Opinion
Building Confidence Through Code: Noah’s Internship at Green Custard
Published on 18 Nov, 2025 by Natasha
When Noah Hayes joined Green Custard as an Embedded Software and Hardware Intern for the summer of 2025, he was looking for more than just an introduction to professional coding. He wanted hands-on experience developing production-level firmware and exposure to the engineering practices that drive successful technology teams. Over the course of his internship, Noah’s curiosity, problem-solving, and technical rigour made a real impact — both on our projects and within our team.
Starting Strong: A Hands-On Introduction to Embedded Engineering
“I wanted industry experience in a place where I could work on production-level code while learning the engineering practices followed by larger teams,” Noah said when reflecting on what drew him to Green Custard.
With a strong foundation from his System Architecture module at the University of Bath, Noah was eager to apply what he’d learned to real-world hardware and firmware challenges. From day one, he found Green Custard’s culture to be open and encouraging.
“Everyone was friendly and genuinely interested in what I was working on. People were always willing to help when I had questions, which made the environment feel inclusive and supportive. Casual chats over lunch added to that sense of openness.”
“Working with Noah was a pleasure. He could take the outline of an idea (be it written or verbal) and convert it into useful working code."
Neil Bryan, Principal Consultant, Green Custard
Engineering in Action: From Testing to Data Acquisition
Noah’s internship spanned both software and hardware development, and he quickly began contributing to critical embedded systems projects. Early on, he focused on improving test coverage for a client’s firmware (raising it from 77% to 97%) and tackling potential reliability issues like buffer overflows and memory errors.
However, the project that stood out most to him was developing an RP2040-based data acquisition system for a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) framework.
“I enjoyed the data acquisition system the most because it covered a broad range of hardware and software,” he explained. “I gained experience with tools and technologies I’d never used before, such as PIO, the Saleae logic analyser, and PCB bring-up. Building and understanding the whole system from the ground up was especially rewarding.”
His most memorable moment? “Seeing all the sensors return the correct data after working through the logic for each one. Achieving this involved understanding datasheets, debugging issues with tools like an Arbitrary Waveform Generator and logic analyser, and integrating everything into a fully working system.”
Debugging, Problem-Solving, and Growing as an Engineer
Noah didn’t shy away from complex challenges, particularly when it came to debugging intricate hardware-software interactions. One of his proudest achievements was identifying the potential for a systemic misuse of snprintf under test conditions that could cause buffer overflows across the codebase, and adding a defensive approach to prevent this on the real system.
“Writing a safe wrapper and replacing all the unsafe calls felt like a concrete improvement to the reliability of the firmware,” he said.
His approach to debugging was methodical: “Each issue needed its own strategy. I used a signal generator for PIO testing, the logic analyser’s I2C ACK/NAK behaviour for pressure sensors, and physical temperature changes for the temperature sensors.”
Working on large-scale codebases also taught Noah valuable lessons in collaboration. “Asking the right questions is essential for ensuring you and your colleagues are on the same page and share knowledge — especially when you’re working on code that only one other engineer previously understood.”
Looking Ahead: Lessons for the Future
By the end of his internship, Noah had not only deepened his technical abilities but also gained clarity about his future.
“It gave me confidence that embedded software development is something I can do professionally and confirmed that it’s an area I genuinely enjoy and want to pursue.”
Reflecting on his biggest takeaway, he added: “There are no shortcuts in debugging: being thorough saves time in the long run. And you can pick up far more than you expect in a short time; I learned much more about embedded development than I thought I would.”
His advice for future interns? “There’s a lot to absorb early on, but taking the time to understand everything will repay itself later on in the internship and provide lasting knowledge, which is a key benefit of the experience.”
Celebrating a Successful Internship
Throughout his time at Green Custard, Noah demonstrated initiative, technical excellence, and a commitment to learning that made him a valued part of the team. We’re proud to have supported his professional growth and can’t wait to see where his career in embedded systems takes him next.
Neil Bryan, Principal Consultant at Green Custard, worked closely with Noah during his internship and oversaw all of his projects. “Working with Noah was a pleasure. He could take the outline of an idea (be it written or verbal) and convert it into useful working code. When he ran into difficulties with the real hardware, he needed only an explanation of where to look and which diagnostic equipment to use; he would dig into the problem and ask meaningful, considered questions. This enabled a solution to be found quickly and efficiently."
"Noah took on the challenge of writing a PIO application on a Raspberry Pi Pico, an area with a steep learning curve, and produced a reliable solution that just worked. This experience is valuable and a good introduction to the lowest level of embedded development.”