DMC, Inc.

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        <title>DMC, Inc.</title> 
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    <comments>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/228/Geek-Challenge-Constant-G-Force-Coaster-Loops.aspx#Comments</comments> 
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    <title>Geek Challenge:  Constant G-Force Coaster Loops</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/228/Geek-Challenge-Constant-G-Force-Coaster-Loops.aspx</link> 
    <description>Last&#160;month's challenge&#160;was define the shape of a roller coaster loop that would create a constant G-force experience.&#160; We asked what shape to start with, and how to modify it to make the loop.&#160; 

To create a constant G-force loop, you can start with the basic shape of a circle.&#160; Traveling around a circle creates a centripetal force that the rider experiences&#160;as a G-force.&#160; The force is a function of speed and radius, but, just like gravity, is proportional to the rider’s body mass.&#160; So, like gravity, the centripetal force can be expressed as acceleration and applied to any sized person.&#160; The centripetal acceleration around a circle is expressed as:
Eq 1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; a = V2/r
where A is the acceleration, V is the velocity, and r is the radius.&#160;
However, if an entire loop were a circle with constant radius, there would be&#160;two big problems:&#160;
1.&#160;The roller coaster slows down as it climbs the loop, so centripetal acceleration would drop near the top.

2.&#160;Gravitational acceleration and centripetal acceleration are additive at the bottom of the loop, where they both push the rider into the bottom of the seat, but opposite at the top of the loop, where centripetal acceleration pushes the rider into the seat, but gravity tries to pull him out.

So to account for problem 1 and maintain constant acceleration, we must take our circular loop and bend it so that it has a smaller radius as the height increases.&#160;&#160;
To account for problem 2, we must also vary the radius, but this time as a function of the angle of travel instead of the height.&#160; The amount that gravity pushes the rider into the seat is the gravitational constant&#160;multiplied by the&#160;cosine of the angle the rider is traveling.&#160; Thus when the rider is traveling horizontally at the bottom of the loop, gravity gives him a 1G load.&#160;&#160;Travelling horizontally at the top of the loop, gravity gives a negative 1G component.&#160; While travel vertically either up or down the sides or the loop, the gravitation component is zero.&#160; So to counteract the variable effects of gravity based on angle by adding or subtracting an equivalent amount of centripetal acceleration, we must further decrease the radius at the top and increase it at the bottom of the loop.
The result of these two considerations is an equation for the radius of the curve based on the starting velocity, height, and angle of the track around the curve.&#160; That equation is:

Eq2.&#160;&#160;&#160; R = (V0&#178; - 2*G*h) / (a -G*cos(theta))
This can be turned into a differential equation and solved numerically, and is easily done with a number of tools including Matlab or LabView.&#160; For greater accessibility, I performed a simple Euler integration in Excel.&#160; The spreadsheet is available for the curious here.

So staring with an initial condition equal to the maximum speed of our favorite (and now defunct) rollercoaster, the Six Flags Great America Shockwave, and calculating for a 3.5G loop pair, the outcome is the following curve:

&#160;
This loop pair assumes that the roller coaster speed in only a function of height.&#160; This assumption is probably good enough for one loop, but of a string of loops, it would be better to put in a friction component and have the coaster slow down as it goes through the loops.&#160; In this case, for constant acceleration, each loop is smaller than the previous one.

And that’s just what we see in this photo of loops 2 and 3 of the (also now defunct) Great American Scream Machine at Six Flags Great Adventure, sister coaster to the Shockwave.&#160; (The only to remain operational of the three nearly identical coasters is the Viper at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California.)


The Cycloid loop
There is a shape in mathematics which looks a whole lot like our constant G-force loop; it is called&#160;the Prolate Cycloid.&#160; A Cycloid is the shape in X-Y space traced by a point on the edge of circle rolling on a straight line.&#160; A Prolate Cycloid is the shape in X-Y space traced by a point fixed to a circle, but outside the circle while the circle rolls along a straight line.&#160; When flipped upside down, this shape looks almost exactly like our rollercoaster loop.&#160; The shapes are so similar that when properly overlaid, it is hard to see the difference.&#160;

A cycloid can be a constant G-force curve, but not under rollercoaster conditions.&#160; A person sitting on the edge of a rolling circle feels the same thing a person sitting on a fixed center spinning wheel would – constant centripetal force.&#160;&#160;However, that condition doesn’t perfectly mimic the height-based velocity decrease we&#160;experience with the rollercoaster.&#160; I have calculated that, in this case, the prolate cycloid loop rider would experience about a 15% drop in G-force at the point where the loop is vertical compared to the constant G loop.&#160; So this solution comes up just short of our goal.&#160; There is a sheet in the Excel file dedicated to this comparison.

