Firmware & Embedded Engineer

Alejandro
Garcia Baltazar

CS graduate working in Embedded Systems

↓ Download Resume GitHub → LinkedIn → Medium →
01

About

Firmware and embedded systems engineer in training with a Bachelor's in Computer Science. I work directly at the register level — configuring RCC, GPIO, and peripherals from the reference manual. My goal is to build reliable, efficient firmware for hardware.

I come from a software background and chose to pivot into embedded because I wanted to understand how hardware functions under the physical buttons.

02

Technical Skills

Architecture
ARM Cortex-M0+ Memory-mapped I/O ESP32
Peripherals
GPIO RCC EXTI SPI I2C ADC USART ···
Toolchain
Baremetal C ESP-IDF STM32CubeIDE VSCode + PlatformIO
Hardware
Breadboard prototyping MOSFET switching Inductive load control Datasheet navigation Soldering

··· = in progress

03

Projects

Embedded / Firmware Active

ESP32 Self-Watering Planter

An autonomous planter equipped with a submersible pump, ambient light sensor, and soil moisture sensor for sensor-based watering decisions. Controls a 12V pump via MOSFET switching with an optional WiFi web server for browser-based control

C ESP-IDF FreeRTOS I2C ADC WiFi MOSFET drive PlatformIO
View on GitHub
Embedded / Firmware Completed

STM32 Self-Watering Planter

Baremetal pump driver on the STM32 Nucleo G0B1CE. Button-controlled MOSFET switching configured entirely through direct register access — MODER, OTYPER, PUPDR, BSRR — without HAL. Includes pull-down network, gate resistor, and inductive load handling.

// Lesson learned: inductive loads require a flyback diode.
// Omitting one killed the board. Now it's in every schematic.
Baremetal C ARM Cortex-M0+ STM32 G0B1CE MOSFET drive Register-level GPIO
View on GitHub
Previous Work — Mobile / Full Stack Completed

Eatscape — Food Truck Management App

Cross-platform mobile app with real-time location tracking via Google Maps API, Firebase Auth, Firestore, and an admin dashboard for menu and location management. Tiered subscription visibility for food truck operators.

Flutter Dart Firebase Google Maps API Cloud Functions
04

Writing

Medium — Embedded Systems Active

How I Burned My First STM32 (And What I Learned About Flyback Diodes)

A walkthrough of my first embedded hardware project — a self-watering planter using a 12V pump and STM32. Documents the wiring process, MOSFET switching, and what happens when you skip a flyback diode on an inductive load.

Read on Medium
Medium — Embedded Systems Active

How to Connect Simple Digital Modules to an ESP32

A beginner-focused guide covering how to wire and control 3-pin digital modules using ESP-IDF on the ESP32. Covers GPIO initialization, signal pin configuration, and a working button-controlled main loop.

Read on Medium
Medium — Embedded Systems Active

I2C Basics with an ESP32, From a Beginner

A practical introduction to I2C on the ESP32 using the VEML7700 ambient light sensor. Covers bus and device handle configuration, writing to config registers, reading multi-byte data, and parsing 16-bit values from raw bytes.

Read on Medium
05

Education

University of Arkansas, Grantham
B.S. Computer Science — Aug. 2024

DEAC-accredited program covering data structures, networking, OOP, operating systems, databases, cybersecurity, and software engineering. Languages: JavaScript, C++, C#, SQL.

FastBit Embedded Brain Academy
Mastering Microcontroller & Peripheral Driver Development (MCU1) — Completed

Peripheral driver development from scratch on STM32: GPIO, SPI, I2C, USART. Emphasis on register-level understanding and reading ARM reference manuals.

Boot.dev
Backend & Systems — Completed

Go, Python, OOP, Git, HTTP, Linux. Structured backend fundamentals to complement embedded systems work.

06

Damaged Parts

Here lies the graveyard of components that have been damaged beyond repair. Each one of these has been a part of the learning journey and now rest in pieces.

STM32 Nucleo M0 2.0-inch TFT LCD display module Various MOSFETs
07

Contact

Email agee.baltazar@icloud.com
GitHub github.com/AGBaltazar
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/alejandrobaltazar
Resume Download PDF ↓