Amogh Gajare

Embedded IoT Systems Engineer | Low‑Power Wireless (LTE‑M, BLE, Wi‑Fi HaLow) | Zephyr RTOS & PCB Design | From Prototype to Product Launch

Philadelphia, PA, USA
(215) 921‑0991
amoghsgajare@gmail.com

Education

Master of Science in Engineering

Electrical Engineering
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Bachelor of Engineering

Electronics Engineering
University of Mumbai, Mumbai, India

Work Experience

HAE Innovations

Electrical Engineer – I (Full‑time)
Present
  • Owned the full product lifecycle from customer concept through production, encompassing hardware design, firmware development, validation and manufacturability optimisation.
  • Collaborated directly with customers to translate technical requirements into embedded system architectures for LTE‑M, BLE and Wi‑Fi HaLow products.
  • Designed and validated multilayer analog/digital PCBs in OrCAD: schematic creation, layout, bring‑up and firmware integration.
  • Executed RF‑optimised PCB routing with controlled impedance and matching networks to ensure stable performance and extended range.
  • Developed modular embedded firmware on nRF91‑series (Zephyr RTOS) and ESP32 (FreeRTOS), implementing drivers for UART, I²C, SPI, ADC, GPIO, PWM and real‑time sensor/control logic.
  • Architected firmware frameworks with layered state machines and adaptive low‑power modes, enabling multi‑month operation on Li‑ion/Li‑Po devices.
  • Delivered designs across power domains: low‑power LTE‑M + GNSS + sub‑GHz handheld systems (<100 µA standby), high‑power 120 V/30 A AC control boards and high‑current 30 V/40 A DC switching boards.
  • Designed and implemented a robust LTE connectivity layer with dynamic operator selection and APN fallback to ensure reliable cellular attachment for more than 20 000 devices in the field; additionally managed firmware over‑the‑air (FOTA) rollout to these devices.
  • Coordinated with manufacturing teams to implement design‑for‑manufacturability improvements and streamline assembly processes.
  • Authored test plans, validation scripts and documentation to achieve FCC/UL certification, ensuring scalable, reliable designs ready for mass deployment.
  • Enhanced customers’ existing products through antenna tuning, layout optimisation and impedance matching to improve RF performance and range.
  • Developed test apps with Flutter and collaborated with mobile‑app, backend, mechanical and embedded teams to ensure seamless integration across device stacks.

Fitness Tech Stealth Startup

Cofounder & Head of Technical Team
Mar 2020 – Apr 2023
  • Led the design of modular, retrofittable sensor hardware for a variety of fitness equipment, enabling seamless integration without modifications.
  • Built systems to capture real‑time exercise data – repetitions, form and exercise classification – combining sensors, embedded firmware and wireless connectivity.
  • Developed performance analytics and feedback tools to support progressive overload training and personalised user insights.

Solid State Circuit Design Lab, IIT Kanpur

Project Associate
Oct 2021 – Apr 2022
  • Designed and implemented an FPGA‑based wireless sensor network integrating microcontrollers and RF transceivers for distributed sensing.
  • Developed a multi‑hop mesh protocol using TDMA; nodes communicated via relays in assigned slots to minimise collisions and ensure deterministic latency.
  • Validated the system on a custom 433 MHz OOK RF transceiver for wildfire detection and anti‑poaching monitoring in remote environments.

Projects

High‑Voltage Appliance Control Board

  • Owned the full project lifecycle for an LTE‑enabled board that switches high‑voltage appliances on and off remotely over cellular networks.
  • Created the hardware architecture, schematics and multilayer PCB layout, ensuring isolation and safety features for mains‑level voltages.
  • Implemented the complete firmware on Zephyr RTOS, handling control logic, LTE connectivity and built‑in safety mechanisms.
  • Developed production plans and optimised in‑house manufacturing workflows, incorporating design‑for‑manufacturing improvements.
  • Designed a dedicated test fixture for panel‑level testing to catch issues early, reducing errors and accelerating the assembly line.
  • Streamlined the design for efficient manufacturing, reducing assembly time and costs.
  • Worked directly with customers to refine product behaviour and architecture, ensuring the solution met their operational requirements.
  • Added telemetry and diagnostics features to support over‑the‑air firmware updates and performance monitoring.

Handheld Security Tracker

  • Designed schematic and multilayer PCB layout for a compact battery‑powered security device integrating LTE‑M, Wi‑Fi HaLow and a u‑blox MIA‑M10Q GNSS module.
  • Integrated motion, feedback and power‑management subsystems: accelerometer, haptic actuator and high‑efficiency charging circuitry for event‑driven operation.
  • Developed the complete firmware stack under Zephyr RTOS with custom drivers for GNSS, sensors and power peripherals, plus test firmware for OTA tuning, RF validation and diagnostics.
  • Implemented dual‑radio fallback logic between LTE and HaLow and optimised GNSS acquisition with assisted‑GNSS data injection, achieving sub‑2 s position fixes and fallback to multi‑cell or single‑cell location.
  • Owned full hardware–firmware integration, authored manufacturing test plans and led field validation to qualify the design for pilot production.

LTE‑Controlled Remote Smart Switch

  • Developed complete embedded firmware for a high‑power LTE/Wi‑Fi smart relay system enabling remote AC power control.
  • Owned the entire hardware, firmware and manufacturing test fixture design for the system, along with the production process plan.
  • Collaborated with a senior hardware engineer on schematic design and layout optimisation for manufacturability and reliability.
  • Implemented relay control logic, MQTT/HTTP telemetry communication, command synchronisation and fault recovery within an RTOS‑based architecture for safe deterministic 120 V/240 V AC switching.
  • Introduced layout optimisation that reduced manufacturing assembly time by nearly half through improved component accessibility and streamlined routing.

BLE‑Controlled High‑Power DC Fuel Valve Switch

  • Solely designed and developed the complete system—from hardware to firmware—for a BLE‑enabled high‑power DC switching board controlling fuel valve actuation.
  • Built on an ESP32‑C6, implementing custom BLE command handling, synchronisation logic and safety mechanisms for secure remote operation and fault recovery.
  • Integrated a voltage and current‑monitoring IC with Kelvin‑connected sense resistors and modified footprints to improve accuracy and minimise parasitic errors.
  • Designed a 2.5 in × 1.2 in PCB achieving compact, thermally balanced high‑current routing and stable operation under tight mechanical constraints.
  • Delivered a production‑ready prototype combining mechanical, electrical and firmware optimisation into a fully validated design.

Skills

PCB Design (OrCAD) Embedded Firmware (nRF91, ESP32) RTOS (Zephyr, FreeRTOS) Wireless Protocols (LTE‑M, BLE, Wi‑Fi HaLow) RF Circuitry & Matching Low‑Power System Design FPGA & TDMA Networks Python & C/C++ Flutter App Development Mentoring & Team Leadership

Patents

  • A Multipurpose Device to Use with a Weight Stack Machine: a retrofittable IoT module that monitors repetitions, load and form on weight‑stack gym machines.
  • An Exercise Monitoring Device for Use with a Treadmill: a smart sensor attachment that tracks treadmill activity, stride accuracy and workout metrics in real time.

Publications

  • “MATLAB‑based ECG R‑Peak Detection and Signal Classification Using Deep Learning” — IEEE Bombay Section Signature Conference (IBSSC).
  • “CircuitScribe: Block Diagram Based Circuit Simulation Application” — IEEE Mysore Sub Section International Conference (MysuruCon).
  • “IoT‑Based Autonomous Tunnel Electrical Cable Fault Detection and Maintenance Robot” — International Conference on Advances in Computing, Communication and Control.