Rolf Nooteboom – Embedded Electronics Engineer

A quick introduction...

My name is Rolf Nooteboom. Since 1993, I've been designing and creating smart, reliable electronics solutions. I started under the name Rotec, and later continued as Nooteboom Elektronica. What began as pure curiosity has grown into a daily drive: with great pleasure, I solve the electronic puzzle. I love bringing components, circuits, firmware, and practical usability together in one clever, well-thought-out design that truly works and is precise down to the smallest detail.

That fascination with technology started early. As a child, I found it magical that images and sound could come from a box and even more magical that the box (the TV) was filled with colorful components that made it all possible. At the age of ten, I joined "De Jonge Onderzoekers" (The Young Researchers), where I really got hands-on with electronics for the first time. I built power supplies, circuits, and even automated my room with custom switches, lighting, and door openers.

At fourteen, I learned to program in BASIC, followed by assembly. I quickly got involved in the demoscene, where I created creative audiovisual programs and distributed them worldwide via floppy disks. A world full of timing, efficiency, and pure creativity in code.

Around the age of twenty, I immersed myself in audio and high-frequency technology. I built transmitters, designed the required circuits such as a stereo encoder and audio filters, and automated the radio studio with a self-developed music system. The station ran fully autonomously, including automatic transitions, time control, and playlist management. I was co-founder and technically responsible for this leading radio station in the Maas en Waal region.

Over the years, I’ve built a versatile client base, active in sectors such as medical technology, industry, lighting, communications, and measurement and control systems. Every project is different—and it’s exactly that diversity that keeps my work vibrant and challenging.

I design analog, digital, and mixed-signal circuits and develop integrated embedded firmware, always with a focus on reliability, manufacturability, and real-world use. I aim for clarity and simplicity, but never hesitate to go that extra mile when it comes to finishing, fault tolerance, or signal behavior My eye for detail and yes, sometimes a touch of perfectionism ensures that the end result is technically and practically spot-on.

To this day, I still work with the same energy and curiosity as when I started. The creative process of imagining, sketching, testing, and bringing something to life remains the most rewarding part of it all.

ONETHINX

I am co-founder of Onethinx, an innovative company fully dedicated to developing smart and scalable LoRaWAN™ IoT solutions. Together with our in-house team, we developed the Onethinx Core, a compact, powerful, and certified LoRaWAN module that enables companies to quickly create reliable and energy-efficient applications.

Our technology is used in a wide range of fields such as smart farming, smart cities, and smart homes. Examples include solutions for monitoring air and soil quality, energy-efficient thermostats, and other smart sensor applications that need to communicate over long distances with minimal power consumption.

My focus is mainly on the design of hardware and embedded firmware. At Onethinx, we not only build modules but also create an ecosystem of software components, configuration tools, and technical support. All of this serves one goal: to drastically reduce the time-to-market for our customers.

Onethinx combines technical depth with practical applicability. It aligns seamlessly with my work at Nooteboom Elektronica. While Nooteboom focuses on customization and specialization, Onethinx offers speed, scalability, and reliability to a broad IoT landscape.

Onethinx
Firmware Software

FIRM- & SOFTWARE

Modern electronics can’t function without smart firmware. Whether it's controlling hardware, processing sensor data, or enabling wireless communication, firmware forms the bridge between circuitry and functionality. Today, embedded systems are the beating heart of nearly every device.

I design and develop embedded firmware that fits seamlessly with the hardware. This means not only programming efficiently and reliably, but also tuning it to the electronic characteristics of the system. That includes timing, reliability, low-power applications, and error handling.

I primarily program in C and C++, but I also work with C#, JavaScript, and NodeJS. These are often used for related interfaces, test tools, or data analysis. From low-level register code to higher-level logic or API integrations, I move easily between the hardware layer and the application level.

This versatility helps me create fast, well-integrated solutions. Not just standalone firmware, but well-considered software that acts as an extension of a smart design.

HARDWARE DESIGN

Good design starts with the right choices. For every project, I carefully evaluate component selection, considering availability, reliability, lifespan, cost, and of course, electrical performance. But it doesn’t stop there.

Equally important is how the PCB integrates into the final enclosure. A PCB not only has to function properly, but also fit mechanically, be easy to assemble, and withstand external influences. Think of mounting holes, connectors, dimensions, thermal behavior, and EMC.

When there are specific requirements for the housing—such as design, material, or mounting—I collaborate with experienced partners in enclosure design and production. This results in a well-thought-out solution where electronics, form, and function come together seamlessly.

I combine technical depth with practical experience, ensuring that the design is ready from the start for the next step: a working, manufacturable end product.

Hardware