🟢 Open to Co-op Opportunities — Spring/Summer 2027 Open to Co-op — Summer 2027

Hi, I'm Jonathan.

I'm a 3rd-year Electrical Engineering student at Carleton University.

I'm passionate about hardware, wireless systems, robotics and artificial intelligence.

A bit about myself

I grew up in Ottawa with a longstanding interest in how things work at a physical and mechanical level. That curiosity shapes how I approach engineering throughout my studies and personal projects. I like taking an idea from a rough sketch to something that actually works, testing it until it breaks or reaches its limit, figuring out why, and then fixing it properly. I've picked up a broad set of practical skills that way and constantly try to gain more experience in whatever ways I can.

Outside of school, I work as a lifeguard, swim instructor, and first aid instructor with the City of Ottawa. I have coached and competed nationally in competitive speed skating, which has helped me build up a good set of interpersonal and self-development skills through both the work and sport avenues. I also have an interest in personal finance and economics, which has grown into a broader curiosity about practical AI and where it genuinely fits into engineering and finance, rather than the superficial hype around it.

Check out my builds!

A growing list of projects and challenges I have tackled - click "View Project →" on any card for the full story, photos, and what went wrong along the way.

PROJ-01

Modular Bicycle Lighting System

Designed and built a weatherproof RGBW lighting system for bicycles.

EasyEDAPCB DesignC++ / ArduinoCAD + 3D Print

View Project →

PROJ-02

Electric Go-Kart

Built a 1.6kW electric go-kart from a welded steel frame.

Three-Phase SystemsMotor ControlMetal WorkingFabrication

View Project →

PROJ-03

C-130 Autonomous RC Drone

Building the flight controller and RF system for an autonomous RC drone.

Drone ControlCommunicationsSignal ProcessingComponent SelectionRF

View Project →

PROJ-04

MOSFET x Off-Road System

Integrated high-power LED lighting into a vehicle using MOSFET switching.

MOSFETsPower ElectronicsHeat DissipationCircuit DesignAutomotive Electronics

View Project →

PROJ-05

AI Agent Secretary

Customized a personal AI agent to automate everyday tasks through the Hermes framework.

AI / LLMToken MechanicsAutomationAPIsPowershell

View Project →

Experience

Design

Altium Designer
KiCad
Autodesk Fusion CAD
Component Selection
Breadboarding

Programming

C / C++
Verilog HDL
Python
Jupyter Notebook
Java
Git Version Control

Platforms, Testing & Simulation

Arduino
Raspberry & Orange Pi (Linux)
STM & ESP32
FPGAs & AMD Vivado
Oscilloscope / Multimeter

Industries that interest me

Cutting-Edge Robotics

Legged and humanoid robots closing the gap between lab demos and real-world deployment. I'm most interested in advancements with actuator technology and integrations with machine learning.

Wireless & Space Communications

6G and IoT requirements are pushing wireless communication to its limits. I have a fascination for satellite constellations and am keen to understand antenna designs and endless uses for wireless communication.

Machine Learning & AGI

Looking past the buzzwords, I am excited to see the real use cases for AI systems within certain sectors like transport, industry, chip design and global finance. I am trying to embrace tools as they become available and learn how they can become powerful personal and corporate systems.

Contact

Let's connect.

I'm currently looking for a 2027 Summer Co-op placement. Always happy to talk about a project, a role, or just electronics and technology in general.

Email Me

jon.m.bourget@gmail.com LinkedIn ↗ Download Resume ↗

← Back to projects

PROJ-01

Modular Bicycle Lighting System

2022Timeline

Solo ProjectRole

The Idea

I created a PCB layout for a personal project of mine. The aim was to build a novel, programmable, and controllable RGBW lighting system for my bicycle and electric scooter. The intention was to potentially commercialize the final product, since I felt there weren't any options on the market providing the same functionality.

