Christopher Parrott

About Me

I'm Christopher Parrott, a senior product engineer at Pimoroni Ltd, developing electronics and software for hobbyists and educators.

Previously, I was a research associate at The University of Sheffield, where I worked on the robotics theme of TWENTY65.

Before that, I was a PhD student at The University of Sheffield, where my research focused on self-reconfigurable modular robotics, specifically the development of a new system, called HyMod. To find out more about this research, please visit the Publications page.

During my spare time, I have been involved in a variety of hardware and software projects, either by myself or as part of a team. Details of these can be found on the Projects page, as well as in various posts on my Blog.

Below is a summary of my employment and education history, technical skills.

Employment

2021 - Present

• Senior Product Engineer
  Pimoroni Ltd, Sheffield, UK
  Lead the development of the following products:
  • Picade MAX - A deluxe one or two-player desktop/bartop arcade cabinet that you build yourself
  • Tiny FX - A lighting and sound effects controller for construction kit models, dioramas, papercrafts, and more
  • Yukon - A high-power modular robotics and engineering platform, designed to drive the most ambitious robots, props and devices
  • Inventor HAT Mini - A versatile motor, servo and audio driver HAT for Raspberry Pi
  • Trilobot Base Kit - A versatile, mid-level robot learning platform for Raspberry Pi
  • Servo 2040 - RP2040-powered 18 Channel Servo Controller
  • Motor 2040 - RP2040-powered Quad Motor+Encoder Controller
  • Inventor 2040 W - Raspberry Pi Pico W-powered all-in-one robotics board
  • Motor SHIM for Pico - Dual Motor Driver for Raspberry Pi Pico

2017 - 2020

• Research Associate in Robotic Autonomous Sensing
  The University of Sheffield, UK

2010 - 2012

• Games Programmer
  Eurocom Developments Ltd, Derby, UK
  Worked on the following titles:
  • Rio - The Video Game (Xbox360, PS3, Wii)
  • Disney Universe (Xbox360, PS3, Wii, PC)
  • Harry Potter for Kinect (Xbox360)

Education

2012 - 2017

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Modular Robotics
  The University of Sheffield, UK

2006 - 2009

• Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Artificial Intelligence & Robotics (First Class Honours)
  The University of Wales - Aberystwyth, UK

2004 - 2006

• A-Level in Electronics (A Grade)
  Bilborough College, Nottingham, UK
• A-Level in Computing (B Grade)
  Bilborough College, Nottingham, UK
• A-Level in Physics (B Grade)
  Bilborough College, Nottingham, UK
• AS-Level in Mathematics (C Grade)
  Bilborough College, Nottingham, UK

Technical Skills

Programming Languages

• Proficient In - C/C++
• Familiar With - C#, Java, Assembly, XML, HTML, CSS, LaTeX
• Experienced - Visual Basic, Pascal, Prolog, PHP, JavaScript, Lua

Program Libraries

• User Interface - WxWidgets, Qt
• Rendering - DirectX, Ogre3D
• Physics - Havok

Applications

• General - Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Development Environments - Visual Studio, Eclipse, Arduino
• Printer Circuit Board Design - DesignSpark PCB
• Computer-Aided Design - Solidworks, Fusion360, OpenSCAD, ProDesktop
• 2D Graphics - Photoshop, Inkscape
• 3D Graphics - Blender, Wings3D

Activities

2015 - 2016

• Secretary
  Sheffield University Gaming Society
  Responsible for the smooth running of the society. Primary duties included:
  • Booking rooms for committee meetings and member events
  • Managing the society email account, mailing list, and Facebook page
  • Liaising with sponsors on tournament prizes and food deals

2014 - 2015

• Console Officer
  Sheffield University Gaming Society
  Responsible for organising weekly console gaming tournaments, as well as console activities at monthly LAN gaming events.