Ryan Lemker's Portfolio

Here you can find the projects I've been working on. This site is still new, and I am currently adding more projects and details! This website works best on a computer.

Featured Projects

Drone Receiver Mount

Designed an adjustable mount to fly our full receiver on a quadcopter for independent flight testing, without relying on our partner's fixed-wing aircraft.

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Concentrator Reflector (FTPR) Design & Manufacturing

Redesigned the transmitter's concentrator reflectors (FTPR) for weight, cost, and manufacturability - cut weight 6x and cost 93%.

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AI-Assisted Custom Ray Tracing Software

Used AI to extend an open-source ray tracing package with custom model import, enabling rough optical analysis to narrow FTPR design decisions.

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Miniature Receiver Orbit Simulator for Transmitter Testing

Built a scaled-down rig to mimic the receiver's orbit in the lab for representative transmitter testing, including turbulence oscillation and accelerometer-validated frequencies.

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Transmitter Gimbal Controller Setup

Set up and validated the Copley gimbal controller for the laser transmitter using test motors on the bench.

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VCSEL Beacon Target System

Designed and built VCSEL beacon targets and a precision linear rail tool for testing the transmitter's tracking system.

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Receiver Backing Plate & Photodiode PCB

Modified the receiver's backing plate and designed a 32-channel photodiode PCB, plus an AI-assisted alignment visualization script.

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CNC Machining - Heatsink & Vacuum Table

Machined lightweight heatsink plates in-house on a Langmuir MR-1, saving tens of thousands over outside supplier quotes.

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Automated Aluminum Cutting Machine

Built an automated aluminum cutting machine from a repurposed 3D printer, a Raspberry Pi, and a table saw.

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Laser Lens Protective Cover System

Designed a fail-safe dust/rain cover for the transmitter's laser lens, integrated with the existing air knife system.

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Beam Masking System for PV Receiver Window

Diagnosed a non-Gaussian beam profile and developed a film-masking process to protect the receiver's PV cells.

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Cessna Manufacturing Engineering Internship - Blind-Area Camera Tool

Interned on Cessna's Design for Manufacturing team in Wichita, KS, developing a wireless camera tool for line workers doing blind-area tasks inside aircraft wings.

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Arctic Cat Mechanical Engineering Internship - Wildcat Winch Bumper

Interned on Arctic Cat's dirt team, redesigning the Wildcat winch bumper to cut cost by roughly $150/unit while improving the attack angle.

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Flight Regression Analysis App

Made an app utilizing Matlab to simplify post flight analysis of rocket launches.

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Inverted Pendulum Project, PID practice

This project is to try to start learning control systems and PID.

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Media Projects - Rocketry

Videos and logos I made for the Advanced Rocketry Club.

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Launch Controller

Launch controller for the Advanced Rocketry Club

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Advanced Rocketry Club Lab

Secured funding and developed a rocketry lab at UND.

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