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Conner Taraba
About Me
About Me
Hello! My name is Conner Taraba, a second-year Electrical Engineering student at Carleton University.
I am also an alumni from the Electronics Engineering Technology program at Niagara College, where I completed a three-year Advanced Diploma with co-op. Here, my chosen discipline supplied me with the tools and perspective necessary to see the world of engineering from a more practical side.Â
After graduating, I spent three years as an RF Technician at Talk Wireless Inc., which helped to further expand my hands-on knowledge and fundamental understanding of electronics. I was exposed to real-world environments while I serviced equipment encompassing handheld radios, tower repeater sites, and more.
My previous experiences have allowed me to provide technical expertise and guidance as the Electrical Lead for Carleton University's robotics team.
I presently apply my knowledge to projects such as our competition-ready Mars rover, which is able to complete a range of specific assignments like retrieving an injured astronaut, to fine tasks like typing on a keyboard. Outside of competitions, I give learning opportunities and teaching advice for new members that want to help with electrical related duties on the team.
Photographer: Jake Connor
Projects
Projects
Power Distribution Board v2.0
Power Distribution Board v2.0
This was a four-layer, two-ounce top power board that I designed which provided regulated 12V+ to multiple high-current draw devices from a secondary board that was mounted below it. The board was designed to handle up to a 100A of current draw with a tested max of 30A out of an individual connector. This board was used to power all electrical systems on our robotics team's Mars rover which included: three RoboClaw Brushed DC motor drivers, a robotic arm with four Talon motor drivers, and smaller systems such as the GPS and PoE devices.
The board's development started as a solution to previous issues that arose during testing of the power board from last year's team, which had heat sinking issues due to layout and trace thickness. The goal for the updated version was to correct those issues and add extra features such as a temp and current sensor to provide more info during testing. The first iteration of this board worked as expected, but it was originally printed to 0.6mm in thickness which was susceptible to bending and warping from heat and force. The board was reprinted to 1.6mm which provided a more robust final product.
Student Research and Design Board (SRAD) v2.0
Student Research and Design Board (SRAD) v2.0
This project provided telemetry between a sounding rocket and a base station, allowing my university's rocket team to collect information from various sensors during flight. Located on both the rocket and the base station, the board enabled each part to transmit (rocket) and receive (base station) signals.
On this board, we included: Microchip RN2483A LoRa processor which handled the communication and MCU circuits, a USB micro port for re-programming, and a back-plane adapter which connected to a larger assembly. The system was able to transmit at roughly 2.048kps at 10km's in range while using a 3dBi fin antenna on both transmit and receive. The system was also configured to have a spread factor of seven and a bandwidth of 500kHz.
Similar to the aforementioned "Power Board Project", this design provided a solution to the prior year's RF PCB, where the board was limited to a transmission of up to 10 metres, as opposed to our target distance of 9.1 kilometres.
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