A Summer w/o Wires
Chris
Experience Information
Employer: Gill Electronics
Job Title: Electronics Coop
Major: Electrical Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Gill Electronics is a start up company under the Larger Corporation, Gill Industries. The company specializes in Wireless charging using Rezence technology, which has not yet been introduced to a consumer market.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
This summer I did the majority of my work with receiver testing. This involved testing numerous receivers that had a wide variety of issues. Early on, the weak link within the system was the Lightning connector, then after some full charging tests, a thermal issue was discovered, so I got to do the testing & solution for that issue as well. Throughout the semester I was also the sole Engineer designing a detection circuit in a powerful Magnetic Field.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
Throughout the entire experience I found myself learning lots of information about the engineering work environment. I was constantly asking questions about random items, which lead to my learning of decoupling caps, and the generic BLE system used in the circuits. My soldering abilities also skyrocketed. Before starting, I was sufficient at soldering through-hole components only, and before long, I was able to solder Surface-Mounts with ease. The most important thing I learned was always write down everything you do, no matter how small and unimportant it seems at the time. Numerous times throughout the semester I was able to go back through my written work and find solutions to my present problems.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part of this experience was the daily laughs I had with my co-workers. They really created an open environment which helped me learn yet still made me excited to show up to work everyday.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
Before starting at Gill Electronics, I was pretty sure that I wanted to go into the field of Electrical Engineering, but this experience really showed me how fun the job can be, and it cemented my decision to become an engineer.