Computer Engineer· Chicago, IL
Learning by
building.
Portfolio under construction. So am I.
Computer Engineer· Chicago, IL
Portfolio under construction. So am I.
Background
Currently an Electronic Assembler on the production floor at Grayhill, Inc. Computer Engineer graduate from the University of Illinois at Chicago (23'). Building my way from the ground up.
My interests sit at the intersection of embedded hardware and things that carry cultural weight: music, physical objects, the tactile experience of owning something real. That collision is what drives most of my personal projects.
Hardware & Protocols
Software
Professional
Work
Embedded Systems · Physical Media · Arduino
I grew up browsing the aisles of Sam Goody and FYE — picking up a CD, reading the liner notes, feeling the weight of the physical thing before you'd ever heard a single track. That ritual mattered. Streaming killed it, and I've never fully made peace with that.
This project is my attempt to rebuild that tactile experience in a modern, personal way. The idea: tap an NFC sticker to a reader and your music starts playing — no screen, no scrolling, no algorithm. Just the physical act of choosing, and then the music.
It's also a deliberate deep-dive into embedded systems — every component chosen to force me to learn real hardware communication protocols from scratch.
Each NFC sticker tag (MIFARE Classic 1K) is associated with an album or playlist stored on a MicroSD card. Tapping the tag triggers the MFRC522 reader, which communicates the tag's UID via SPI to an Elegoo Uno R3. The Uno maps that UID to an audio file and sends playback commands over UART to a DFPlayer Mini, which drives a connected speaker.
The result: a completely offline, screen-free music player where the physical sticker is the interface. Stick them to album art prints, custom cards, or wherever feels right.
Following a component-by-component testing strategy — each piece verified in isolation before integration. Currently: MFRC522 wired via SPI (MOSI, MISO, SCK, SS, RST), confirmed 3.3V logic compatibility with the Uno's 5V system.
Key technical considerations addressed: SPI pin mapping on the Uno R3, logic-level voltage safety (MFRC522 is 3.3V; direct connection to Uno's 3.3V pin is viable for most setups), and UART wiring on the DFPlayer Mini with a 1kΩ current-limiting resistor on TX.
Immediate: Complete MFRC522 SPI verification, then integrate DFPlayer Mini and test end-to-end NFC → audio playback. Build a clean enclosure — thinking wood and brushed aluminum to lean into the physical-object aesthetic.
Future features: A companion app (or web UI) to re-assign stickers without re-flashing firmware. Support for multiple sticker "modes" (album, playlist, podcast). Eventually: an LED visual layer that responds to the music — tying this into a larger audiovisual installation concept I'm developing.
Generative Art · Embedded Systems · Room-Scale
Inspired by large-scale public works like Leviathan's 150 Media Stream in Chicago — a room-scale LED installation driven by personal aesthetic sensibilities rather than a client brief. The long-term vision is connecting this with the NFC Music Player: tap a sticker, your music plays, and the room responds visually. Sound and light as one unified experience.
Currently in the concept and research phase. More details to follow as the NFC project matures.
Know more about me
🎵 Latest Track
The vocals and bassline in commercial break #28 automatically puts this track on repeat. Had to buy it on bandcamp!
3.20.2026
💡 Idea
What if the sticker wasn't hidden — what if it was the art? Thinking about designing printable album-art cards with the NFC tag embedded, like a modern equivalent of owning the physical record. Something you could actually display on a shelf.
Spring 2025
🏙️ Life
Went back to see 150 Media Stream again. Every time I look at it I leave with three new ideas. There's something about art that exists at city scale — it demands that you be present for it. Can't stream that experience.
2025
🔧 Process
Learned the hard way: wiring everything at once and hoping it works is a recipe for spending three hours staring at a blank serial monitor. Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.
2025
🎵 Throwback/p>
Blockbuster. Sam Goody. The smell of a plastic DVD casings. Buying a book by its cover. Discovery that cost something — that felt like it meant something. That's what I'm trying to put back into the act of listening.
Ongoing
💡 Idea
The LED installation and the NFC player are the same project, eventually. Tap a sticker — your music plays AND the room changes. Album-specific lighting. Mood as architecture.
2025
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