Prototyping the Idea

I initially started prototyping with raw wires and generic component boxes. Over a few iterations, I added and removed certain additional functionality, like chimes and signal clicks, along the way once I decided they were unnecessary.

prototype v1 — Fig. 1 — Layout V1, first prototype

prototype v2 — Fig. 2 — Layout V2, compact circuit

Designing the PCB

I designed the PCB in EasyEDA to support the control module (an Arduino Nano) and have all the required connections in functional locations for final assembly. This was based on the circuit layout I developed during the prototyping phase. The process involved learning how to use the PCB design interface and researching best practices for vias and hole tolerances for various components. It was useful to cross-reference by measuring pin diameters with a precision caliper at home to make sure no major mistakes were being made.

pcb populated — Fig. 4 — Components being added

Assembly & Testing

Before combining everything with the 3D printed casings, I ran the assembly through a couple of testing phases. The first pass was missing the physical switches, which I simulated with keystrokes on the Arduino-connected laptop while programming. That stage also included soldering the Adafruit NeoPixel strip boards onto the outer portion of the pixel design. The final circuit shown below includes the real switches and was tested exactly as it would be used on the bike.

final circuit — Fig. 5 — Final circuit assembly on PCB

Hardware & Mounting

Next, I needed to make sure the system was weatherproof for rainy days and outdoor storage. I designed three different casing models in CAD and 3D printed them for front, rear, and a compact version aimed at scooters or racing bikes. The circular case uses the same PCB as the linear one, though the connections for the side NeoPixel strips are simply left unused on that version.

The design was originally meant to be easy to construct and produce, simple and scalable enough to sell at a reasonably competitive price. I never ended up trying to sell any, mainly due to cost and manufacturing time, even though the final design came close to being a finished product.

casings — Fig. 6 — Different casing designs (front, rear, compact)

Summary and Takeaways

Overall, I really enjoyed working on this project since it gave me immediate, practical benefits: having programmable lighting while biking at night. I was able to take the idea from concept to a final product and made significant improvements in durability and reliability along the way. I also enjoyed working with online development environments and making all of the decisions (and mistakes) that came with PCB and CAD design as a first-time solo designer.

← All projects Next: Electric Go-Kart →

← Back to projects

PROJ-04

MOSFET/Arduino Integration for Vehicle Lighting

2025Timeline

Solo ProjectRole

The Problem

Earlier this year, I wanted to retrofit some high-powered LED lights onto the roof rack of my vehicle. I researched ways to connect this system to an existing Arduino I already had installed in my dash for modular projects like this. I settled on using MOSFET components to act as quick-response relays for flash patterns, connecting the system to a switched fusebox source through the MOSFETs. The whole system is button-controlled via the Arduino, since using a microcontroller let me build more complex rapid flash patterns based on button presses and switch sequences.

Initial Design

I first designed a rough draft of the circuit on paper based on my research into MOSFETs and Arduino pin control. This served as a template for prototyping the circuit.

hand sketch — Fig. 1 — Hand-drawn sketch of wiring and plan

Prototyping & Testing

I assembled the design on a breadboard and tested it with a modular power supply to make sure there wouldn't be any issues with overloading or heat dissipation once it was fully installed on the car.

installed lights — Fig. 2 — Final install, static yellow mode

This project still serves me during the summer months, and I've since tweaked the design to be more easily removable with modular weatherproof connectors that I soldered onto both the car wiring outputs and the roof rack connections.

Summary and Takeaways

With this project I gained valuable hands-on experience designing and building a practical electronics system for my car. It involved learning to design a control system using an Arduino to manage the high-power LED lights and create custom flash patterns. I developed skills in power electronics and interfacing by selecting, testing, and implementing MOSFETs, which turned out to be the best option for my goals. A major takeaway was around prototyping and quality assurance: I started with a rough sketch, built it on a breadboard, and tested it extensively to make sure the components wouldn't overheat or fail in a real-world automotive setting, with internal vehicle temperatures ranging anywhere from -35°C to 40°C in worst-case scenarios. I also learned how to handle automotive electrical systems by safely wiring the finished circuit into the vehicle's existing fusebox with the proper fuses and load resistors.

