ASHVATH SRIDHARAN · ENGINEERING JOURNEY

Curious by nature.
Built by experimentation.

I have spent years taking things apart, rebuilding them, running servers, designing systems and learning what makes technology work.

Explore my journey↓View projects ↗

SCROLL TO EXPLORE

01 / ABOUT

I don't just use technology.
I like understanding it.

My interest in engineering started long before I had the words to describe it. From reviving an abandoned laptop to building servers, networks, smart-home systems, electronics projects and audio systems, I've learned mostly by asking one question:

“How does this actually work?”

01Curiosity

If I don't understand something, I want to find out.

02Experimentation

Most of my learning has happened by actually building.

03Iteration

A project rarely stays finished. There is always a better version.

02 / JOURNEY

A journey of
building things.

One history, three ways to explore it. Filter the timeline to follow everything, the school journey, or the engineering and hobby journey. Dates are exact where known; otherwise the timeline uses the period you provided rather than inventing dates.

AGE 5

THE BEGINNING · ENGINEERING

Curiosity came first.

I started winding cables up and connecting them, trying to understand what happened when things were connected together.

FS1–FS2

GEMS WELLINGTON PRIMARY SCHOOL · SCHOOL

Best Swimmer.

I was consistently awarded Best Swimmer during my earliest school years.

EARLY YEARS

REPAIR · HARDWARE

The abandoned Acer.

I took an old Acer Aspire V5 that had been left unused by my family, replaced its battery and hard drive, and brought it back to life.

YEAR 1–3

GEMS FOUNDERS SCHOOL DUBAI · SCHOOL

Choir and school life.

I participated in the school choir throughout Years 1–3, building an early foundation in performance and collaboration.

2018–2019

VARNA ACADEMY · CHENNAI · ACADEMIC

1st in Abacus.

I placed 1st at Varna Academy in Abacus during 2018–2019.

EARLY COMPUTING

HACKINTOSH · PC BUILDING

Learning to modify systems.

I began my Hackintosh journey with manually built EFI folders and configurations, moved the work to a Dell OptiPlex, and learned to source and install PC upgrades including a GPU, RAM and storage.

GROWING INTERESTS

MUSIC · GAMING · CONTENT

More things to build around.

I started guitar and keyboard classes, began gaming with Minecraft, built my first online Minecraft server, started a Minecraft YouTube channel, and learned editing and livestreaming.

MAKER ERA

ELECTRONICS · DIY

From modifying to making.

I designed a compact desk setup, bought my first soldering iron kit, built a mini MP3 player from a bare PCB, made a solar-powered power bank from a tin can, and started experimenting with home electronics and audio.

SERVER ERA

TRUENAS · PLEX · LINUX

The Acer became a server.

I converted the old Acer into a 24/7 TrueNAS server with 1 TB of storage, created a Plex Media Server for my family, and used the machine to practice Linux commands.

YEAR 6

GEMS FOUNDERS SCHOOL DUBAI · SCHOOL

Gem of the Year.

I was awarded Gem of the Year for Discipline and Effort and enrolled in the Duke of Edinburgh Junior Edition.

YEAR 7

GEMS FOUNDERS SCHOOL DUBAI · SCHOOL

Writing and competition.

I wrote the year group's weekly newsletter once and placed 2nd in the French Spelling Bee.

LOCKDOWN

CHENNAI · SELF-LEARNING

Being stuck became an opportunity.

During lockdown abroad in Chennai, I taught myself macOS, started a technology tutorial channel, experimented with idle crypto mining, built a DIY 2.1 home-theatre setup, learned about UPS systems and transformers, repaired a cousin's laptop and developed practical electrical and hardware skills.

GRADE 7

GEMS MODERN ACADEMY DUBAI · SCHOOL

Eunoia and a new chapter.

I wrote a poem for the school's monthly Eunoia publication and began my MYP journey at GEMS Modern Academy.

GRADE 8

GEMS MODERN ACADEMY · FILM

French Francophonie — 1st place.

I filmed the GEMS French Francophonie film that placed 1st in the competition, and also filmed and edited a class short film and trailer.

GRADE 8

GEMS MODERN ACADEMY · CYBER

2nd across the school — Cyber Olympiad.

