Jonathan Weeks

Mechanical Engineering Portfolio 2016

jonathan.s.weeks@gmail.com
(415) 686-2334

Backbone (2016)
Leap Design Group
Project Overview:
Backbone is a posture correction harness that monitors
the users posture, vibrates when slouching occurs, and
uses a mobile app to track daily progress. At Leap
Design, I was responsible for aiding in the design and
prototyping of an aesthetically pleasing and waterproof
enclosure for the PCB board, battery, and motor.
Design:
After several rounds of prototyping and testing, an
injection moldable design was approved that fit in the
rear compartment of the soft goods harness. The final
3-piece design was made out of ABS and TPE.

Harness and Electronics Enclosure

SolidWorks Assembly

3D Printed Prototype

Skills Used:
Plastic Parts Fabrication, SolidWorks Modeling,
SLA 3D Printing, Geometric Dimensioning and
Tolerance, Draft Analysis

Beer Fermentation Chamber (2016)

Personal Project
Project Goals:
To learn more about control systems and to make better beer for my
friends, I wanted to design and build a temperature controlled
fermentation chamber from scratch.
Design:
I hooked up two temperature sensors to an Arduino to measure both
the ambient air inside the fermentation chamber and the fermenting
beer. The Arduinos on/off control system raises or lowers the
temperature of the ambient air by turning on either the heater or
cooler.
Fermentation Chamber Internals

Circuit Wiring

Circuit Diagram

SolidWorks Model

Rear View of Fermentation Chamber

Future Goals:
I plan on updating the on/off control system to a PID control system
for more accurate temperature control.
Skills Used:
Electrical Circuit Prototyping, SolidWorks Modeling, Microcontroller
Programming, Fabrication
Front View of Fermentation Chamber

Passive Solar Distiller (2016)

Personal Project
Project Goals:
Since potable water is becoming increasingly scarce, I wanted
to prototype a simple device that could be used in developing
nations to distill sea water.
Design:
I built a passive solar distiller that mimics the natural water
cycle. The sea water in the basin evaporates and condenses on
the glass cover, drips down glass and is collected. I designed
and wired an automated pump system using float switches. The
system runs off of lead-acid batteries that are charged by solar
panels.
Fabricated Passive Solar Distiller

Circuit Diagram

Solar Cells
Sea Water
Inlet

Float
Switches

Distilled
Water
Outlet

Waterproof
Poron
Seal

SolidWorks Model

Circuit Prototyping

Future Goals:
I want to optimize the solar panel, battery, and automated pump
system for cost and efficiency. I also plan on changing the design to
pressure formed or cast plastic components that would be durable
and easy to ship and assemble.
Skills Used:
Electrical Circuit Prototyping, SolidWorks Modeling, Soldering,
Fabrication
Final Stripboard Design

ProfileMyRun (2016)
Leap Design Group
Project Goals:
ProfileMyRun developed a shoe insert equipped with
force sensors for runners. At Leap Design, I was
responsible for leading the design and prototyping of an
aesthetically pleasing and simple plastic enclosure for
the PCB board.
Design:
After several rounds of prototyping and testing, a design
was approved that could be firmly secured to runners
tightly tied laces. The final 2-piece design used minimal
material to create a lightweight and sleek profile.
SolidWorks Assembly

Skills Used:
Plastic Parts Fabrication, SolidWorks
Modeling, FDM 3D printing,
Geometric Dimensioning and
Tolerance, Draft Analysis

Final Design Rendering

GoPro 2-Axis Gimbal (2016 - In Progress)

Personal Project
Project Overview:
As an avid mountain biker I like capturing footage using my GoPro.
Unfortunately the footage is shaky. To address that problem, I am creating
a 2-axis gimbal to stabilize the GoPro for my chest and helmet mount.
Design:
Instead of using a fabricated motor controller, I am using an Arduino so I
learn more about controlling DC motors. I am currently adjusting my
Arduino control code for a 1-axis gimbal that uses a 3-phase brushless
motor, a dual H-bridge motor driver, and gyros.

Proof of Concept Using a Servo Motor

and Accelerometer

Future Goals:
After my code is optimized, I will design an
enclosure and support arms in SolidWorks.
The 2-axis prototype will be 3D printed using
a high resolution SLA Form 2 printer.
Skills Used:
Electronics Prototyping, Arduino
Programming, Geometric Dimensioning and
Tolerance, SolidWorks Modeling

1-Axis Gimbal Test Rig using 3-Phase Brushless Motor and Gyros

Microbial Fuel Cells (2015)

Simmons Lab
Project Goals:
The Simmons Lab needed microbial fuel cells to be designed
and built that use bacteria and agricultural waste to produce
electricity. A data acquisition system also needed to be
developed.
Design:
I designed and machined Microbial Fuel cell blocks that could
be easily dissembled and sterilized for repeated trials. I also
developed a data acquisition system that used a Picologger
and a Matlab program to measure the fuel cells voltage and
power production.

