SingMai
We design everything ourselves, so if we want a tiny microprocessor, we design our own one.
Our Scholarships
Placement Location
Ayr, Scotland
Type of Placements Offered
• Summer placements • 12-month placements • 6-month MEng placements
Restrictions/Notes
2023/24 Scholarships
We are not offering any new scholarships this year
Who we are and what we do
SingMai design and manufacture products for video processing markets. We sell IP (intellectual property) cores to customers who are maybe designing cameras for high end car manufacturers (parking assist etc) or security cameras, or we sell video processors for subsea or pipeline inspection or to drone manufacturers. We are also working to produce a ‘modern’ video tape player for improved tape archiving. We sell to customers around the world (15 countries at present), although principally China and the US. Past customers include NASA, Lockheed, Innosilicon and Rockchip. Our designs are on the space station and in Samsung phones.
What you could be doing during your work placement
You will be one of the first employees as SingMai starts to expand. You’ll have the opportunity to get work independently in a range of activities such as blank sheet of paper design, PCB design, PCB assembly, mechanical assembly, test, IC and FPGA (Verilog) design, high speed analogue video design, writing user manuals, sales, marketing, customer visits, website design and packing up the products for dispatch. Our products are all video based, but we also have to design all the peripheral parts, such as power supply, user interface etc. etc. We would encourage you to join the IEEE (and would pay for that) and to look to attend conferences and exhibitions (when possible).
Meet one of our Scholars
Name: Euan
Sponsor: SingMai
University: University of Glasgow
Degree Course: MEng Mechatronic Engineering
What appeals to you about Electronics?
Electronics is a subject that is constantly striving for innovation and creativity; within the last few years the amount of change proves that there is always something new within the field. This is an exciting aspect of electronics. My first encounter with studying electronics was physics in school and I found this part of the subject very appealing. Since that point it has always been a major interest of mine, especially how electronics and the physical world can be combined. This led me to pick mechatronics as my degree.
Why did you want a scholarship with SingMai?
SingMai Electronics is a small business in Ayr. They mainly design and develop video product modules and IP cores for other companies. All products are designed in-house and from scratch, and all of the circuits are also built by SingMai. I applied and accepted the scholarship with SingMai as I could work on a product the full way through and be hands on with each stage of the design process. They allowed me to apply the circuit and PCB designing I had learned in university, but also begin to learn soldering the physical circuit together.
What type of work have you been involved with during your placement?
At SingMai I designed the SM18 (function generator) and the PT14 (display controller). Doing this required me to learn Verilog to program a FPGA. This was the first time I had used Verilog and I found it to be a great learning experience since it’s something that I would not encounter in university. SingMai allowed me to not only apply what I had already learned, but learn new things about how products are designed and built that I had never known. I found my time here to be incredibly valuable because of this.
What are your hobbies and interests?
Some of my personal interests include hillwalking and travel. I have previously volunteered at an elephant rescue centre where I helped take care of elephants coming out of the tourism and logging industries. I have also travelled through Thailand which was an exciting and valuable experience for me.
Meet one of our Engineers
Name: Daniel
Job Title: CEO
What I do
I have worked for over 40 years in electronics, in Singapore, in Canada and in Thailand. One of my designs regularly features on the CSI television program. I am regarded as a world expert in analogue video. We design everything ourselves, so if we want a tiny microprocessor, we design our own one. However, I also have a Masters in Art History and have written three books (with a fourth on the way). I apologise in advance for having Radio 3 playing at the factory.