Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1256432
74 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2020 Interview by Andy Shaughnessy I-CONNECT007 I recently discovered a great blog by Pallav Aggarwal, a PCB and embedded systems de- signer based in Bangalore, India. On his blog, he discusses his journey from a young hobby- ist to a degreed engineer who designs PCBs and embedded systems for companies all over the world. On his site, Pallav explains how he endured a two-hour ride each way to college, with part of that trip in a three-wheeled vehicle. Are you that invested in continuing your training and education? In this email interview, Pallav dis- cusses his journey from hobbyist to engineer. Andy Shaughnessy: Pallav, give us a quick back- ground about yourself, and tell us how you got involved in electronics. Pallav Aggarwal: I have been an electronics hobbyist for two decades, and now I work as an independent embedded design consultant. I help various companies in India and abroad design embedded products. One of my associa- tions is with a company called M2MLogger in India, where I have helped them develop vari- ous IoT products. Before working as a consul- tant, I worked in various engineering roles in different national and multinational organiza- tions for 15 years. Around 1998, I was studying for IITs—the most prestigious universities for engineering education in India. I was going through some of the mock tests. While doing so, I came across a one-page electronic circuit in one of the science refresher magazines, and I fell in love with it instantly. I started visiting various electronic component shops nearby to see what these components were, what they looked like, how to buy them, etc. That was when I started exploring electronics in a full-fledged manner. I began visiting a nearby library to access electronics magazines to go through the pub- lished circuits. I built an RF transmitter with a home-etched PCB, and I was able to receive audio on an FM radio receiver one meter away. I was doing these types of experiments every day and night. I was very lucky to have found what I really love to do early in life. When you work in a field you love, you are happy every day and never tired or frustrated. That's a huge thing to achieve. Pallav Aggarwal: From Hobbyist to PCB Designer and Embedded Engineer Pallav Aggarwal