Fabricated Microbial Fuel Cells

Microbial Fuel Cell Diagram

Skills Used:
Plastic Parts Fabrication, Data Acquisition, Matlab Programming,
Wiring, Analytical Chemistry, SolidWorks Modeling

Turbojet Senior Design Project (2015)

University of California, Davis
Project Goals:
The Engineering Department at UC Davis needed to update a turbojet
engine used in engineering thermodynamic lab classes.
Design:
I led the design and fabrication of an engine mount that used a load cell
to determine thrust, an Arduino based acquisition system configured to
read the turbojet sensors, and a reconfiguration of the oil and fuel pump
wiring to prevent engine wear.
Skills Used:
SolidWorks Modeling, Metal Parts Machining, Arduino Programming,
Electrical Circuit Prototyping, Data Acquisition, Budget Management

Fabricated Turbojet Mount

Data Acquisition Layout

Redesigned Oil and Fuel Pump Design

SolidWorks Simulation

Crank Lok (2014)

Stage 8 Locking Fasteners
Project Goals:
While interning at Stage 8 Locking Fasteners, I
wanted to use one of their locking bolt patents to
solve a reoccurring problem in the cycling industry:
Square-tapered crank bolts coming loose.
Design:
Using Stage 8s counter bore system, I prototyped
and marketed (http://www.cranklok.com) a design
that keeps the crank bolts firmly in place.

Assembled Crank Lok

Skills Used:
Metal Parts Prototyping, SolidWorks
Modeling, Machining, Geometric
Dimensioning and Tolerance

Stage 8 Crank Lok Website

About Me
I love the outdoors. I am an avid mountain biker, hiker, skier and
backpacker. I also like building things. My interest in putting things
together started in middle school when I learned how to fix things that
broke on my bike. In college I learned how to design and rapidly
prototype my ideas into fabricated models. This fostered my interest in
the product development industry. My enjoyment of nature photography
and sketching has helped bring a sense of aesthetics to my design work.
As I grow as an engineer I hope to continue to work with enthusiastic
and skilled engineers and designers. I truly enjoy challenging myself in
areas I'm not familiar with and building new skill sets.

Jonathan Weeks Mechanical Engineer

San Francisco, CA (415) 686-2334 jonathan.s.weeks@gmail.com
I'm a creative problem solver breaking into the product development and design industry. I'm a
people person engineer who is able to bridge the gaps between different scientific disciplines.
Technical Skills
Mechanical Design
Modeling with SolidWorks and Inventor
Rapid prototyping techniques
Design for manufacture and assembly
Ideation, sketching and rendering
FEA with SolidWorks Simulation
Proficient at translating industrial surfaces
into manufacturable designs
Machine tooling with mill, lathe and CNC

Electrical/Software
Basic Electrical Circuit Prototyping
Familiar with MatLab, Python, Arduino(C,C++),
R Script and Labview
Microcontrollers: Arduino (proficient) and
and Raspberry Pi (elementary)
Control Systems
Chemistry
Lab techniques in analytical/physical chemistry

Work Experience
Leap Design Group
San Rafael, CA
Mechanical Engineering Consultant
November 2015 Present
Transition industrial design concepts to prototyped designs
Fabricate prototypes: 3D printed, sheet metal formed, wood mock-ups and machined parts
Present design concepts to clients
Perform SolidWorks surfacing, draft analysis, interference detection and simulation
Design plastic components for injection molding, casting and pressure forming
Simmons Laboratory, UC Davis
Davis, CA
Undergraduate Microbial Fuel Cell Researcher
August 2014 September 2015
Designed and machined Microbial Fuel Cells that used bacteria to break down agricultural
waste products to produce electricity and desalinate wastewater
Wrote Matlab programs that measured voltage and power production of Microbial Fuel Cells
Planned the design of experiments and wrote standard operating procedures
Measured BOD, COD, conductivity, and pH of the anode chamber of the Microbial Fuel Cells
Stage 8 Locking Fasteners
San Rafael, CA
Engineering Design Intern
June 2013 July 2014
Designed mechanical locking fasteners for both automobile and aerospace companies using
SolidWorks
Wrote proposals and designed 3D models for potential clients
Performed machining processes on lathes, mills and other machinery
Designed a locking fastener to be used on square tapered cranks in the cycling industry
Performance Bikes
San Rafael, CA
Bike Mechanic/Sales Associate
June 2011 June 2013
Handled customer service and sales in a busy bike store
Conducted inventory and handled sales, returns, layaways and online orders
Organized both store front and back office inventory
Assembled road and mountain bikes to be sold in the store
Education
University of California, Davis
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Minor in Chemistry
Engineer in Training (EIT) Certificate No. 156387

Graduated June, 2015