Ask HN: How have embedded systems engineers dealt with working from home? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How have embedded systems engineers dealt with working from home?

3 pointsbrunoluiz4 comments

After 2020, companies had to go fully remote. One thing I was wondering: how embedded systems engineers managed to do this transition?

I did internship in this field and worked for a year with embedded software, before I moved into backend engineering. From what I recall, in some occasions, I was okay with just a development kit. But there were many other ones that I needed more than that (probes and testing infrastructure are the ones on the top of my mind).

How did tech companies, especially hardware ones, dealt with this? I really can't see how a company like Apple or Sony managed to keep releasing new devices with a complete remote workforce.

Please, enlighten me : )

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I've been working on an embedded project for a well-known company almost two years now. It kicked off before COVID and suddenly we all started working from home a month or two later.

The frontline answer is: a rudimentary set of tools and lots of UPS and FedEx shipments. I've been getting prototype PCBs and can do some basic fly-wiring and scoping of signals as I go. My company has been good about buying supplies and parts but honestly my Analog Discovery 2 and soldering iron have solved 90% of my problems.

The backline answer is that I put a shit-ton of connectivity into the project early. I can watch any device owned by our project team over an MQTT reflector on a remote server, and I can shell in when I need to fix something. Midway through the project I could start to reflash live units and update firmware remotely.

I was fortunate that this project runs Linux and had lots of networking ability. If this was a smaller microcontroller system it would be a bit more complicated, but everyone is smart enough to learn how to operate some basic tools like Flash Magic and update their systems.

But like others have said, sometimes you need to physically get into the office and work with the tools you have there. It's never 100% virtual.

Yeah, I used to develop in TI DSP protocol implementations and remote access was impossible back then. Besides, because I had to debug the DSP serial or CAN outputs, oscilloscope and test equipments were big requirements most of the time.

To be fair, if the company was ok, some of those I could have at home. But space would be an extra complicating factor (especially in cities like London hehe).

1. Remote access.

2. Bring kit home if feasible and not too sensitive.

3. Tough, you need to go to the office.

Remote controlled power supplies get you back in the driver seat when you screw up.

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