[INIT] engineer detected — Prateek Sarkar, Electronics & Communication, 2023–2027
[INFO] PCB tools loaded: KiCad · Altium Designer
[INFO] MCU stack ready: STM32F405 · ESP32 · ESP32-S3 · Arduino
[INFO] Bus protocols online: UART · SPI · I²C · CAN · RS232
[INFO] Power subsystem: Buck · Boost · LDO · LiPo integration
[INFO] Test gear armed: Oscilloscope · Logic Analyzer · Bench PSU
[WARN] "Just a quick revision" event detected — brace for REV_N+1
[ OK ] Lab terminal online. Keep fingers away from props and opinions away from DRC.
Not a hobbyist. Not yet a veteran. Exactly at the intersection where both things are simultaneously true.
I design PCBs that have to work in real-world conditions — near spinning propellers, inside military-adjacent systems, and under the kind of scrutiny that comes when the people testing your hardware have actual missions to fly.
I build flight controllers, UAV avionics, dev boards, and power management systems — from first schematic to bring-up to field validation. I've done this at IIT Roorkee, at Karman Drones, and in direct collaboration with the Border Security Force of India on classified UAV and robotics projects.
The hardware runs. The drones fly. Some of the lessons were expensive.
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ MISSION DEBRIEF ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ ★ Acknowledged by Amit Shah, Hon'ble Home Minister of India ║
║ for technical contributions to national-level initiatives. ║
║ ║
║ ★ Awarded ₹1,00,000 by DG Daljit Singh Chaudhary, BSF ║
║ for excellence in robotics and technical innovation. ║
║ ║
║ ★ Awarded ₹1,00,000 by ADG Dr. Shamsher Singh, BSF Academy ║
║ for successful execution of advanced technical projects. ║
║ [project details restricted — classification level: actual] ║
║ ║
║ ★ Contributed to classified UAV & robotics systems, BSF ║
║ Full-cycle hardware development. Mission-critical environments. ║
║ ║
║ ★ Trained 200+ students in robotics & embedded systems ║
║ Hands-on workshops. Arduino to autonomous bots. ║
║ ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
| Organisation | Role | What Actually Happened |
|---|---|---|
| 🔬 IIT Roorkee | Electronics Engineer Intern | Multilayer PCBs, signal integrity, STM32/ESP32 integration, MAVLink, flight controller + avionics hardware from schematic to system test |
| 🚁 Karman Drones | UAV Systems Engineer Intern | Surveillance + payload UAV platforms, FPV + optical-fiber-controlled systems, flight-time optimisation, real-world payload validation |
| 🛡️ BSF (Classified) | Hardware Collaborator | UAV and robotics systems for national-level deployment. Details restricted. The hardware flew. |
| 📡 Saveraama Pvt. Ltd. | Robotics Workshop Trainer | Taught 200+ students: Arduino fundamentals, line-following bots, gesture-controlled systems, automation projects |
PAYLOAD_MANIFEST
[PCB DESIGN] KiCad · Altium · 4-layer boards · impedance control · EMI/EMC
[EMBEDDED C/C++] STM32F405 · ESP32 · ESP32-S3 · real-time control loops
[BUS PROTOCOLS] UART · SPI · I²C · CAN · RS232 · MAVLink
[POWER SYSTEMS] Buck · Boost · LDO · LiPo charging · multi-rail regulation
[DRONE HARDWARE] Flight controllers · ESC routing · IMU placement · telemetry
[TEST & DEBUG] Oscilloscope · Logic Analyzer · Bench PSU · smoke-test rituals
BUILD_LOG
[FC-BOARD] custom-flight-controller-pcb
STM32F405 · IMU · BMP388 · SPI Flash · USB-C · ESC routing
Power management · Reverse polarity protection · CAN bus
Status: Hardware-firmware co-design. Real-time flight control.
[ESP-DRONE] esp32-drone-flight-controller
4-layer KiCad · ESP32 · MPU6050 IMU · Motor drivers
LiPo charging · UART/I²C/SPI · 3D mechanical clearance verified
Status: Wireless telemetry confirmed. Props attached. Brave.
[ELRS-RX] elrs-receiver-pcb
ESP8285 + SX1280 · RF matching network · Compact layout
3.3V regulation · antenna routing · sub-GHz link
Status: Signal received. Most of the time.
[PCB-TOOLS] pcbly-toolkit
Trace width · Via sizing · Impedance · Voltage drop · Clearance
Status: Because mental math at 2AM is a liability.
PCB_REVISION [REV_N_PLUS_ONE — always]
POWER_RAILS [STABLE until touched]
UART [SILENT. Rude.]
I2C [ACK? Sometimes.]
IMU [Vibration poetry at 1kHz]
ESC OUTPUTS [Loud confidence]
FPV FLIGHT CTRL [ONGOING — STM32F405 · EMI reduction · compact form factor]
MAGIC_SMOKE [Contained. Suspicious.]
IDEA → DATASHEET → SCHEMATIC → LAYOUT → FABRICATE → ASSEMBLE
→ BRING-UP → CONFUSION → SCOPE TRACE → FIX → REPEAT → FLIGHT
FIELD RULES:
01. Test points are cheaper than emotional damage.
02. Current limit first. Confidence later. Always.
03. If the board works on first power-up, inspect reality for defects.
04. DRC passing means the computer is satisfied. The universe may still object.
05. Every failed revision is tuition paid directly to the laws of physics.
06. The datasheet says "typical." That's a villain origin story.
07. "It flies" is an acceptable substitute for "it is fully understood."
