Amplified Industries Electrical Engineering Intern

Amplified Industries (formerly Acoustic Wells) builds specialized IOT sensors to monitor operating performance of oil wells, collect and analyze data, and automatically notify oil producers of environment-threatening conditions (such as methane leaks).

This summer I designed custom embedded C firmware to control Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) operating on-shore oil well assets. My firmware used the MODBUS/RS485 protocol to vary the speed and acceleration of a three phase AC motor in real time throughout the stroke cycle of an oil pump based on command data generated remotely through a python program I also designed. I architected the backend design to remotely monitor and operate VFDs as well as designing my system to be compatible with any MODBUS enabled device.

At the end of my internship I traveled to Ardmore, Oklahoma to test my firmware on a production oil well. I was successfully able to reduce mechanical strain on the oil well by over 20% and my firmware was able to dynamically control the speed of the pump in real time and send alarm and monitor information to a remote computer over a 4G connection.

As a Hardware Intern, I had a number of responsibilities:

Wrote FreeRTOS firmware in C to allow PLC operation over RS485/MODBUS of a VFD-controlled 3 phase AC industrial motor
Designed Python GUI to generate MODBUS speed/acceleration commands and send to firmware over cellular connection
Trained other employees on production process Used EAGLE CAD software and LTspice to redesign schematic and layout of production boards and design custom PCBs
Wrote Python test script to automate QA testing of device. Traveled to production oil field to replace devices and document causes of failure of existing devices
Analyzed feasibility of increasing ADC resolution to enable redesign of circuity
Performed EMI pre-compliance testing to prepare for formal CISPR FCC compliance testing

Skills: C++ · Variable Frequency Drives · Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Design · Electrical Engineering · Python (Programming Language)

*Acoustic Wells is Based at Greentown Labs in Somerville, Massachusetts*

Hi, my name is Ken Kalin. I'm a junior at Duke University. I am double majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science at the Pratt School of Engineering. This summer I worked as an Electrical Engineering Intern at Acoustic Wells, Inc. (now Amplified Industries), an IOT startup based in Boston, MA.

Computer programming has been one of my passions for a number of years. I have conducted research into deep learning and convolutional neural networks as part of the Young Scholar's Program at Northeastern University. I've developed several websites and mobile applications, including an arcade-style iPhone game called “Bubble Basher” and a cross platform messaging application called “The Messageboard.”

In my free time, I am a licensed Ham Radio operator and have contacted people in many countries around the world with my shortwave radio. I also play guitar in a “rock band” with some of my friends.