Day in the life of a Junior Electronics Engineer in London - what I do day to day

Summary

Thomas, a Junior Electronics Engineer in London, shares his day at Garrison, a cybersecurity scale-up utilizing hardsec technology. He wakes up around 7:30 a.m. and arrives at work by 8:30 or 9, engaging in various meetings like stand-ups and hardware discussions. Thomas is currently leading a project to develop a test design for a microcontroller board, focusing on establishing SPI communication between a Raspberry Pi and a microcontroller. He uses tools like oscilloscopes and Altium for PCB layout, taking breaks to socialize with colleagues. His day ends around 5:30 pm, offering a glimpse into the life of an electronics engineer.

Takeaways

• 👨‍💼 Thomas is a Junior Electronics Engineer at a cyber security scale-up company named Garrison in London.
• 🏢 Garrison specializes in hardsec technology, which uses FPGA devices for effective security threat elimination.
• 🕗 The company offers flexible working hours, allowing Thomas to start work between 8:30am and 9:00am.
• 📧 Thomas begins his day by checking and responding to company emails.
• 🗣️ He participates in various meetings, including stand-ups, production meetings, and hardware meetings.
• 🔬 Thomas is currently leading a project to develop a test design for a microcontroller board for mass production.
• 💻 He is working on establishing SPI communication between a Raspberry Pi and a microcontroller, using Python for programming.
• 📊 Thomas uses an oscilloscope to debug and confirm the correct format of UART signals.
• 🍽️ For lunch, Thomas usually goes to Lower Marsh, a cost-effective food vendor area, but today he tries Korean food.
• 🤝 He attends a big meeting with hardware engineers and the production team to discuss weekly progress and challenges.
• 🛠️ Thomas uses a variety of tools, including an oscilloscope, voltmeter, and soldering equipment, to advance his project.
• 💻 He also uses programming tools like Python for serial communication and Altium for microcontroller PCB layout design.
• 📚 The job involves a lot of research, reading, and documentation, as well as taking breaks to socialize with colleagues.

Q & A

What is Thomas's profession and where is he located?

Thomas is a Junior Electronics Engineer located in London.

What is the name of the company Thomas works for?

Thomas works for a company called Garrison.

What type of technology does Garrison specialize in?

Garrison specializes in Hardsec technology, which uses FPGA devices for effective security threat elimination.

What is the significance of Hardsec technology in the context of Thomas's work?

Hardsec technology is a practical approach that uses non-Turing machine implementations for security, which is the forefront security system of the company Thomas works for.

How flexible are the working hours at Thomas's company?

The company is quite flexible with working hours, allowing Thomas to either get to work by 8:30 am or 9 am, as long as he works for 8 hours a day.

What is the purpose of the stand-up meeting Thomas attends in the morning?

The stand-up meeting is for the production team to discuss each member's tasks for the day and to address any problems they might need help with.

What is the main project Thomas is currently leading?

Thomas is leading the development of a test design for a microcontroller board for mass production.

What specific task is Thomas working on in the video?

In the video, Thomas is working on establishing SPI communication between his Raspberry Pi and a microcontroller developed by one of his colleagues.

What issue is Thomas facing with the SPI communication?

Thomas is facing an issue where he is receiving no signal at all on the SPI line, which is unusual and requires debugging.

What is Thomas's lunch routine and where does he usually eat?

Thomas usually goes to Lower Marsh for lunch, a spot with food vendors of various cuisines, where he typically spends around six pounds for a meal.

What tools and software does Thomas use in his work?

Thomas uses tools like an oscilloscope, voltmeter, and soldering equipment, and software such as Python for serial communication, Altium for microcontroller PCB layout, and he also develops PCB interfaces using Altium Designer.

How does Thomas balance his work and breaks during the day?

Thomas takes breaks to eat fruits, use his phone, and chat with colleagues to get his mind off work when he's stuck, ensuring he doesn't work continuously for the full eight hours.