I placed 2nd in the GEMS Modern Academy Cyber Olympiad, competing across the school.

GRADE 8

NOF · INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

16th internationally — Critical Thinking Olympiad.

I placed 16th internationally in the NOF Critical Thinking Olympiad.

GRADE 8 · FULL YEAR

GEMS MODERN ACADEMY · CLASS COUNCIL

Elected to Class Council.

I was elected to Class Council and completed the full Grade 8 school year in the role, receiving a recommendation letter recognising the completed year of service.

MYP3

GEMS MODERN ACADEMY · LEADERSHIP

MC for the Community Project Assembly.

I spoke as MC at the Community Project Assembly for the MYP3 student cohort.

GRADE 9

GEMS MODERN ACADEMY · INNOVATION

A bias-aware pulse oximeter.

I built a bias-aware pulse oximeter using a Raspberry Pi and multiple sensors and cleared the first round of the GEMS Innovation Challenge from the grade.

POST-LOCKDOWN

SERVERS · WINDOWS · NETWORKING

From one server to an ecosystem.

I migrated the server from the laptop to a Dell Vostro, moved from TrueNAS to Windows Server, migrated configurations, learned PowerShell, configured RAID and practiced Linux through WSL.

POST-LOCKDOWN

CCNA · CISCO · NETWORKING

Networking became a discipline.

I studied CCNA through a Cisco-affiliated institute, passed the CCNA online examination, practiced in Cisco Packet Tracer and applied the knowledge to real infrastructure.

AUTOMATION

DOCKER · HOME ASSISTANT · ESP32

Making the home respond.

I learned Docker, deployed Home Assistant, built a JSON dashboard, repurposed an old tablet as a 24/7 display, and converted a DIY door lock into a Wi-Fi lock using an ESP32 and ESPHome.

DIY SYSTEMS

AUDIO · FABRICATION · REPAIR

Building useful things from what was available.

I built DIY desk audio and a passive subwoofer from scrap materials, upgraded the living-room Dolby Atmos system, made a cardboard steering wheel and pedals, built a desk riser from renovation wood, modified a car vacuum into a cordless vacuum and built other practical mechanisms from reused parts.

NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE

WI-FI 6 · CCNA APPLICATION

A complete home network.

I designed and implemented a Wi-Fi 6 mesh network with switches, powerline adapters and access points across a three-bedroom apartment using practical networking knowledge.

INFRASTRUCTURE

ADS-B · LINUX · REMOTE SERVICES

Taking the server beyond my home.

I applied to host ADS-B receivers and received two fully sponsored PlaneFinder kits. I then built a Linux mini-PC for a Chennai deployment supporting ADS-B tracking, a weather station, VPN access and additional services.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

HARDWARE · REPAIR · FREELANCE

Technology became practical work.

I repaired and resold Dell monitors, completed freelance jobs through Fiverr, recovered data from a broken hard drive, fixed a neighbor's laptop and explored photography and content creation.

RECENT

TKS DUBAI · SCHOLARSHIP

83% scholarship.

After three rounds of interviews and coursework, I received an 83% TKS Dubai scholarship, reducing the programme cost from AED 27,000 to AED 3,000.

NOW

CONTINUING

The projects keep changing.
The curiosity doesn't.

This timeline is intentionally unfinished. Every new project adds another chapter.

03 / PROJECTS Click a project to explore the full story →

Things I've
built, fixed & engineered.

A selection of the six projects that best represent how I learn: by turning curiosity into something physical, useful or measurable.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Self-hosted
ecosystem

TrueNAS → Windows Server → Docker → Home Assistant → networking.

↗

AUTOMATION

Smart room

Home Assistant, ESP32, ESPHome, lighting and a custom dashboard.

↗

AUDIO ENGINEERING

Desk audio

A continuously evolving DIY multi-channel system.

↗

RADIO / LINUX

ADS-B infrastructure

Sponsored receiver hardware and a dedicated Chennai deployment.

↗

NETWORKING

Wi-Fi 6 mesh

A complete apartment network designed from practical networking knowledge.

↗

SCHOOL / INNOVATION

Bias-aware pulse oximeter

Raspberry Pi + sensors + an engineering problem with a human angle.

↗

04 / AWARDS & RECOGNITION Click an achievement to explore the details →

Results that
mark the journey.

