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Christian Morton
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Engineering portfolio Fayetteville, AR

Mechanical Electrical

BSME + BSEEUniversity of ArkansasMay 2026

Procedural board, routed live in your browser — not one of my layouts. Readouts follow your cursor.

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  • PCB designCadence · KiCad
  • RF / antennaAnsys HFSS
  • PLC automationAllen-Bradley
  • FEASolidWorks
  • CAD / CAMFusion 360 · CATIA
  • FabricationCNC · 3D printing

Arkansas Space Grant Consortium

Electrical Engineering Senior Design

Autonomous Vehicle Challenge

I led the electrical team. We built one custom board to power the Jetson Nano, run the motor and servo, and read an accelerometer — as small and as cheap as we could make it.

Objective

Develop a custom PCB to efficiently power and manage communication for a Jetson Nano, motor, and servo control system — while integrating accelerometer data, minimizing board size, and reducing overall project cost.

My job as ELEG team leader

  • Developed and managed the project timeline.
  • Ensured team members had the materials and knowledge to execute their tasks.
Role
ELEG Team Leader
Duration
Fall 2024 – Spring 2025
Teams
  • Electrical3
  • Mechanical5
  • Computer Science6
Tools
  • MondayProject tasks and timeline
  • CadencePCB schematic and layout
  • SolidWorksVerifying PCB outline
  • STM32CubeIDEProgramming the STM32 microcontroller
  • REV-POLReverse-polarity protection — LED and diode
  • 5 V / 8 A5 V / 8 A supply from an 11.1 V lithium battery
  • 3 × PWM3 PWM channels — motor, servo, cooling fan
  • LIS2HH12TRAccelerometer — ST LIS2HH12TR
Figure 4, prototype development: four versions of the U-shaped board side by side — a black 3D-printed fit check, a bare copper board, a green PCB and a black PCB.

Signature · 3D

Board bring-up

My board, rebuilt in 3D from the layout — fabricated, populated, then powered up.

3D reconstruction from the layout — illustrative

What’s on the board

Twelve callouts from my layout. Copper is power; green is logic and I/O.

Figure 3: annotated PCB layout of the U-shaped ELEG board, with the twelve labelled components boxed in red.
Fig. 3 — PCB diagram (original, annotated)
Figure 4, prototype development: four versions of the U-shaped board side by side — a black 3D-printed fit check, a bare copper board, a green PCB and a black PCB.
Fig. 4 — Prototype development
  1. 01ESC Fan Header
  2. 02Steering Servo Header
  3. 03Speed Controller Header
  4. 04Push-Pull Optoisolator
  5. 05Start / Stop Button
  6. 06STM32 Microcontroller
  7. 07Linear Regulator
  8. 08Accelerometer
  9. 09Battery Connection
  10. 10Reverse-Polarity Protection Diode
  11. 11DC-DC Converter
  12. 12Jetson Nano Female Header

System flow

One board between the battery, the Jetson, and everything that moves. Hover or tap a block to trace its connections.

  • Camera → Jetson Nano: data
  • Lidar → Jetson Nano: data
  • Jetson Nano → ELEG Board: communication
  • ELEG Board → Jetson Nano: power
  • Battery → ELEG Board: power
  • ELEG Board → Electronic Speed Controller: PWM
  • Electronic Speed Controller → Motor: drive
  • ELEG Board → Servo: PWM + power
  • Power
  • Data / communication
  • PWM
  • Our design

Packet motion is illustrative — not recorded data

Figure 1: the original block flow diagram — camera and lidar feed the Jetson Nano, which talks to the ELEG board; the board drives the speed controller, motor and servo from the battery.
Fig. 1 — Block flow diagram (original)

Schematics

Four sheets, drawn in Cadence. Hover a sheet to read it; click to open it full size.Swipe the sheets; tap one to open it full size.

