Tell me what vehicle data acquisition methods you are familiar with.
There's no wrong answer to this question. No matter what kind of technical job you are applying for, though, it would pay to spend a few minutes organizing your thoughts for an answer to this very common question. You might try outlining what you are familiar with, including its benefits and limitations, along with expressing your willingness to learn about other systems.
"In my previous job, we always used the XYZ system from ABC. XYZ allowed us to flash software and calibrations into our engine controllers right on the vehicle. We could monitor a large number of software parameters as well as data from thermocouples and other external instrumentation. It allowed data acquisition at different rates that roughly corresponded to the software loop execution rates. We could also record and change calibrations as desired. We could monitor all this data in real time and also record it for later analysis. Things usually went pretty smoothly, although using the system with a new engine controller could sometimes produce a few days of red-faced swearing while we worked out all the interface bugs. I've always been told that XYZ was the best data acquisition system in the world, and it was always adequate for my needs. To be honest, though, I suppose that I don't know for sure that it was the best, since it's the only one I ever used. Certainly, I have no problem learning another data acquisition system if your company uses a different one. I feel that my experience with XYZ would make it easier for me to get up to speed on another type of system."
