Getting my hands dirty.

From a good integral to a stubborn 3D printer. I like understanding how things work, then trying to make them work myself.

Math

Math Olympiad was what first pulled me towards STEM. There was something satisfying about a problem that refused to give in.

I still love a good integral.

A group photograph at the Singapore Mathematical Olympiad awards presentation
Singapore Mathematical Olympiad. Where it started.

Physics

Somehow, I made it to the national training team. Somehow, I didn’t make it to an international competition. A pity, really.

Physics is still fascinating. That part never changed.

Singapore Physics Olympiad Training Team (SPOT), 2022↗
The Singapore Physics Olympiad training team posing together
Singapore Physics Olympiad Training Team (SPOT)

And somehow our very old Formula One website, made for a school project, is still alive.

A screenshot of our archived Formula One physics school project website
A little piece of school-project internet.
Explore the original website
Open the project in a new tab↗

NUS High Robotics Club

President

More about leading the Robotics Club.

Mostly fiddled with Lego Mindstorms. Dabbled in Vex Robotics, and started the microcontroller section, teaching mostly arduino & common inputs/outputs.

I got my first proper feel for control theory: feedback, correction, and learning when to stop overcorrecting.

NUS High Engineering Interest Group

Executive Committee Member

More about my role in the Engineering Interest Group.

Tons of events. Tons of firsts. This was the place to turn a slightly ridiculous idea into something you could put on a table.

  • I built my first machine: a Rubik’s cube solver.
  • I worked alongside people making brilliant things. Someone built an entire arcade machine. Another built a full-fledged CNC from scratch.
  • I assembled my first 3D printer and figured out how it worked.
  • I hosted workshops, and learnt plenty while teaching them.
  • We volunteered to repair laptops at Engineering Good!
  • I got my hands dirty at our workshop! Laser cutters, lathes, mills, drill presses, and table saws.
My Rubik’s cube solver, built from aluminium rails and stepper motors
My first machine. A cube solver.
A handmade arcade cabinet being played in the school workshop
An arcade machine, made by a fellow builder.
Assembling a desktop 3D printer in the school workshop
My first 3D printer experience, piece by piece.
Working together on a small mechanical assembly in the school workshop
Learning by doing. Together.
Repairing a laptop
Laptop repair for Engineering Good.

Fabrica.AI

Robotics Engineer Intern

My first real internship, and my first taste of startup life. Utterly hectic, but with a rhythm of its own. I had so much fun.

It was here I got my first embedded programming experience. My first machining experience. My first PCB modelling experience. My first robot debugging experience.

I got to spend more time with 3D printers here, too. Finding a fault, fixing it, and finally watching a printer behave was a small victory I was ridiculously proud of.

Meet Fabrica.AI↗
Debugging the wiring and cooling fans on a 3D printer at Fabrica.AI
The less glamorous side of getting a printer to work.

3D Printing

I really learnt a lot about 3D printers just by manually tuning them and with repeated trial & error.

A 3D printer during manual tuningAnother view of the 3D printer during tuning
Tuning a 3D printer

Unfortunately as with everything in adult life, efficiency becomes a factor. I do miss having to manually tune & debug my printer, but modern 3D printing is very much plug-and-play.

My current 3D printer set-up
My set-up now.