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Embedded Software Engineer Interview Questions

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Embedded Software Engineer Interview Questions

Embedded software engineers develop and maintain embedded systems, which may require advanced software skills and problem solving. In an embedded software engineer interview, the interviewer may ask questions that test your coding skills and experience. Expect to also discuss how you work with others, as the role may function within a team.

Top Embedded Software Engineer Interview Questions & How To Answer

Question 1

Question #1: Define an embedded system.

How to answer
How to answer: Prove your competency by delivering a concise but thorough answer. Explain that an embedded system is a computer that lives within a bigger machine and operates in a unique way to perform a particular task. Consider offering some examples, like a car, a kitchen appliance, or an MP3 player.
Question 2

Question #2: What programming languages are you able to use?

How to answer
How to answer: Embedded software engineers are responsible for building complex functional systems, so it's beneficial to highlight your technical skills. The interviewer may want to hear you mention basic programming languages like C and C++. You might mention which languages you prefer or which you would like to gain more experience in, demonstrating passion and an ongoing willingness to learn.
Question 3

Question #3: Have you collaborated with engineers and designers?

How to answer
How to answer: You may work with others towards a common goal, so teamwork is vital. Consider sharing an anecdote about a time when you collaborated successfully to resolve an issue with a product. Focus on your ability to manage stress, clearly communicate complex issues, and listen to others.

6,900 embedded software engineer interview questions shared by candidates

For the drivetrain of a prototype vehicle you are asked to implement the part that determines the requested torque based on the user input. The user does this by pressing the throttle pedal. There are multiple options regarding the throttle pedal, but for now the engineers seem to have selected one that produces two analog output signals, which are connected to a microcontroller. The relation between the analog signals (redundant for safety reasons) and the pedal angle (min = 0 degrees, max = 30 degrees) are as follows: - `adc1 = 0.5 + 0.1 * angle` - `adc2 = 1.0 + 0.08 * angle` Where adc1 and adc2 are voltages and the angle is in degrees. These analog inputs require some basic low pass filtering (moving average). This pedal angle corresponds to an amount of torque that the motors must provide. This torque is not only dependent on the pedal angle, it’s also dependent on the current speed of the vehicle. The torque for each speed and pedal angle can be found in the graph below. ![pedal map](./doc/Pedalmap.png) In case something goes wrong, in our prototype an LED should light up on the dashboard to indicate something is wrong (in a real production vehicle an error message will be shown on the instrument cluster).
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Embedded Software Engineer

Interviewed at Lightyear

4.2★
Feb 1, 2021

For the drivetrain of a prototype vehicle you are asked to implement the part that determines the requested torque based on the user input. The user does this by pressing the throttle pedal. There are multiple options regarding the throttle pedal, but for now the engineers seem to have selected one that produces two analog output signals, which are connected to a microcontroller. The relation between the analog signals (redundant for safety reasons) and the pedal angle (min = 0 degrees, max = 30 degrees) are as follows: - `adc1 = 0.5 + 0.1 * angle` - `adc2 = 1.0 + 0.08 * angle` Where adc1 and adc2 are voltages and the angle is in degrees. These analog inputs require some basic low pass filtering (moving average). This pedal angle corresponds to an amount of torque that the motors must provide. This torque is not only dependent on the pedal angle, it’s also dependent on the current speed of the vehicle. The torque for each speed and pedal angle can be found in the graph below. ![pedal map](./doc/Pedalmap.png) In case something goes wrong, in our prototype an LED should light up on the dashboard to indicate something is wrong (in a real production vehicle an error message will be shown on the instrument cluster).

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