Outlines

00:00

👨‍💻 A Day in the Life of a Junior Electronics Engineer

Thomas, a Junior Electronics Engineer in London, introduces his day at Garrison, a cybersecurity scale-up company specializing in hardsec technology. He wakes up around 7:30 a.m. and has flexible working hours, either arriving at work by 8:30 a.m. or 9:00 a.m. His day starts with checking company emails and responding to updates. He attends various meetings such as stand-ups, production meetings, and hardware meetings. Thomas is currently leading a project to develop a test design for a microcontroller board for mass production. His specific task for the day is to establish SPI communication between a Raspberry Pi and a microcontroller, for which he has written a Python program to send and display signals. He encounters an issue with the SPI line and is in the process of debugging it. After a productive morning, he heads to Lower Marsh for a budget-friendly lunch and later attends a big meeting with company employees to discuss weekly progress and any arising issues.

Keywords

💡Junior Electronics Engineer

A Junior Electronics Engineer is an entry-level professional in the field of electronics who designs, develops, and tests electrical components and systems. In the video, Thomas, the narrator, is a Junior Electronics Engineer working in London. He showcases his daily tasks, which include meetings, email management, and hands-on work with hardware and software, illustrating the varied responsibilities of someone in this role.

💡Cyber Security

Cyber Security refers to the practice of protecting systems, networks, and programs from digital attacks. It's a critical aspect of modern technology, ensuring data integrity and privacy. Thomas's company, Garrison, specializes in cybersecurity, using Hardsec technology as their primary security system, highlighting the importance of this field in protecting against threats.

💡Hardsec Technology

Hardsec technology, as mentioned in the script, is a security approach that uses FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) devices to provide robust security threat elimination. This technology is non-Turing, meaning it doesn't follow the traditional computing model, which can offer unique advantages in security. The company's reliance on Hardsec underscores the innovative nature of their security solutions.

💡Flexible Working Hours

Flexible working hours are a work arrangement that allows employees to choose their working hours within a certain range, as long as they meet the required daily work duration. Thomas mentions that his company is flexible with working hours, which means he can start work at either 8:30 am or 9:00 am. This flexibility is becoming increasingly common and is appreciated by employees for its potential to improve work-life balance.

💡Stand-up Meeting

A stand-up meeting is a short, daily gathering where team members report on their progress and discuss any issues or plans for the day. Thomas has a stand-up meeting with the production team, which is a common practice in agile work environments to maintain communication and ensure everyone is aligned with the project's goals.

💡Microcontroller

A microcontroller is a small computer on a single integrated circuit that is used to control electronic devices and systems. In the video, Thomas is working on a project to develop a test design for a microcontroller board for mass production. This demonstrates the hands-on nature of his work and the importance of microcontrollers in electronics engineering.

💡SPI Communication

SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) is a synchronous serial data communication protocol used for short-distance communication, primarily in embedded systems. Thomas is working on establishing SPI communication between a Raspberry Pi and a microcontroller, which is a key aspect of his project. This involves sending and receiving data, and he is using an oscilloscope to debug the communication line.

💡Oscilloscope

An oscilloscope is an electronic test instrument that allows the observation and analysis of waveform signals. Thomas uses an oscilloscope to view the UART signal, which is a form of serial communication. The oscilloscope's display of the hex value 'FF' confirms the correct format of the command sent, showcasing its use in debugging and verifying electronic signals.

💡Altium Designer

Altium Designer is a comprehensive electronics design automation software used for creating and editing schematics and printed circuit board (PCB) layouts. Thomas mentions that he will be using Altium Designer to develop a PCB interface between the Raspberry Pi and the microcontroller. This software is crucial for the design and prototyping stages of electronics projects.

💡Prototype

A prototype is an early sample or model of a product built to test a concept or process. Thomas creates a makeshift jumper-wise for an interface between the microcontroller and the Raspberry Pi, which serves as a prototype. This allows him to test the functionality of the design before committing to a final, more reliable version.

Highlights

Introduction to Thomas, a Junior Electronics Engineer in London.

Description of the company, Garrison, specializing in cybersecurity and hardsec technology.

Explanation of hardsec technology using FPGA devices for security threat elimination.

Thomas' flexible work hours, arriving at the office between 8:30am and 9:00am.

Daily routine includes checking company emails and responding to updates.

Variety of meetings such as stand-up, production, hardware, and business update meetings.

Morning stand-up meeting with the production team to discuss daily tasks and issues.

Project leadership role in developing a test design for a microcontroller board for mass production.

Establishing SPI communication between a Raspberry Pi and a microcontroller.

Debugging issues with no signal on the SPI line during communication testing.

Lunch break at Waterloo, exploring food vendors at Lower Marsh for affordable meals.

