Seth Itow

Engineering Experience

• Tesla (September 2017 - Present)

  Applications Developer (January 2019 - Present)

  • Led the design of an interactive IOT device to enable lean manufacturing processes. Starting with requirements from internal customers, I created the hardware architecture, mechanical enclosure, device firmware, and MQTT-based messaging infrastructure.
  • Developed firmware in C++ using MbedOS (Keil RTX) RTOS for STM32 ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers. Wrote hardware drivers for I2C and SPI components such as e-paper displays, LED controllers, and environmental sensors.
  • Designed injection molded enclosures with captive tactile switch cap and snap fit closures. Used 3D printed prototypes to collect customer feedback and iterate on the design. Worked with toolmakers at our injection molding supplier to ensure design for manufacturability.
  • Worked with contract manufacturers locally and in Asia to reach volume production. Developed process documentation for assembly. Participated in pricing discussions.

  Automation Controls Intern (September 2017 - December 2018)

  • Identified the need for better data visualization and developed a dashboard using Python, Pandas, Flask, and Plotly to display information from Eisenmann EMES, which was formerly a black box vendor system. The system now serves over 2000 requests per day from throughout the company.
  • Supported Model 3 General Assembly and Battery lines. Developed an Python extension for Studio 5000 to create a web app to monitor PLC status and validate/lint ladder logic using Python, Flask, MongoDB, Bootstrap.
  • Integrated Beckhoff TwinCAT control system for drive unit prototype line. Built Tesla standard FB library for TwinCAT 3. Set up continuous integration pipeline for PLC code using Jenkins, vSphere, TwinCAT 3.

• SpaceX - Satellite Development Intern (April 2017 - August 2017)

  • Programmed PLCs in Ladder and Structured Text to automate thruster test chambers. Designed intuitive control interfaces in Visual Studio using C# and WinForms.
  • Developed bearing staking methods and tooling for the retention of bearings in the solar array hinge mechanisms. Analyzed press out force and running torque due to orbital thermal swings.
  • Designed weldments, fixtures, and tooling for satellite payload integration using GD&T, AWS standards.

• Formula SAE (2015 - 2017)

  Electric Drivetrain Engineer(2016-2017)

  • Designed mechanical packaging of battery pack and AMS system.
  • Analyzed root cause of EM interference and CAN-BUS frame errors.
  • Developed wireless sensor network to measure tire temperatures and pressures while driving.

  Manufacturing Engineer(2015-2016)

  • Designed wireless telemetry hardware and infrared lap timing system.
  • Analyzed parts using ANSYS Static Structural and FLUENT analysis including meshing and post processing.

• LA Packaging - Automation Engineering Intern (Summer 2016)

  • Developed an automated machine to fill and close plastic containers.
  • Identified root cause of cycle failure and designed new machine parts to decrease cycle failure rate from 80% to 5%.
  • Reprogrammed PLC in Ladder Logic to improve fault handling and added an HMI for ease of operation.

• F.I.R.S.T Robotics (2014-2015)

  • Specialized in developing and tuning PID control loops combining sensor readings with user input.
  • Programmed autonomous functionality in Java incorporating wheel encoder, accelerometer, and IR sensor inputs.
  • Used Agile Project Management to improve efficiency in the design process.

Training

• AIARE Avalanche Rescue

• AIARE 1 - Decision Making in Avalanche Terrain

• Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity 301

  5 day intensive course sponsored by the United States Department of Homeland Security ICS-CERT (Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team)

Education

• University of Washington (2015-2017)

• Coastline Community College (2012-2014)

  • 2014 Summer Semester: CompTIA A+ Software Certification. 4.0 GPA.
  • 2012 Summer Semester: CompTIA A+ Hardware Certification. 4.0 GPA.

• Canyon High School (2011-2015)

  
  • High School Diploma, June 11, 2015. Graduated Summa Cum Laude. 4.8 GPA.

Interests and Skills

• Programming in Go, Python 3, C++, C, IEC Structured Text. Frontend user inferface design using React and dashboarding with Plotly Dash. Backend web architectures with PostgreSQL/CockroachDB, Redis, FoundationDB. Metrics collection with InfluxDB and Prometheus.
• Cloud development with Docker, Kubernetes, Digital Ocean and Google Cloud. CI/CI with Jenkins and Gitlab. Stream messaging architectures with MQTT and Kafka.
• Industrial controls with TwinCAT 3, Allen-Bradley Logix 500/5000, Siemens TIA Portal, Ignition.
• Mechanical CAD in SolidWorks and NX. Electrical CAD in Altium and EPLAN.
• Advanced in Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Project, Visio.