Schematic sheet 1 of 4: top sheet with the power, microcontroller and signal blocks, the 10-pin Jetson connector, the start/stop input, and the speed, steering and fan headers.
Sheet 01 / 04Top sheet
Schematic sheet 2 of 4: the STM32F030K6T6 microcontroller with the LIS2HH12 accelerometer, JTAG header, crystal, reset supervisor and switch.
Sheet 02 / 04Microcontroller
Schematic sheet 3 of 4: power — 11.1 V input through the reverse-polarity diode to the DC-DC converter and 5 V rail, then a linear regulator, with indicator LEDs.
Sheet 03 / 04Power
Schematic sheet 4 of 4: signal — three ACPL-M483 optoisolators for the speed, steering and fan signals, and a MOSFET stage for ESC fan control.
Sheet 04 / 04Signal / drive

Build log

Semester 1 · Fall 2024

  • Scope of work
  • PCB schematics
  • PCB layout
  • Project BOM

Semester 2 · Spring 2025

  • Test plan
  • First prototype
  • Project code
  • Final project
Figure 5: the first prototype board mounted on the Jetson with its cooling fan, battery leads and blue capacitors attached.
Fig. 5 — First prototype
Figure 6: the second prototype, a black U-shaped board with battery leads and capacitors fitted.
Fig. 6 — Second prototype

Problems, fixed

Problem

Board geometry

Fix

  • Verified fitment using SolidWorks and 3D printing
  • Picked small components that can still be hand-soldered
  • Optimized traces so the power plane is not bottlenecked
Figure 2: SolidWorks render of the board mounted on the Jetson with its heatsink and fan, used to check fit.
Fig. 2 — SolidWorks render

Problem

Hardware change — Jetson Nano → Jetson Orin Nano

Fix

  • Designed a mod board to move the 10-pin header
  • Manufactured the mod board on a CNC
  • Removed the power IC from the PCB and went directly to the Jetson
Figure 7: the CNC-made mod board, top side, with a 2×5 female header.
Figure 7: the mod board, underside, showing the header pins soldered through.

Fig. 7 — Mod board

Test report

UnitELEG board

EventASGC Autonomous Vehicle Challenge

Summary6 / 6 pass

#AreaResultStatus
01DeadlinePCB built and programmed by the March 1st deadlinePASS
02HardwareNo fires or short circuitsPASS
03HardwareBoard functioned throughout the whole competitionPASS
04Competition2nd place finishPASS
05CompetitionMotor and servo worked as instructed by the JetsonPASS
06CompetitionThe car started every lapPASS

Antenna Design Coursework

T-Shaped Patch Antenna

Individual RF project. I designed a probe-fed T-patch in Ansys HFSS, generated the Gerbers in KiCad, machined it, and put it on a VNA. The hardware didn’t match the simulation — both results are below.

Objective Develop a patch antenna in Ansys and compare the simulated results to the manufactured antenna.

Role
Individual project
Duration
Spring 2025
Course
Antenna Design Coursework
Tools
Ansys HFSS — design and simulate the patch
KiCad — generate the Gerber files
Key featuresDatasheet · as designed
ParameterValueNote
GeometryT-shaped patch
Center freq.2.4 GHz
S11−12.84 dBat 2.4 GHz, simulated
Size< 13 × 13 cmconstraint
ConnectorSMA, 50 Ω
FeedProbe-fedwith ground plane

Simulated vs. measured

Scroll to sweep · drag the marker Use the softkeys to step the marker

CAD · T-patch · mm As designed As machined
Source Redrawn from Fig. 8, the KiCad dimension drawing (mm).

Dashed box: the 13 cm × 13 cm size constraint. Green rings mark the SMA probe feed.

Undersize drawn for clarity — the actual amount wasn’t measured

S11 · Log mag · dB Sim Measured

Sliding dip: illustration of the shift — not recorded data

MKR1 2.400 GHz −12.84 dB HFSS marker

Sim trace: approximation traced from the HFSS plot (2–3 GHz)

  1. 01

    Simulate

    Ansys HFSS. I tuned patch length, width and the SMA feed’s x/y position to land resonance at 2.4 GHz.

  2. 02

    Machine

    A problem with the endmill left the patch smaller than the simulated dimensions.

  3. 03

    Measure

    Keysight N9914B. Smaller patch, higher resonance: −2.7 dB near 2.7 GHz.

Measured markers · Fig. 10
MkrFreq (GHz)S11 (dB)
M11.9958328−2.440
M22.6773623−2.765
M33.8087422−3.834
Fig. 10 — Measured S11, Keysight N9914B, 1–5 GHz

The build

KiCad Gerbers, then machined. This is the board that went on the VNA.

