Vol. V · No. 2Shah Alam, SelangorWednesday, 21 October 2026Circulation 45
Hardware Edition
New Controller Board Cuts Production Cost by 20%
NebulaMQTT, designed in KiCad, connects machines to the Nebula platform. Its successor, NebulaMQTT V2, runs ESP-IDF on an ESP32-S3 with two pulse outputs, one pulse input and two RS232 ports, so machines can log cash payments and accept QR. Firmware R&D raised connectivity and performance by 30%.
Fig. 1 · Token changer. Insert a note. Each token is one pulse counted by the controller on the side.
By Hazrien Nazman, Embedded & IoT Engineer
Embedded and IoT engineer with 5 years of experience building connected systems end-to-end, from ESP32 firmware (ESP-IDF, C) and PCB design to MQTT infrastructure and Node.js backends. Currently the lead developer and product owner of an IoT platform running 300+ unattended machines for 20+ clients. Comfortable with hardware bring-up, protocol integration (RS232, pulse I/O, USB, MQTT), cloud backends and the field support that follows deployment.
better connectivity and performance from firmware R&D
95%
of issues fixed within 24 hours
5
products in production
Experience
T05 Technologies Sdn Bhd
Product Manager & IoT/Backend Developer
Jan 2025 – Present · Kelana Jaya, Selangor
Product owner of the Nebula IoT Management System (NIoTMS), managing 300+ machines for 20+ clients.
Built backend payment-gateway integrations (UQPAY, Coins.ph, Safaricom) for Payrallel, a payment orchestration platform serving 373 merchants and 2,760 terminals across 15 gateways and 37 payment methods (Node.js, MongoDB, DigitalOcean App Platform).
Led firmware, backend and frontend development for NebulaMQTT V2, an ESP32-S3 controller (ESP-IDF) with 2× pulse outputs, 1× pulse input and 2× RS232 ports.
Built RS232 integration that lets vending machines log cash payments and accept QR payments, a client-requested feature.
Led backend development for T05 Helmet Washer and the Membership Allocation Redemption System (MARS).
Own and maintain five products: NebulaMQTT, NebulaMQTT V2, Yallvend, T05 Helmet Washer and Synapse Coin SIM.
T05 Technologies Sdn Bhd
IoT Developer & Node.js Backend Engineer
Feb 2023 – Dec 2024 · Kelana Jaya, Selangor
Architected device integration for NIoTMS and built its backend API.
Led R&D on NebulaMQTT firmware, improving device connectivity and performance by 30%.
Designed the NebulaMQTT PCB, cutting production cost by 20% and improving device reliability.
Built a Node.js MQTT client and deployed a private, containerised MQTT broker (Docker) for secure device communication.
Built the backend of the 1SEA super app (Node.js, MongoDB; Android and iOS), including authentication and data-protection features.
Provided technical support for deployed IoT products, resolving 95% of issues within 24 hours.
Myinvent Technologies Sdn Bhd
IoT Trainer and Technical IoT Developer
Sep 2021 – Jan 2023 · Shah Alam, Selangor
Worked with clients on custom IoT solutions; built backends and dashboards in Python and Node.js.
Designed and delivered IoT training for 100+ students; 90% post-course satisfaction across 50+ mentees.
Created course materials, exercises and assessments that raised completion rates by 20%.
Freelance & mentoring
Gadang Works Sdn. Bhd
IoT Firmware Consultant
Nov 2024 – Feb 2025
Consulted on firmware for an indoor air quality (IAQ) monitor built on ESP32 (ESP-IDF).
Integrated a 5-sensor array measuring CO, temperature, humidity, PM2.5 and formaldehyde (HCHO).
Built the alerting and data pipeline with Node-RED, a Telegram bot for notifications, and Google Sheets for data logging.
Mentored a team of 5 students building FLORIMS, an ESP32-based flash flood and rainfall intensity monitor that alerts users through a Telegram bot when rainfall reaches dangerous levels.
Guided development with Arduino IDE, Node-RED and Telegram bot integration.
The team won a Silver Medal at IPITEx 2024 (Thailand Inventors' Day), competing against degree, master's and PhD entrants.
Projects
At work
Nebula IoT Management System (NIoTMS)
Product Owner and Lead Developer for Hardware, Firmware, Backend and Frontend · Apr 2023 – Present
Turns unattended machines into connected devices with payment and sales tracking: real-time monitoring and remote management of 300+ machines for 20+ clients.
Payment orchestration platform serving 373 merchants and 2,760 payment terminals, with 15 payment gateways and up to 37 payment methods. Integrated the UQPAY, Coins.ph and Safaricom gateways.
Multi-mode desk device: media remote for Nuvio Desktop, Stream Deck-style PC shortcut pad, Aniimo dex, and a live Palworld minimap.
Dual-chip design: ESP32-P4 runs the display and application logic; ESP32-C6 handles Wi-Fi and BLE.
Talks to the PC over USB serial through the P4's OTG port; Python bridge scripts act as the API between the device and Nuvio Desktop for playback control.
Python service extracts player map positions from Palworld in real time to drive the on-device minimap.
32 GB SD card holds JSON configs and assets (images, map data, shortcut definitions), so content updates need no reflash.
ESP-IDFESP32-P4ESP32-C6USB OTGPython
Personal project
Self-Hosted Homelab
2024
Two-node Proxmox cluster on mini PCs, connected over Tailscale VPN, running Jellyfin (media), Home Assistant (home automation), OpenMediaVault (NAS) and Nextcloud.
ProxmoxTailscaleLinux
Personal project
Raspberry Pi Pico Macro Keypad
2021
Designed a 3×3 macro keypad on Raspberry Pi Pico with 4 toggle switches for switching modes; schematic and PCB laid out in KiCad.
Raspberry Pi PicoKiCad
From the Archives
Laptop and Phone ConsultantFreelance · Jan 2014 – Jan 2025
Helped clients choose laptops and phones for their needs and fixed everyday hardware and software problems.
Technical Support EngineerRealme Malaysia · Oct 2020 – Sep 2021
Repaired and serviced Realme phones and IoT products under warranty; diagnosed technical faults and kept repair records.
Team SupervisorSol Power Engineering (SPE) · Jul 2020 – Sep 2020
Directed a team, coordinated with management to deliver work on time, and reported on team performance.
In-Building Coverage InternPropel Network Sdn Bhd · Jul 2019 – Aug 2019
Worked with the In-Building Coverage team as an RF drive test engineer, from telco work order to acceptance, and wrote job proposals and reports.
Store Associate7-Eleven Malaysia · Jul 2018 – Feb 2020
Customer service, stock and store upkeep, and sales transactions.
Sales PromoterLenovo · Oct 2016 – Jul 2017
Sold 1,200 laptops; reported on customer interest and tracked transactions and stock.
Technician Intern (Asus service centre)Monaliza & Mastura Enterprise Sdn. Bhd · Apr 2016 – Jun 2016
Repaired Asus laptops, phones and tablets, and serviced Canon, Ricoh and Brother printers, including on-site work.
Publications
An effective energy-efficient virtual machine placement using clonal selection algorithm