Hardware Engineer

Proto-Town; Lockhart (SC); On-site; USD 54,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

Proto-Experiments is seeking a hands-on tinkerer to join our team in Lockhart, TX, focusing on ML-driven crystal growth systems that integrate sensors, microcontroller control, and hardware fabrication. You will prototype, wire, and optimize sensing rigs, perform firmware tasks, and contribute to rapid hardware iterations.

We value curiosity, fast learning, and practical bench skills, with a path toward longer-term collaboration on new builds.

Qualifications

• Must be a natural tinkerer with rapid learning and curiosity.
• Strong sensor integration experience.
• Solid microcontroller programming skills.
• Breadboard and prototype fabrication ability.
• Light mechanical fabrication with basic CAD and 3D printing.

Responsibilities

• Build sensing side of growth rigs with sensors, wiring, and clean signals.
• Program microcontrollers for sensor sampling, control loops, and host communications.
• Prototype at breadboard level and create basic mechanical scaffolding.
• Manage heater control, motor drives, and PID loops on rigs.
• Validate rigs to run reliably for extended growth and debug across the stack.

Skills

Sensor integration

Microcontroller programming

Breadboard prototyping

Tools

3D printing

CAD basics

Job description

Proto-Experiments runs ambitious projects. Our current focus is ML-driven crystal growth systems that close the loop between sensors, ML-driven control, and physical hardware. We're looking for a tinkerer whose core strengths are sensors, microcontroller programming, and breadboard-level fabrication. A lot of this role is figuring out how to prototype and build. Materials science or ML background is a plus but not required. Hiring ASAP.

Crystal growth is the immediate project, but Proto-Experiments has other unusual builds in the pipeline. If it is a good fit, there is real opportunity to keep working together on what comes next.

What you'll do

• Build the sensing side of our growth rigs: thermocouples, optical sensors, cameras, pressure sensors - selecting them, wiring them cleanly, and getting clean signals out of noisy environments.

• Program the microcontrollers running the rigs: sensor sampling, control loops, motor sequencing, and host comms.

• Breadboard and prototype-level fabrication: protoboards, harnesses, simple carrier boards, plus 3D-printed brackets and basic mechanical scaffolding.

• Power side: heater control, motor drives, PID loops, MOSFETs, isolation, grounding.

• Take rigs from "works on the bench" to "runs reliably for a 72-hour growth," and debug across the stack when they don't.

We're looking for

• A natural tinkerer - someone who learns quickly, stays deeply curious, works extremely hard, and brings creativity to the bench.

• Strong sensor integration experience

• Solid microcontroller programming

• Real breadboard and prototype-fab skills

• Light mechanical fab: basic CAD, 3D printing

You don't need every one of these. We care more about mindset and attitude.

Logistics

• Contract : Hours flexible. Hiring ASAP. Potential to convert to full-time.

• On-site in Lockhart, TX.