Description of a delicious Korean spicy cod fish stew during lunch.

Afternoon meeting with hardware and production teams to discuss weekly progress and updates.

Use of various tools such as oscilloscopes, voltmeters, and soldering equipment in the project.

Programming tools used include Python for serial communication and Altium for PCB layout.

Thomas' approach to taking breaks and interacting with colleagues for mental refreshment.

End of workday routine, wrapping up at around 5:30 pm.

Closing thoughts and invitation to stay tuned for more engineering content.

Transcripts

Hey guys, my name is Thomas and today  i'll show you guys a day in my life  

as a Junior Electronics Engineer in London to  give you guys a brief summary about my company the  

company i work at is called garrison garrison is  a cyber security scale up and which uses hardsec  

technology as their forefront security system  hardsec technology is a practical approach  

in which uses fpga devices to deliver effective  security threat elimination using a non-turing  

machine implementations since i've introduced  myself and the company let's go into my day  

I like to wake up at around 7:30 a.m depending on  the day though i'll either get to work by 8:30am or  

9am as my company is quite flexible in terms of  working hours as long as you are in the office  

and do work for 8 hours as soon as I arrive to  the office I go through my company email and see  

what emails need to be updated and be responded  depending on the day I have various meetings it could  

range from morning stand-up, production meeting,  hardware meeting, business update meeting and or  

personal meetings with engineers that i'm working  with for the current project today in the morning  

i'm having a stand-up meeting with the  production team for us to discuss about  

what each of our members are doing for the  day and if there are any problems they need  

help with the project i'm currently leading is  to develop a test design for microcontroller  

board for mass production for today though  i'm specifically working on establishing a  

spi communication between my raspberry pi and a  microcontroller developed by one of our engineers  

i've written a program in python so far to send  and display write signal and hex through uart  

as you can see here the oscilloscope shows that  the uart signal gave me a response of ff in hex  

which is equivalent to eight ones in binary  running from a lookup table given I can  

tell that the command sent through UART has been  confirmed to be in correct format with no errors  

however i'm having an issue here on the spi line  where i'm receiving no signal at all which is  

strange and so i'm currently trying to debug  what the issue here is so far I think I have debug  

one of the issue which could have been a problem  here which is the command cent which may have not  

been correct but based on the feedback that you  are there is no problem with the command at all  

afterwards when the clock hits around 12pm  pm I go down the office to waterloo and get  

lunch i usually go to lower marsh which is a spot  where there are food vendors of various cuisines  

it's super cheap to get as it costs around  six pounds and it's actually surprisingly  

pretty decent for a meal then I go back to a  big meeting room to with the company employees  

however i decided today that i'll  be having some korean food instead  

so what i'm having here is a spicy cod fish stew  and it's super delicious just look at it wow

i personally don't like to eat fish but damn this  dish is good and healthy by that time i go back  

up after an hour lunch i'll have another meeting  with the hardware engineer and production team  

where both teams discuss and explain  what they've been doing for the past week  

it is an update for both teams and for us  to see where our progress are and update any  

hardware changes procurement or problems that  has arisen that need change it give us a chance  

to see the big picture and get help from others  if needed afterwards i just go on the day with  

my project that i'm currently assigned to lead  to give an overview of what kind of things I do  

i've been using all kinds of tools at my  disposal to progress my project forward  

these ranges from using an oscilloscope to read  signals of voltmeter to test connectivity and all  

the soldering equipment to populate chips headers  and further I used to create my own makeshift  

jumper wise for an interface between the female  headers of the microcontroller and the raspberry  

pi pins the makeshift jumper-wise are not that  reliable both due for the proof of concept  

programming tools i have used so far have  been mostly python for serial communication  

and creating test design and a program called  altium to look at microcontroller pcb layout  

later on though i'll be developing a pcb interface  between the raspberry pi and the microcontroller  

using the Altium Designer program and the rest is  just a lot of research reading and documentation  

for the project of course i don't just  work eight hours straight i do have breaks  

time to time eating fruits be on  my phone talk to my colleagues  

have a chat with other engineers you know  just to get my mind off things when i'm stuck  

by then the clock is around 5:30 pm and I pack  up and ready to get home yeah that's my whole day  

working as a junior electronics engineer hope you  guys enjoyed the video and i hope you guys stay  

tuned for more engineering content in the future  thanks for watching i'll see you guys next time