Career Portfolio

Ethan Tang
 Table of Contents

• Pg 3. About Me
• Pg 4. Machining – Cupholder
• Pg 6. Quadcopter
• Pg 9. iRobot Drag Race
• Pg 10. Fidget Cube
• Pg 11. Contact Info
 About Me

• I am a 4th year Mechanical Engineering major at Northeastern University

graduating in 2019 with a broad areas of interest and experience. In my free-time, I
enjoy learning to code or being outdoors snowboarding, kayaking, and hiking. My
previous work experience includes working as an operations analyst at the hedge
fund, Weiss Asset Management and as a systems test intern at the consumer
robotics company, iRobot. I would love to gain further exposure to design and
process optimization with my strong attention to detail and ability to anticipate
future issues. A skill that I would like to highlight in this portfolio involves my ability
to rapidly prototype through machining and 3D printing which demonstrates my
strong attention to detail and precision. I would also like to focus on my ability for
design through some projects where I improve iterations with deliberate
improvements.
 iRobot Machining Class Cupholder
• Objective:
• Build a cupholder to specific tolerances
• Constraints:
• Dimensions of squares, leg press fit diameter, leg slip fit
diameter, and CNC pocket circle diameter were to be chosen
beforehand
• Parts had to be machined to under .001” tolerance and legs
had to be within ten-thousandths of each other
• Various tools such as the mill (CNC), lathe, precision gauge,
gauge pins, and bandsaw were to be used
• Legs had to be a press fit with upper square & a slip fit for Completed Holder
lower square base
• Different techniques were applied: sacrificial pieces, set
screws, counter sinks, marry-made parts
• Results:
• Holder has imperceptible tilt
• Works as designed (Holds my thermos steady!)
• Legs within .0007” of each other; Platforms are squares
• No gaps in fit (press and slip fit) with set screws to adjust lower
platform
Set Screw for Leg
 FPV Quadcopter
• Objective:
• Build a high-performance custom quadcopter at
a price point significantly cheaper than off-the-
shelf kits
• Challenges:
• Learning to solder and wire, while not shorting
components
• Matching orientation on components Unassembled Components
• Ensuring motors were all synchronized,
calibrated, and tuned to ensure stable flight
• Ensuring components were compatible
regarding communication frequencies, video
transmission modes, currents/voltages, and
total battery load on system
• Troubleshooting using open source software
(cleanflight and betaflight)
Motors wired to 4-in-1 ESC
 FPV Quad (Continued)

• Results:
• Body of quad was built for about $100
• Flight is far more stable after
troubleshooting, tuning PID, syncing rotors,
& adjusting center-of-gravity
• Rewired after noticing potential weak joints
• Gyroscope has a tendency to read slight tilt
and PID amplifies tilt (needs more tuning)
Completed Quad with flight controller exposed
 iRobot Drag Race Competition
• Objective:
• Build the fastest drag racer in a 16 feet race
• Constraints:
• Movement must be from iRobot product components (team
settled on wheel, small DC motor, and gearbox)
• Max of 2- 14.4V 3000mah ni-mh batteries
• Lateral deviation across 16ft kept under 10 ft
• Results:
• Came 2nd out of 6 teams finishing in 5 seconds with less than 1
foot of lateral deviation
• Proposed a simple design to maximize value from time spent Completed Racer
and minimize unforeseen complications
• Utilized laser cutter to cut acrylic body and used standoffs,
epoxy, and tape to secure components to each other
• Modified battery coils from Roomba motherboard and wired
connection in series to double voltage from batteries and
provide junction for on/off switch
• Used a T-shaped base to offset lifting due to torque from
driving wheels in order to maximize initial traction

Base Platform
 Fidget Cube
• Objective:
• Design and 3-d print a 6-sided cube with various
features
• Constraints:
• Minimum printing resolution required at least 0.8 mm
of gap space
• All components had to fit in a 25 mm x 25 mm cube
Switch Cross Section
• Each side needed a different feature
• Entire cube with various features to be printed fully
assembled
• Results:
• Positive reviews from friends!
• Required careful planning to keep gaps at a minimum
while still maintaining a large enough space to clear
out non-melted printing powder from gaps
• Had to take into account not only printer resolution
but warping due to rapid cooling of material
• Iterated on switch a few times to create a clear clicking
sound and satisfying physical feedback
3D Model
 Contact Info

• Cell #: (617) 396-0809

• Email: ethantang999@gmail.com
• Skype: ethantang999@gmail.com
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/tanget