electric drivetrain
Completed
A fully electric drivetrain for bicycles
Research into a fully electric drivetrain for bicycles. Including which rules apply and whether it was feasible in practice.
My contribution
- Worked out which regulations apply and whether it was feasible
- Ran practical tests and built prototypes
- Wrote along with the existing pedal-assist system and helped debug the firmware
- Researched battery degradation with an analysis of every GSM-connected battery in the field, together with the University of Twente
- SolidWorks
- Embedded C
- Data analysis
Audio electronics
Completed
New audio cables, loudspeakers and amplifiers
Developing new products for a high-end audio brand. Improving existing designs based on measurements.
My contribution
- Researched magnetic fields and their acoustic effects in audio cables
- Designed mechanics and electronics for new products
- Worked on the CrystalCable Art series and the Royal Crown series
- Tested and measured audio equipment, and helped with the Siltech Symphony and the SAGA amplifiers
- Altium
- SolidWorks
- Audio analysis
- Magnetic field measurement
Measurement device
Completed
A portable measurement device for defence
Developing a device that had to produce usable measurements under harsh conditions.
My contribution
- Designed the circuit board
- Wrote the Arduino control software
- Designed and 3D printed the enclosure
- Assembled and tested the prototype
- PCB design
- Arduino
- 3D printing
Approach
How a job runs
You know up front what each step costs and what you get for it.
01
Introduction
Free · ± 30 minutesWe talk for half an hour. I want to know what you want to build and where it is stuck.
Afterwards you will know whether I can do something for you.
02
Scoping and proposal
Usually within a weekI write down what I think is needed: which questions first, which intermediate steps, roughly what it costs.
You see where your money goes before you spend it.
03
Design in short rounds
ContinuousI work in short rounds and show you where things are heading along the way.
If I am unsure, I build something small first to test it.
04
Prototype and test
Depends on the jobBoard, mechanics and software come together in a working prototype.
I test and measure, and tell you what works and what does not.
Tell me what you are dealing with
A first half-hour call costs you nothing and commits you to nothing. After that you will know whether it is worth going further.