Academic competitions, school recognition, creative wins and formal learning milestones — the achievements that sit alongside the projects.

View the evidence gallery ↗

ACADEMIC · 2018–2019

1st in Abacus

Varna Academy, Chennai.

↗

GEMS WELLINGTON · FS1–FS2

Best Swimmer

Consistent early-school swimming recognition.

↗

GEMS FOUNDERS · YEAR 6

Gem of the Year

Discipline and Effort.

↗

GEMS FOUNDERS · YEAR 7

2nd — French Spelling Bee

School-level language competition.

↗

GEMS MODERN · GRADE 8

1st — French Francophonie Film

School film competition.

↗

GEMS MODERN · GRADE 8

2nd — Cyber Olympiad

Across the whole school.

↗

GEMS MODERN · GRADE 8 · LEADERSHIP

Class Council

Elected for the full school year.

↗

NOF · GRADE 8

16th Internationally

Critical Thinking Olympiad.

↗

NETWORKING · CCNA

CCNA Completed

Training completed and exam passed.

↗

SCHOOL · ENGLISH SPELLING BEE

3rd — English Spelling Bee

School-level spelling achievement.

↗

GEMS MODERN · MYP3 LEADERSHIP

Community Project Assembly MC

Spoke to the full MYP3 cohort.

↗

TKS DUBAI · SCHOLARSHIP

83% Scholarship

Selected after interviews and coursework.

↗

05 / STORY

It started with
a cable.

Long before servers, Docker containers or network diagrams, there was a five-year-old trying to understand what happened when cables were connected together.

That curiosity followed me into an abandoned Acer laptop. I didn't see a dead computer; I saw a machine I could bring back. Replacing parts led to operating systems, which led to Hackintosh experiments, PC building and eventually servers.

The pattern kept repeating. Minecraft became a server. A server became an excuse to learn Linux. Linux became networking. Networking became automation. Automation became physical systems with ESP32s and sensors. Audio became another engineering playground. Broken monitors became an opportunity to learn repair and business.

None of these projects were planned as a single curriculum. They grew out of questions I couldn't leave unanswered.

I don't think that instinct is going away anytime soon.

01Curiosity → a lifetime habit

∞Iterations still to come

24/7Servers, systems & experiments

12Featured achievements

06 / CONTACT

HAVE A QUESTION / WANT TO TALK?

Let's build something
worth remembering.

Ashvath Sridharan

WhatsApp+971 55 278 5813 Emailashvath57@gmail.com

Curious by nature.Built by experimentation.

I don't just use technology.I like understanding it.

A journey ofbuilding things.

Curiosity came first.

Best Swimmer.

The abandoned Acer.

Choir and school life.

1st in Abacus.

Learning to modify systems.

More things to build around.

From modifying to making.

The Acer became a server.

Gem of the Year.

Writing and competition.

Being stuck became an opportunity.

Eunoia and a new chapter.

French Francophonie — 1st place.

2nd across the school — Cyber Olympiad.

16th internationally — Critical Thinking Olympiad.

Elected to Class Council.

MC for the Community Project Assembly.

A bias-aware pulse oximeter.

From one server to an ecosystem.

Networking became a discipline.

Making the home respond.

Building useful things from what was available.

A complete home network.

Taking the server beyond my home.

Technology became practical work.

83% scholarship.

The projects keep changing.The curiosity doesn't.

Things I'vebuilt, fixed & engineered.

Self-hostedecosystem

Smart room

Desk audio

ADS-B infrastructure

Wi-Fi 6 mesh

Bias-aware pulse oximeter

Results thatmark the journey.

1st in Abacus

Best Swimmer

Gem of the Year

2nd — French Spelling Bee

1st — French Francophonie Film

2nd — Cyber Olympiad

Class Council

16th Internationally

CCNA Completed

3rd — English Spelling Bee

Community Project Assembly MC

83% Scholarship

It started witha cable.

Let's build somethingworth remembering.

Curious by nature.
Built by experimentation.

I don't just use technology.
I like understanding it.

A journey of
building things.

The projects keep changing.
The curiosity doesn't.

Things I've
built, fixed & engineered.

Self-hosted
ecosystem

Results that
mark the journey.

It started with
a cable.

Let's build something
worth remembering.