Nick Rathfelder

Electrical Engineering Student

Chip Design | Digital Hardware | PCB Development

Nick Rathfelder

Academics

Education

University: University of Waterloo
Degree: B.S. in Electrical Engineering
Expected Graduation: June 2027
GPA: 3.82 / 4.00

Academic Honors

Spring 2025 (3A) - Term Distinction
Fall 2024 (2B) - Term Distinction
Winter 2024 (2A) - Term Distinction

Design Team

UW Baja SAE

Designed and built the wire harness powering the brake lights, kill switches, and front differential

Relevant Coursework

ECE 222 - Digital Computers
ECE 318 - Communication Systems
ECE 340 - Electronic Circuits 2
ECE 375 - Electromagnetic Fields and Waves
ECE 373 - Electromagnetic Fields and Waves

Work Experience

FPGA Engineering Intern

Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions

Sep 2025 - Dec 2025

Designed, simulated and tested FPGA-based systems supporting aerospace and defense technologies

  • Developed RTL and integrated 3rd party IP to support the design, simulation and testing of mission-critical aerospace and defense systems
  • Implemented a UART-based debug interface to provide visibility into internal hardware states during restricted-access environmental testing
Verilog FPGA

Controls and Electrical Engineering Intern

Musashi AI

Jan 2025 - Apr 2025

Developed and tested PLC-based control systems for automotive AI inspection systems

  • Updated electrical drawings and developed PLC/robot programs for AI automotive inspection machines
  • Upgraded the Automate 2025 tradeshow inspection cell to allow for onboard chatter inspection of automotive camshafts
PLC Solidworks

Electrical Engineering Intern

Martinrea International

Sep 2023 - Dec 2023

Contributed to continuous improvement of automotive assembly lines through AI inspection systems

  • Provided support for the engineering team in the maintainence and improvement of the line
  • Integrated GPIO-triggered serial messaging into the in-house weld inspection system to improve system response time
Python Raspberry Pi

Process Engineering Intern

Stelco - Lake Erie Works

Jan 2023 - Apr 2023

Supported the analysis and optimization of steel manufacturing processes to improve efficiency and workplace safety

  • Provided the operating team at the Hot Strip Mill insight into daily operations through the creation of Microsoft Power BI reports
  • Started the development of a MATLAB and PLC based image analysis program to monitor slag build up on the walls of the BOF
MATLAB Microsoft Power Bi

Key Technical Skills

A comprehensive overview of my key technical capabilities across hardware and software.

Programming Languages

Verilog/VHDL
Advanced
C/C++
Advanced
Python
Intermediate

Software & Design Tools

Xilinx Vivado
Advanced
Altium Designer
Advanced
ModelSim
Intermediate

Hardware Skills

Circuit Design/Simulation
Advanced
Soldering (SMD/Through-hole)
Advanced
Timing Analysis
Intermediate

Test & Measurement

Oscilloscope
Logic Analyzer
Multimeter
Function Generator
Spectrum Analyzer

Microcontrollers & Boards

Xilinx Spartan FPGA
Altera Max 10 FPGA
STM32
ARM Cortex
Raspberry Pi

Protocols & Interfaces

UART
USB
I2C
JTAG
SPI

Projects

FFT Core
FPGA Design

FFT Core

Custom 1024-point decimation-in-time FFT core

Design & Verification

  • Designed iterative, 10-stage design for controlling single complex butterfly unit
  • Implemented state machine for iteration and address generation
  • Pipelined output stream to be AXI4 stream compliant
  • Simulated DC, nyquist, and custom sinusoidal input signals using custom testbench
Xilinx Vivado Verilog TCL Simulation
View HDL Code Documentation
Electromagnetic Launcher
STM32 + PCB Design

Electromagnetic Launcher

Five-stage battery powered coilgun prototype

Key Features

  • Custom two layer PCB for interfacing with STM32 Black Pill
  • Implemented simple coil timing sequencing for firing mechanism
  • Designed and 3D printed all coil stages using Solidworks
  • Assembled and tested base functionality with simple wire harness
STM32 Altium SolidWorks C++
View Code Design Files
RF Reflectometer
RF/Microwave

RF Reflectometer

Dual output port RF reflectometer integrated on a full microstrip PCB

Development Process

  • Designed using coupled microstrip directional coupler, wilkinson divider and RF amplifier
  • Generated full-layout PCB layout in Cadence AWR, utilizing small microstrips for all ports
  • Utilized de-embedding procedure to extract true reflection coefficient
  • Simulated with a 5% bandwidth centered at 3.5 GHz using Cadence AWR
Cadence AWR Layout Smith Chart De-embedding
View Code Schematics

Additional Projects

FPGA

UART Core + Debug Messager

Custom 115 200 baud UART core designed using a custom synchronous dual-clock FIFO, integrated into a FPGA debug messager

Xilinx Spartan 7 UART
PCB

AC-DC Dual Output Power Supply

Custom 120VAC to +-20VDC power supply designed using a power transformer, diode full-wave rectifier and dual output regulators

Altium Designer LTSpice
Electrical

Water Reservoir Control System

STM32-based control system for automating the irrigation of three different zones on a user defined schedule

STM32 Breadboard

Portfolio & Resume

Complete Portfolio

Download my full portfolio PDF with detailed project documentation and technical work.

Download Portfolio

Resume

Download my one-page resume with a concise summary of my education, experience, and skills.

Download Resume

Get In Touch

Interested in collaborating or have a question? Feel free to reach out!