The manufactured antenna: a square board with the copper T-shaped patch left standing in a milled pocket, and the SMA probe feed near the bottom of the stem.
Fig. 9 — Manufactured antenna

Result

The machined antenna did not match simulation: a problem with the endmill left the patch smaller than the simulated dimensions, which pushed resonance up — the measured response sits at −2.7 dB near 2.7 GHz. In simulation, patch length and width and the x/y position of the SMA feed were the variables tuned to land the resonant frequency.

HFSS — S11 (dB), 2–3 GHz, −12.84 dB at 2.400 GHz
HFSS — Z parameters, 2–3 GHz

Radiation pattern

HFSS also solved the far field. The orbitable lobe here is a sketch of that shape over the ground plane and the T-patch. The gain plot is the actual simulation output.

Illustrative pattern shape — see the HFSS gain plot

HFSS — 3D gain plot, dB(GainTotal)

Push Plastic · Engineering Intern

Keyence Laser Measurement System

Objective Design a solution that uses Keyence lasers to measure and record 3D-printing filament diameter.

Laser micrometers, an Arduino Nano, a Python logger, and printed mounts on a pole that moves to whichever production line needs it.

Role
Engineering Intern
Company
Push Plastic
Duration
Summer 2024
Tools
  • Arduino IDE
  • Python 3.11
  • Fusion 360
  • Prusa Slicer
  • Bambu Slicer
  1. 01Measure

    Keyence laser micrometers read the filament diameter as the strand passes through.

  2. 02Relay

    An Arduino Nano talks to the lasers and hands the readings to the PC over USB.

  3. 03Record

    My Python 3.11 program starts and stops recording, saves to .csv, and plots the live value.

  4. 04Enforce

    Later, it was set up to stop the winding if product was recorded out of spec.

Illustration of the system's logic — not recorded production data

Diameter deviation exaggerated for visibility

Real-time Serial Data Plot
Center Y-axis Value 1.75 CSV File Name data_log.csv COM Port COM3
Ø measured · mean of both heads

1.750mm

RECrows → data_log.csv 000000

Line running — in spec

  1. Laser micrometers
  2. Arduino Nano
  3. USB serial
  4. Python 3.11
  5. .csv + live plot

Recorded out of spec stop winding

Hardware, firmware, software

Three layers. Each one had to work before the next one had anything to say.

  1. L1 · Hardware

    Mounting solution

    • Display
    • Power supply
    • Laser micrometers
  2. L2 · Firmware

    Arduino Nano

    • Communication with the lasers
    • Communication with the Python program
  3. L3 · Software

    Python program

    • Communication over USB
    • Start / stop recording
    • Save to .csv
    • Display current data
Screenshot of the Python program: a window titled Real-time Serial Data Plot with a y-axis from 1.650 to 1.850, and controls for the center value (1.75), CSV file name (data_log.csv), COM port, and start and stop recording.
Fig. 11 — Python user interface. The strip chart above is drawn to its axes.

Printed mounts

Designed in Fusion 360, sliced in Prusa and Bambu slicers, printed, and mounted to the pole.

Fusion 360 render of the orange display mount: a rectangular frame on an angled support, with an arrow and the words Laser Beam embossed on its face.
Fig. 12 — Display mount
Fusion 360 render of the power supply mount: an orange ring on a dark mounting plate.
Fig. 14 — Power supply mount
Photo from the plant: the orange printed mount holding the Keyence display on the stand.
Fig. 13 — Display mounted on the stand

Movable pole Every component mounts to one movable pole, so the system can be used on every production line.

Challenge

Communication with the lasers.

Fix

I contacted support and got help from coworkers.

Result

The system worked as expected: the Arduino relayed data from the lasers to a computer running the Python program. It was later set up to stop the winding process if product was recorded out of specification.

↑ That last part is the halt the line above simulates.

University of Arkansas · Research Assistant

Signal-Amplifier Research PCB

Objective Design a small PCB for a research grant: amplify a signal, reduce the size as much as possible, and integrate a display and user buttons.

Role
Research Assistant
Where
University of Arkansas — research grant
Duration
Summer 2024
Tools
Cadence — PCB schematic and layout
STM32CubeIDE — programming the STM32 dev board
Mine
Schematic · layout · bill of materials

PCB key features — read like a pinout

  1. USB-C port
  2. Display connection
  3. STM32-U5
  4. Signal amplification
  5. User buttons
  6. 1.5 in × 1.5 in PCB

Challenge · PCB size

Same 1.5 in square. Twice the copper layers.

