Scholar Profile –
Calum

What appeals to me about Electronics

I greatly enjoy tinkering with systems of all types.  When I was young, I did small hobby electronics projects with my older sister. One such project comes to mind:

A modified computer mouse fitted with motors, “whiskers” in the form of a bump switch, and a small capacitor/ transistor circuit that caused the mouse to run around, bump into things then change direction.  During my school years I found I was naturally inclined to understand software and digital logic systems, so decided to study Robotics at Heriot-Watt due to its multi-disciplinary nature, incorporating electronics and software into a cohesive system.

Why I chose Allegro

During my university studies I became involved in the Formula Student project, where students design and build a single seater race car, to compete at Silverstone each year. Our entry, HWRacing, is an electric car, and I developed an interest in automotive safety, design, and qualification through my experiences there. I discovered Allegro after searching for companies in the automotive space, and discovering that a world leader in motor control and sensing applications has a design office in Edinburgh. If there is one aspect of Allegro that is most appealing however, it’s the welcoming and friendly nature of everyone in the office!

My placement and its value

I am on the software team for my 6-month Industrial placement at Allegro, where I work on embedded software under the test division. My placement is particularly valuable to me as I have been given the opportunity to work on a live project, and my work is required to go through all the same rigour as any other developer in the team. With full test coverage following the ISO26262 and Aspice V-Models and conforming to peer reviews and requirements-based design. This experience in development, following industry standards in a professional and super friendly team has been amazing so far, and gives me experience I simply cannot get through university projects.

My interests

I am one of those people who does engineering in his spare time from his engineering coursework/work. Alongside the Formula Student project, I also spend my spare time tinkering with hobby electronics. In particular I have designed and built my own first person view racing drone, and my own DIY electric skateboard style single wheel balance vehicle (A “Onewheel” commercially).

Outside of engineering I am a keen ice-skater and motorcyclist (anything fast and somewhat dangerous really). In the past I used to train Karate and competed internationally. I am looking to get back into martial arts, likely Muay Thai if time allows.