Stratospheric Balloon

In April 2025, I started talking with a group of 4 other students about designing a reusable stratospheric balloon from the ground up – hardware, software, and mechanical components.

We are now targeting a first flight in late August 2026, with a ceiling of 35 km.

The balloon will communicate with a ground station using a 925 MHz radio link. It will transmit location, health status, and photographic data if link speed permits. From the ground, we will be able to command the balloon to release helium using a valve, thereby controlling altitude while descending.

Updates:

• May 2026: We are starting work on the construction of the payload case and the valve assembly. Simultaneously, the radio, battery monitor, and RAM have been proven functional, and software development is ongoing for interfacing with the GPS and our sensor modules. We have already started taking notes on desired improvements for a so far unscheduled Revision 2!
• Mar 2026: We have obtained a developmental radio license and are flying a low enough volume balloon (3 m³) that we can get by with no more than filing a NOTAM as launch day approaches.
• Dec 2025: We have finished designing and manufacturing our flight computer. After a several-hour team slog placing all the components by hand, and a several days fixing solder bridges, the central microcontroller has been proven functional.

Magnetohydrodynamic Drive

This project led me to build a small magnetohydrodynamic drive and calculate its efficiency. It was terribly inefficient, but it did work! I wrote a report about the project, which can be found here.

Electronics Hobby Projects

I have worked on several hobby projects of this sort over the past several years. The most involved include:

• Converting an old laptop to a headless server
  • Remotely accessible using Wireguard
  • Used for backups, a personal image server, Minecraft server hosting
• Designing and building a system to convert a refrigerator drawer into a NFC card operated vending machine
• 3D printing and assembling a version of the Snappy 3D printer

Electronics Repair and Reverse Engineering

Repairing and modifying electronics at home is interesting and often saves money. I learned how many different devices work by taking them apart and fixing them.

Over the past several years, I have repaired:

• A platter-based hard drive with a burnt-out controller board
  • Repaired by replacing the controller board, then copying over the ROM data with a DIY Raspberry Pi-based ROM flashing tool
• Three iPhones with failing batteries
• Macbook screen replacement
• Several laptop and desktop repairs - hard drive replacements, RAM upgrades, etc.

MEP Consulting Projects

As a project assistant at JDX Advance, a MEP consulting firm, I worked on mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design, as well as energy analysis and report writing, for buildings in Southern Ontario. Projects included a full washroom block design (including layout, sizing, and equipment), an energy analysis of a Toronto Community Housing property, and fire alarm assessments at a Hydro One transformer site.