Intern – Electrical Control Systems
Intern or GET
Hyderabad, Telangana, India
About
The intern will assist in the design, integration, and testing of electrical control systems for Red Balloon’s near-space and aerostat platforms. This role focuses on developing intelligent motor control and feedback loops for winch systems, attitude control, and tether mechanisms, ensuring precise and stable operation under varying environmental and dynamic conditions.
Description
Control System Design & Development
• Support the design of motor control systems for tether deployment, pitch/roll stabilization, and winch mechanisms.
• Develop and tune PID, PI, and model predictive control (MPC) loops for smooth and accurate actuation.
• Assist in implementing closed-loop feedback systems using IMU, encoder, and tension sensor inputs.
• Contribute to developing fault-tolerant and redundant control architectures for mission-critical systems.
Hardware Integration & Testing
• Work on motor driver circuits, power electronics, and signal conditioning for control hardware.
• Assist in the selection and configuration of BLDC, stepper, or servo motors based on torque and precision requirements.
• Participate in wiring, assembly, and testing of sensor-actuator loops within the electrical control panels.
• Support hardware testing with oscilloscopes, current sensors, and data acquisition systems.
Sensor Interfacing & Calibration
• Integrate and calibrate position, velocity, tension, and load sensors for real-time feedback.
• Work on data acquisition from IMU, strain gauges, encoders, and potentiometers for control input signals.
• Ensure accurate sensor fusion and noise filtering for stable feedback performance.
• Maintain calibration logs and sensor performance reports after each test or deployment.
Embedded Control Implementation
• Develop and test embedded firmware for real-time motor control using microcontrollers or embedded boards (STM32, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, etc.).
• Implement PWM control, PID loops, interrupt-based sensing, and motor feedback routines.
• Support communication protocol integration (CAN, UART, SPI, I2C) between motor drivers, controllers, and telemetry systems.
• Participate in firmware validation and debugging for control reliability.
Simulation & Modelling
• Assist in MATLAB/Simulink or Python-based simulation of control algorithms before hardware implementation.
• Model system dynamics (motor inertia, tether tension, aerodynamic drag) and predict control response under varying loads.
• Analyze control stability, response time, and overshoot using Bode plots, Nyquist plots, and step response analysis.
System Testing & Validation
• Participate in ground and tether tests to evaluate control performance under dynamic conditions.
• Record and analyze system response to input changes and environmental disturbances (e.g., wind gusts, load variations).
• Contribute to root-cause analysis and tuning adjustments for improved precision and stability.
• Assist in safety testing, including current limiting, fault detection, and emergency cutoff validation.
Documentation & Reporting
• Prepare circuit diagrams, control flowcharts, and test procedures.
• Maintain detailed logs of control parameters, firmware versions, and calibration data.
• Contribute to design documentation and integration manuals for review and future system upgrades.
Cross-Team Collaboration
• Work closely with mechanical, AI stabilization, sensor fusion, and power systems teams for seamless integration.
• Support testing coordination during vehicle assembly and launch operations.
• Provide technical insights for improving control response, system reliability, and power efficiency.
Requirements
Final-year or postgraduate student in Electronics & Communication Engineering, Telecommunications, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
Desired
• Strong foundation in control systems engineering, including feedback, stability, and dynamic system analysis.
• Solid understanding of PID, PI, and Model Predictive Control (MPC) algorithms and their real-world tuning.
• Familiarity with motor drive systems including BLDC, servo, and stepper motors — and their control strategies (PWM, FOC, sensor-based/sensorless control).
• Knowledge of power electronics and driver circuitry, including MOSFETs, IGBTs, and current sensing.
• Understanding of electromechanical systems and their integration into larger vehicle control architectures.
• Hands-on exposure to sensors such as IMUs, encoders, potentiometers, strain gauges, and tension/load cells.
• Understanding of sensor calibration, signal conditioning, and noise filtering techniques.
• Familiarity with data fusion and filtering methods (Kalman, Complementary Filters) for precise feedback response.
• Experience in integrating sensors with embedded controllers using communication protocols (I2C, SPI, UART, CAN).