Franz Zintgraf

About

Hi, I'm Franz! I'm a passionate software developer with a decade of experience bringing diverse software products to life. While my professional roots are in embedded systems, what truly drives me is the joy of creating. I love diving into fresh projects, exploring new technologies, and building everything from complex industrial infrastructure to sleek mobile apps. I thrive on solving tricky problems and am always eager to learn, collaborate, and take on new challenges.

Experience

Senior Software Developer

2023 - Present

In 2023, I joined a dynamic startup focused on creating an intelligent product for monitoring and analyzing the stability of streetlamps.

  • Set up infrastructure to facilitate remote testing of prototypes on a network of streetlamps.

Senior Software Developer

2022-03 - Present

In 2022, I transitioned to an international team at HMS, working on remote access gateways that allow secure global access to industrial equipment.

  • Maintained and improved remote access products, enhancing reliability and performance.
  • Implemented UTF-8 support to improve compatibility and user experience.
  • Integrated new 4G modems to expand connectivity options.
  • Contributed to the development of a new product emphasizing clean architecture and robust security.

Professional Software Developer

2021-03 - 2022-03

From 2021 to 2022, I contributed to software development in energy automation networks.

  • Integrated the IEC61850 energy protocol to enhance automation capabilities.
  • Established automated system testing infrastructure.
  • Created a production-ready firmware environment.
  • Conducted a proof of concept for a device management framework.
  • Developed a LoRaWAN driver to extend communication capabilities.

Professional Software Developer

2019-03 - 2021-03

I focused on PC interfaces enabling flexible access to Industrial Ethernet networks from PCs.

  • Maintained and refactored Linux drivers for improved performance.
  • Developed C-APIs for Linux and Windows to ease interface integration.

Junior Software Developer

2017-11 - 2019-02

As a junior software developer, I worked on embedded software for various network gateway products.

  • Extended functionality of CAN-Ethernet gateways, including TCP flow control.
  • Improved the Python-based configuration tool for CAN-Ethernet gateways.
  • Enhanced the automated Python test system for gateway products.
  • Developed a USB-to-CAN gateway with a Python bus monitor and APIs.
  • Ported core software to a new microcontroller for a customer-specific project.

Working Student

2014-10 - 2017-09

During my studies, I contributed to hardware and software development for industrial automation.

  • Developed a CAN pattern generator to simulate bus traffic up to full load.
  • Implemented an MQTT client for CAN-Ethernet gateways to support IoT integration.
  • Participated in hardware development for a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth extension board.

Quality Assurance

2007 - 2014

While still in school, I worked part-time on quality assurance, setting up and maintaining automated test systems.


Education

Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering - Automation

Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg, Friedrichshafen
2014-10 - 2017-09

High school in Technical School

Technisches Gymnasium Ravensburg
2011-09 - 2014-08

High school in General Education

Gymnasium Weingarten
2006-09 - 2011-07

Skills

Programming Languages

C/C++ Python Rust Bash

Embedded & Systems

Linux Windows Embedded Systems Yocto Project OpenEmbedded BitBake CMake

Industrial IoT & Protocols

CAN IEC61850 Modbus OPCUA MQTT LoRaWAN ZeroMQ

Networking & Security

Ethernet TCP/IP HTTP/HTTPS OpenVPN WireGuard Wireshark

DevOps & Virtualization

Docker Dev Containers WSL Jenkins

Development & QA Tools

Git Gerrit GitLab pytest GoogleTest VSCode Jira Confluence

Languages

German

Native speaker

English

Fluent in speech and writing

Awards

Best European team at the RoboCup Junior World Cup 2014

RoboCup (https://www.robocup.org/)
2014

Achieved 4th place in the RoboCup Junior World Cup held in Brazil, demonstrating early interest in robotics and strong problem-solving skills.


Interests

Music

Playing Violin Member of the Ponticelli Ensemble

Sport

Badminton Racing Bike / Gravel Bike Running Hiking