Entries for 'Matt Puskala'

Our first experience with the .NET Micro Framework (NETMF) was on GHI Electronic's Embedded Master platform, using the .NET Micro Framework 3.0.  We recently had an opportunity to use the GHI's next generation replacement for the Embedded Master, the EMX module, and the .NET Micro Framework 4.1.  Both Microsoft and GHI have made many changes to the assemblies, classes and methods.  ... [Read the rest of this blog...]

 In an ideal world, a design project has well defined phases with appropriate time alloted for each milestone.  In the real world, clients often bring a project that is already behind schedule, needing results yesterday.  Board design can be a cumbersome process, often taking weeks before something physical is ready for the end customer.  Breadboarding is an option, but it ofte... [Read the rest of this blog...]

It is quite typical for companies to outsource their embedded design and other electronic and board design needs to other firms.  Sometimes companies have innovative ideas they want to bring to market but not the internal electronics expertise, sometimes larger firms don't have the internal capacity or don't do enough electronics or embedded design to justify the dedicated staff. Own Your De... [Read the rest of this blog...]

Over the past few months we have added many new case studies to our website.  We are continuously adding more examples of broad experience across industries and technical fields.  Some of these are recent projects while others are past projects that we have just recently written a case study for. We have several new Battery Testing and other Test and Measurement Automation case stu... [Read the rest of this blog...]

We are frequently asked to work on PLC systems for clients that we did not develop.  The job could be troubleshooting an issue or adding a new feature to the system.  Working with unfamiliar code has its own unique challenges, although we take pride in our ability to do so.  Here are some things you should keep in mind when asking an integrator or even your own internal maintenance ... [Read the rest of this blog...]

I am happy to announce that I have recently completed the requirements to officially become an International Society of Automation (ISA) Certified Automation Professional (ISA CAP).  Per ISA, Certified Automation Professionals are responsible for the direction, definition, design, development/application, deployment, documentation, and support of systems, software, and equipment used in... [Read the rest of this blog...]

Setting up communication networks or interfacing with devices is a common task at DMC.  Usually we try to prepare ahead of time so that we have all the hardware we need, but in a pinch, we do occassionally have to make our own cables or have a better understand of how things work so we can debug communications or monitor specific I/O lines. Crossover Versus Patch Cables I'll start by giving... [Read the rest of this blog...]

One of the more fun, and sometimes challenging aspects of working at DMC are service calls to work on legacy systems, hardware, and software.  I recently have been working on a Baldor motion control system with a Visual C++ 6.0 front end.  When I first joined DMC we would implement C++ or VB 6.0 solutions quite frequently.  Now we use the .NET platform, so I have not... [Read the rest of this blog...]

We are happy to announce a new section of our website has gone live: DMC White Papers!  We have planned on adding this section ever since we revamped our website four months ago.  At this point in time we have two white papers. First there is Ken Brey's discussion of optimization of a servo system for a non-linear mechanical movement.  It details Ken's work for a client earlie... [Read the rest of this blog...]

When DMC launched our new website a few months ago, we were quite happy with some of the new skills and tricks we learned.  One area where I learned quite a bit more, in particular, was CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, and html style tags.  One issue we had to overcome involved centering images of varying or unknown size.  We use a content rotator module on our website.  There ... [Read the rest of this blog...]

We are happy to announce that DMC has become a Windows Embedded Partner.  DMC has been an active partner with Microsoft, joining the Microsoft Partner Program in 2001 and acheiving Gold Partner status in 2007.  Our Windows Embedded Partner status reflects our familiarity with Windows Embedded platforms, included Windows Embedded operating systems and the Microsoft .NET Mi... [Read the rest of this blog...]

Microsoft has just released Internet Explorer 8.  Unfortunately, some of the pages on our website have some issues when viewed with IE8's default settings.  In particular, the styling that we've done on our main page's tab control is causing issues.  Users can fix these issues on the client side by selecting compatibility mode (the button to the right of the URL field shown below). ... [Read the rest of this blog...]

You've finished and double checked your schematic, all the footprints have been loaded or created, and you've layed out all of your components on your board.  Now it is time to route the traces.  Traditionally board designers route traces by hand, giving them complete control over everything.  However there definitely are times and places for the auto-routing tool: Simple bo... [Read the rest of this blog...]

Like many offices, we have adapted the use of instant messenger while at work.  It allows us to stay in quick contact of eachother, even when working remotely at customer sites.  The network we use is the Yahoo Messenger network. Some of us use the default client, but many of us have switched over to Pidgin.  The main advantage of Pidgin is the ability to link other IM networks to ... [Read the rest of this blog...]

We've launched our new and improved website.  We implemented our website in-house, so we have full control, allowing us to edit and add new content going forward.  We decided to go with a CMS to make this easier.  Asp.NET based Dot Net Nuke (DNN) was an obvious choice for us. Implementing the new website required efforts in many disciplines: graphic design and image editing, Asp.NE... [Read the rest of this blog...]