Motor Control System Development… at University of… · St. Paul

Summary: The University of St. Thomas is seeking a motivated Electrical or Computer Engineering student to design, build, and validate a multi-motor control system for an educational robotics platform. The role involves developing a user-friendly controller for independently operating multiple motors, focusing on reliability and safety. Responsibilities: - Design and develop a multi-motor control system capable of independently operating four 12V DC motors, including speed (PWM) and direction control - Evaluate and select appropriate hardware components, including microcontrollers and motor drivers, based on system requirements such as voltage, current (≥5A stall per motor), and control capability - Develop, test, and debug embedded software to implement motor control logic, user input handling, and system responsiveness - Design and implement a user control interface, including mapping input devices (e.g., switches or controller inputs) to motor behavior - Define and implement system communication architecture, including wired or wireless (e.g., Bluetooth or RF) communication between controller and system - Design and validate the power system, including battery selection, current capacity (up to 20A peak), runtime requirements (≥30 minutes), and electrical protection features Required Qualifications: - Current student pursuing a BS or MS degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, graduating approximately June 2027 - Must be comfortable working independently with hardware, comfortable debugging both code and physical circuits, and able to document work clearly for a non-expert audience - ECE or Computer Engineering student with coursework in embedded systems, circuits, or robotics - Hands-on experience with microcontrollers (Arduino, ESP32, or similar) Required Skills: Motor control, PWM, Microcontrollers, Embedded software development, Hardware debugging, Circuit debugging, Power system design, Bluetooth communication, RF communication