Open to opportunities
Embedded · RF · Space Systems

Gerald Mbuthia

I am an Embedded Software and RF Engineer with 4+ years of experience building production-ready systems.

00 — Profile

I design and develop production-ready embedded systems and IoT software, with experience in backend development and data storage services. A lot of my work also involves radio, including LoRa and LoRaWAN. That work has grown to include satellites and their communication systems, where I have built ground stations with software-defined radios.

I am increasingly working towards space systems design and communications. This site is a record of the work I've done.

Education & Certifications
Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronics, (Telecommunications)
Technical University of Kenya · 2023
Huawei Data Communication Certificate
Huawei · 2022
Introduction to CubeSat Design and Development
SayariLabs · 2022
01 — What I work with

Capabilities

My tools grouped by domain.

Embedded / Firmware01

Firmware & MCUs

ESP32STM32RP2040 FreeRTOSMbed OSPlatformIO
RF & Signals02

Radio & SDR

LoRa / LoRaWANGNU Radio HackRFRTL-SDRADALM-Pluto
Hardware03

Board Design

KiCadPCB layout Schematic captureBring-up
Software04

Tooling & Backend

GoC / C++ PythonJavaScript Node.jsGround-station tooling
02 — Selected work

Things I've built

Some of the projects I've worked on, across satellite systems, RF, and embedded engineering.

/01

End-to-end SDR satellite communication link

I built a full communication link using software-defined radio. An IoT edge device sends data up to a CubeSat, the CubeSat passes it down to a ground station, and the ground station shows it on a dashboard that works like an ERP. Commands can also go back down the same path to the edge device, so it works both ways.

SDRUplink / DownlinkGround stationIoT edgeCommand & control
SatCom · RF
/02

IoT vending & refill systems

At my day job I build and maintain connected vending systems that help cut down plastic use in consumer goods. This covers the vending units, the refilling, and the conveyor control, all running as embedded software on hardware out in the field.

Embedded firmwareConveyor controlIoTField-deployed
Embedded · IoT
/03

3U CubeSat engineering model — Kenya Space Agency

I designed and developed a 3U CubeSat engineering model for the Kenya Space Agency. It came after the 1U competition win below, and covered everything from the structure to the electronics and communication subsystems.

3U CubeSatSystems engineeringComms subsystem
SatCom · Systems
/04

1U CubeSat engineering model — competition winner

I built a 1U CubeSat engineering model with Technical University of Kenya. It won a Kenya Space Agency competition, and that win led to the 3U work above.

1U CubeSatKSA competition winnerEngineering model
SatCom
/05

Educational CubeSat training kits

I designed low-cost training kits that behave like a working 1U CubeSat. The idea was to give students and beginners a way to get hands-on with satellite hardware without needing an expensive real one.

1U simulatorLow-cost hardwareSTEM / training
SatCom · Education
/06

Troposcatter link planner

A planning tool for troposcatter radio links. It works out the path, terrain, and link budget so you can set up long-range connections where there's no line of sight.

RF link budgetTerrain modellingBeyond line-of-sight
RF Systems
03 — Research interest

Space systems and satellite communications.

Alongside my engineering work, space systems and satellite communications are an ongoing research interest of mine. I like working through how a spacecraft comes together, how its radio links are designed, and how ground stations talk to it, and I build and experiment with software-defined radio to test ideas. It's where my RF and embedded work overlap most naturally.

Space systems design Satellite communications RF & link design Ground systems
Get in touch

Let's talk.