About Me
Hi! I'm Ben, a computer engineer living in San Francisco, CA.
I enjoy creating all things related to embedded systems, electronics, and virtual reality.
I use Raspbery Pis, Arduinos, MSP430s, and FPGAs to create electronic projects related to my favorite hobbies. I enjoy working on projects related to robots, trains, cars, rockets, virtual reality headsets, and much more.
I grew up in the Bay Area, Calfornia, and started attending Montana State University in the fall of 2018.
I graduated in May 2022 with a B.S. in Computer Engineering.
These are some of the technologies I work with:
- FPGAs, MCUs, Single Board Computers
- C#, C, Python, Java
- PSpice, Matlab, Unity3D
- Displays. Reflective, diffractive optics
Project Gallery
Raspberry Pi Model BART Train
This project is a custom designed and built third rail powered model train inspired by the BART system. It has a custom chassis, drivetrain, PCB, as well as software to enable autonomous navigation via RFID tags in the trackbed. The system is powered by a live third rail running at 5V DC, with a Raspberry Pi UPS to smooth out contact drops with the third rail.
GitHub
Realtime Audio Effect on FPGA
This project is a realtime audio effect (feedforward comb filter) implemented on a DE10-Nano FPGA, done for EELE 468 (FPGAs II) at Montana State University. It showcases full stack FPGA skills, including simulink HDL generation, MATLAB verification of HDL, custom hardware drivers, kernel modules, and proficiency in Linux development.
GitHub
Raspberry Pi Based RC Car
This is a remote controlled car based on two Raspbery Pi 4B+ single board computers. It utilizes the Raspberry Pi's remote GPIO functionality, and custom PCBs, showcasing skill in embedded systems, circuit design, PCB design, software design, and full stack completion.
GitHub - Demo Clip
MSP430 Based RC Car
This is a scale RC car based on the MSP430 platform, including the MSP430-2355 and MSP430-2310. It utilizes I2C communications between the two MCUs, and shows skill in embedded systems, circuit design, and low-level C programming. This was built for the EELE 465 Microcontrollers class at Montana State University.
GitHub
SuperCold - VR Game
SuperCold is a fast paced virtual reality shooter built for the Oculus Quest. It features a physical, skill based teleport system for unique and interactive locomotion, along with multiple weapons choices. The game is built in Unity3D on top of the Virtual Reality Toolkit system.
GitHub - SideQuest - YouTube
My Experience
Outdoor Education Teacher
August 2022 - Current
I currently work as an ourdoor education teacher, for the Caritas Creek program in Occidental, California. My main responsibilites include writing lesson plans and taking the students on day long hikes. During the hikes, I teach the students science lessons from the BEETLES
science curriculum. Working in this job has vastly improved my communication and organization skills, as I work very closely with 11 other teachers to ensure our groups all get similar content, while not interfering with each other. I chose to work in this position after college
because the program meant a lot to me as a kid, and working with children to change their lives means a lot to me and my professional goals as an adult.
Research Assistant - HCI Lab at Montana State
September 2019 - May 2020
As a research assistant in the Human Computer Interaction Lab at MSU, I used a variety of software to design and
implement user interfaces for VR and AR platforms. I used C# and Unity3D to develop VR data logging applications and C to build body tracking apps for the Azure Kinect DK. The project is focused on
using augmented reality to improve worker efficiency when completing tasks with robotic assistants.
Prechool Aide - Montana State University CDC
Janurary 2021 - Current
Worked as a preschool aide at the Montana State University Child Development Center. Main responsibilities included supporting the main classroom teacher by working and playing with the kids, prepping activities, and cleaning throughout the day. Working here helped me
develop leadership skills, interpersonal skills, and further improve my abilities to work with, and support children, something I am very passionate about.