← C-130 Autonomous RC Drone Next: AI Agent Secretary →

← Back to projects

PROJ-02

Electric Go-Kart

2019Timeline

2-Person TeamRole

The Idea

An earlier project of mine was inspired by Formula One, when a friend and I wanted to take on the challenge of building a soapbox racing kart just for fun. It quickly evolved into a fully-fledged 1.6kW powered metal machine and taught me a lot about three-phase motor control and manufacturing.

Frame

The frame was initially planned out using wood beams cut to size, to check the size and maneuverability of a simple rectangular box with bracing. Once the design was proven to work conceptually, the whole kart was cut from rounded square box-section steel with sheet metal for the flooring. With limited tooling, this proved to be a real challenge even with careful measurement. You can see the repurposed kid's bike wheel below, standing in as a makeshift steering wheel while we tested rolling resistance and steering angles.

Power System & Electronics

The power system consisted of four 12V lead-acid batteries, generally used for emergency lighting systems, wired in series. These provided the necessary voltage to the 1.6kW-rated motor controller. The motor is normally used for large garage door mechanisms or electric outboard motors for boats, but the mounting plate and torque ratings made it a good fit for this application. The gear ratio was chosen for low-speed pickup and rougher terrain use, since it multiplied the torque almost tenfold. That meant the real challenge became keeping the motor running near its max RPM and current rating for any mid to high-speed cruising at that gear ratio, and we ran into plenty of issues with chain tensioning and brackets bending under heavy acceleration.

motor assembly — Fig. 3 — Motor assembly

I ended up having to research and swap out the actuator pedal for the motor controller so it had a larger analog travel range. The original one was nearly impossible to map into smooth RPM increase, even with a lot of practice, and since there was no way to reprogram the controller itself, replacing the pedal was the easiest fix for the jerky acceleration.

Final Result

With the electronic controls in place and some torque and power delivery optimizations, my friend managed to hit 49 km/h in a straight-line test on paved road, not bad for a build carrying a 200+ lb driver. Under more regular use, like cruising around neighborhoods and parks, the 15 Ah battery pack gave us 3 to 5 hours of stop-and-go runtime. We looked into adding regenerative braking to recharge the battery as a generator, but it quickly became clear the extra three-phase battery control hardware needed would blow past our budget.

final gokart — Fig. 4 — Final construction

Summary and Takeaways

The Go-Kart project was one of the first times I combined my interest in mechanical design and fabrication with my fascination for electronics and electrical systems. It took a lot of labour to put together, but it was well worth it. Troubleshooting the throttle sensitivity and power delivery issues taught me a lot about trial-and-error problem solving, and it's honestly the project that pointed me toward electrical engineering in the first place.

← Modular Bicycle Lighting Next: C-130 Autonomous RC Drone →

← Back to projects

PROJ-03

C-130 Autonomous RC Drone

OngoingTimeline

Electronics TeamRole

The Project

I'll be joining the electronics subteam on the C-130 autonomous RC drone build. Our subteam is four people, including me, working within a larger project team of around eight to nine people total. My focus is on designing the flight controller around an STM32, the RF transmission and reception system, and some basic GPS and autonomous flight capability.

Looking Ahead

This project is still early, so a lot of the specific component choices and architecture decisions are still ahead of us. The first concrete deliverable will be a full bill of materials, which I'll add here as a photo once it's finalized. From there, I'm hoping to also share some of the flight controller code on GitHub and, if the timeline allows, a 3D model of the PCB itself.

← Electric Go-Kart Next: MOSFET x Off-Road System →

← Back to projects

PROJ-05

AI Agent Secretary

2026Timeline

Solo ProjectRole

Overview

I installed and configured Hermes, a self-hosted AI agent that operates through existing LLM providers' API keys, setting up its plugins and markdown configuration files to fit the tasks I actually wanted automated day to day. As a first real use case, I interfaced the Yahoo Finance and Telegram APIs to build a simple daily investment update: the agent checks my watchlist each day and sends a summary straight to Telegram with a detailed prompt response outlining market movements, geopolitical events, key dates and things to watch for as well as daily changes and sector movements.

Looking Ahead

This is an early, ongoing project. I'm looking to build out more automations as I find genuinely useful daily tasks worth handing off to it.

← MOSFET x Off-Road System All projects →