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Job Interview - PIC cotrollers and 8bit , 16bit micro controllers
- Thread starter skko
- Start date
Do you know anything about PICs or other microcontrollers?
Prepare by finding out as much as you can about the company and what they do. If you can, read brochures and user and service manuals for their products. See how your particular skill set might be presented to look attractive in their eyes.
In an interview, I would start by asking how you would approach a simple project to see if your design methodology makes any sense. Flowcharts and state diagrams - good. Throw internet code at MPLAB and see if it works - bad.
I would ask you to describe some successful projects that you've done and how you did them and take a look at your documentation. What worked? What would you improve? I might give you a schematic and ask you what's going on with it and if you can see any obvious problems. I'd probably give you a code listing with the same questions.
Assuming you passed that, I'd ask you about the different architectures in the various PIC families and when you'd use one over the other.
Can you read a datasheet? What can you learn from things like Absolute Maximum Ratings, I/O voltage levels etc. When would you deviate from those figures (answer: never).
Then tools. What is MPLAB, PICkit, assembler vs. C language. Have you used any libraries, the microchip code configurator etc.
Then peripherals and coding. How would you code a flashing LED, a buffered UART, a timer driven interrupt (and why would you want such a thing?), how would you hook up some hardware device - an LED, a LCD display, keypad etc. What is read-modify-write and when can it get you into trouble? How do you go from design and simulation to working prototype?
I would be interested in your debugging skills. How would you go about troubleshooting something that doesn't work? Do you know how to use a multimeter, scope, MPLAB debugging tools?
I especially would be interested in what you would do when you were stumped by a problem. How would you approach that? Do some research on your own- good. Isolate and test - good. Run to a forum - not so good. Ask an associate or me - good. Paste it over and hope it goes away - really bad.
I would also explore soft skills - can you write so that people can understand you? Can you type at a reasonable rate or bog down hunting and pecking? Do you show up on time and stay focused on the task? Are you disciplined enough to document your designs and code? Good hygiene?
Except for the hygiene, we have seen questions and problems here at AAC on all of these topics and more when it came to someone having problems with some project or other. Those are problems that a prospective employer would probably wish he didn't have to deal with. FWIW, you shouldn't be expected to know all of these things. I was always more interested in the thinking and discipline skills and a good design process over raw knowledge of some processor or a bunch of memorized algorithms. If you have the former, you can pick up the latter.
Just my .03
Good luck!
Prepare by finding out as much as you can about the company and what they do. If you can, read brochures and user and service manuals for their products. See how your particular skill set might be presented to look attractive in their eyes.
In an interview, I would start by asking how you would approach a simple project to see if your design methodology makes any sense. Flowcharts and state diagrams - good. Throw internet code at MPLAB and see if it works - bad.
I would ask you to describe some successful projects that you've done and how you did them and take a look at your documentation. What worked? What would you improve? I might give you a schematic and ask you what's going on with it and if you can see any obvious problems. I'd probably give you a code listing with the same questions.
Assuming you passed that, I'd ask you about the different architectures in the various PIC families and when you'd use one over the other.
Can you read a datasheet? What can you learn from things like Absolute Maximum Ratings, I/O voltage levels etc. When would you deviate from those figures (answer: never).
Then tools. What is MPLAB, PICkit, assembler vs. C language. Have you used any libraries, the microchip code configurator etc.
Then peripherals and coding. How would you code a flashing LED, a buffered UART, a timer driven interrupt (and why would you want such a thing?), how would you hook up some hardware device - an LED, a LCD display, keypad etc. What is read-modify-write and when can it get you into trouble? How do you go from design and simulation to working prototype?
I would be interested in your debugging skills. How would you go about troubleshooting something that doesn't work? Do you know how to use a multimeter, scope, MPLAB debugging tools?
I especially would be interested in what you would do when you were stumped by a problem. How would you approach that? Do some research on your own- good. Isolate and test - good. Run to a forum - not so good. Ask an associate or me - good. Paste it over and hope it goes away - really bad.
I would also explore soft skills - can you write so that people can understand you? Can you type at a reasonable rate or bog down hunting and pecking? Do you show up on time and stay focused on the task? Are you disciplined enough to document your designs and code? Good hygiene?
Except for the hygiene, we have seen questions and problems here at AAC on all of these topics and more when it came to someone having problems with some project or other. Those are problems that a prospective employer would probably wish he didn't have to deal with. FWIW, you shouldn't be expected to know all of these things. I was always more interested in the thinking and discipline skills and a good design process over raw knowledge of some processor or a bunch of memorized algorithms. If you have the former, you can pick up the latter.
Just my .03
Good luck!
Last edited:
Hi skko, I also have much knowledge but I want to share some of my experience. it may be help you
I don't have knowledge about PIC controller but you can divide questions on three parts
1. question on Hardware
2. question Programming
3. question on Projects
Hardware: In this section, you have basic knowledge of what hardware you are using. best option is by reading datasheet of controller. anyone can question related to Processor, RAM, ROM counter, program counter, . why do you use PIC, instead of another controller
programming: In this section, you have basic knowledge of programming like "function, string, array, pointer conditional statement if else condition, for loop, while Loop....etc, give example when do you use blaal blaaa. you have to know verious type of protocols like usart I2C CAN
Projects: if you developed project than defiantly interviewer will ask question on your project. what is the main purpose of your project. what is benefits. draw the flow chart of program ...etc
Believe yourself, tell them what ever you have learned
Best of Luck
Parth
DickCappels
- Joined Aug 21, 2008
- 10,661
At least one of the interviewers will want to know with what tools you are familiar, especially your knowledge of programming languages and development environments. If you are familiar with the tools his department is using that will be a very big plus. I
f you had any experience with the type of application and/or system and/or product that they make it will also weigh heavily in your favor.
This refers back to JohnInTX's advice in post #2 to find out as much about the company (also specific division and department) as possible to you can know what they are looking for.
f you had any experience with the type of application and/or system and/or product that they make it will also weigh heavily in your favor.
This refers back to JohnInTX's advice in post #2 to find out as much about the company (also specific division and department) as possible to you can know what they are looking for.
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