The board had to stay small. To keep it at 1.5 in × 1.5 in, I moved it from a 2-layer board to a 4-layer board.

Outline
1.5 in × 1.5 in
Layers
Routing
—
  1. The real board, 1.5 in square
  2. Two copper layers: top + bottom
  3. Not enough room to route
  4. Two inner layers go in
  5. Four layers, same outline

Layer artwork is illustrative; top layer is the real board

The unpopulated research PCB, top side: green soldermask, bare pads and traces, 1.5 in × 1.5 in.
Unpopulated PCB, top side — photo straightened and cut out from the original figure.

Challenges → fixes

  1. Challenge

    PCB size

    Fix

    Moved from a 2-layer board to a 4-layer board.

  2. Challenge

    Communication

    Fix

    Set up meetings and kept a project notebook for reference and record.

The schematic

Drawn in Cadence. Open it to pan and zoom.

Schematic, Cadence — shown with inverted colours for the dark page. The inspector has the original.

Result

Completed under the guidance of an advisor. I was responsible for the schematic, the layout design, and the bill of materials. After fabrication, the power section of the board was functional by the start of the fall semester.

  1. Schematic
  2. Layout
  3. Bill of materials
  4. Fabrication
  5. Power section functional by the start of fall semester
Schematic · drag to pan · scroll or pinch to zoom
100%
Full schematic of the research PCB.

Experience · Leadership · Skills

Shop floor to schematic.

I started as a mechanic: 40 hours a week while carrying 8–10 credits a semester. Then five internships in four summers, across both degrees.

  • ME Mechanical
  • EE Electrical
  • ME+EE Both
  1. ME 2016 – 2020

    Waterski America

    Mechanic → Shift Lead Mechanic

    Years
    4
    Hr / week
    40
    Credits / sem
    8–10
    Supervised
    2
    • Worked 40 hr/week while completing 8–10 college credits per semester
    • Promoted to shift lead mechanic after 2 years
    • Managed operations and supervised 2 employees
  2. ME Summer 2022

    Cutting Edge Technologies

    Internship

    • FEA analysis (SolidWorks)
    • Part modeling
    • Drafting (CATIA)
  3. ME Summer 2023

    ReLewis

    Ammonia System Design Engineer (internship)

    • Ammonia system layout and P&ID
    • Produced bid documents
    • Mass & energy balance calculations for ammonia systems
  6. EE Summer 2025

    Convergix Automation

    Internship

    • Allen-Bradley PLC programming
    • Process automation
    • SCADA network
  • B.S. Mechanical Engineering
  • B.S. Electrical Engineering

BSME + BSEE

University of Arkansas · May 2026

Leadership

3 channels · 2022 – 2024

  • IEEE

    Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

    President / Treasurer

    2023 – 2024

  • ACURA

    Amateur Radio Club at the University of Arkansas

    Treasurer

    2022 – 2024

  • AISES

    American Indian Science and Engineering Society

    Treasurer

    2022 – 2023

Side projects

Off the clock

In progress

Personal Rocket

Building an actively stabilized rocket for a Level 1 certification.

Illustrative motif — not flight data

Built

Mechanical Rope Climber

Designed and manufactured a machine that climbs rope using stored mechanical energy.

Illustrative motif — not a recording

BOM — Christian Morton, rev 2026

19 line items · skills

RefPartCategoryQty
U1Cadence (schematic → PCB)Electrical1
U2PSpice (schematic → PCB layout)Electrical1
U3KiCadElectrical1
U4Ansys HFSSElectrical1
U5STM32CubeIDEElectrical1
U6ArduinoElectrical1
U7Allen-Bradley PLCElectrical1
U8Delta HMIElectrical1
M1SolidWorks (incl. FEA)Mechanical1
M2Fusion 360Mechanical1
M3Fusion 360 toolpath generationMechanical1
M4CATIA draftingMechanical1
M5Metal fabricationMechanical1
M6CNC machiningMechanical1
M73D printingMechanical1
S1Python 3.11Software1
S2Arduino IDESoftware1
S3STM32CubeIDESoftware1
S4Monday (project management)Software1

Close the circuit

Let’s build something that works the first time.

BSME and BSEE, University of Arkansas, May 2026. Email is the best way to reach me.

LinkedIn
Based
Fayetteville, AR
Graduated
May 2026

Illustrative schematic — a metaphor, not a real circuit