Clothoids
A Clothoid is a type of spiral where the radius changes uniformly over distance.&#160; It is commonly used as a transition curve for roads and railroads.&#160; A rollercoaster loop can be built using two clothoids closely approximating the constant acceleration curve, much like the cycloid loop.&#160;&#160;Additionally,&#160;more than&#160;two can be used to even more closely approximate the ideal solution.&#160; 
&#160;
Other Examples of Constant G-Force Loops
The same constant G-force loop can also be flown by a pilot in an air show.&#160; If the drag of the wing of the tightly looping aircraft exactly equals the thrust from the propeller, the equations from our rollercoaster loop would apply to the airplane.&#160; This is illustrated&#160;in Leon Grossman’s photo from this year’s Chicago Air and Water show.
&#160;

Assumptions and Simplifications
1.&#160;Ignoring rotational inertia:&#160; All of the discussion in this article and the article published by the University of Gothenburg, Sweden treats the rollercoaster train as a point mass.&#160; In reality, it has rotational inertia which would further decrease the forward velocity during the smallest radius portions of the loop.&#160; I believe this effect to be negligible.

2.&#160;Ignoring train length:&#160; The models used here treat the train as having only one height at a given time.&#160; In reality, the train is pretty long compared to the loop, and the front nears the top while the back car may be half way up the loop.&#160;&#160;Since all cars are connected, they all have the same velocity at any given time.&#160; So&#160;a rider in the lead car will experience a higher than normal G-load at the top of the loop, while a rider in the back car will experience a decrease in G-load up the side of the loop, followed by the high G-load at the top as the rest of the train accelerates down the back side of the loop.&#160; This disparity of experience dependant on position is one of the great things about rollercoasters.&#160;

3.&#160;Really basic friction modeling: An actual rollercoaster designer would develop a much more complicated friction model than has been done here.&#160; Friction sources to account for&#160;include wind resistance which is a function primarily of velocity, and rolling friction which will be a function of both speed and G-load.
&#160;</description> 
    <dc:creator>Ken Brey</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:21:00 GMT</pubDate> 
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    <title>DMC Leads Dashboard, SharePoint, and Baseball Workshop</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/227/DMC-Leads-Dashboard-SharePoint-and-Baseball-Workshop.aspx</link> 
    <description>Event Overview
Over forty business and IT&#160;leaders gathered to attend a SharePoint Dashboard Workshop at the Tooling &amp; Manufacturing Association on August 19, 2010 led by DMC.
Everyone in attendance received a copy of the Michael Lewis best-seller Moneyball (Lewis is&#160;also the author of The Blind Side, The Big Short, and Liar's Poker).&#160;&#160;&#160;Moneyball tells the story of how&#160;Billy Beane&#160;focused on the right Key Performance Indicators to turn his perennial-losing Oakland A's into perennial winners.&#160; Moneyball provided a fun and&#160;relatable&#160;theme&#160;throughout the workshop.&#160;
Rick Rietz, DMC’s Director of Consulting Services, led the workshop entitled What Gets Measured Gets Done.&#160; Participants were treated to a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) and Microsoft SharePoint workshop, in addition to a demonstration of SharePoint Dashboard and SharePoint Collaboration Portal capabilities, including SharePoint 2010. Each guest left with a workbook that helped conceptualize goal measurement and KPI tracking within their own businesses.
&#160;
SharePoint Dashboard and Portal Case Study
Craig van den Avont of GAM shared his experience working with DMC to implement&#160;GAM's SharePoint Dashboard and Collaboration Portal.&#160; Craig’s comments on GAM’s experience included:
&#160;
On User Adoption
I was actually very surprised how fast [SharePoint] was bought into, from the office to the factory.&#160; Even the senior machinist was very willing and picked up on it quickly.

On KPI&#160;Dashboards
We have always been a company that has tracked a lot of information, but the information was stale.&#160;&#160; A big part of my job at the end of each month was to gather and examine data…Now I can see trends in real time and instead of waiting until the end of the month if something isn’t trending where it needs to be I can ask the right people and address any issues.

On Team Management
Our sales team has monthly meetings with several people in collaboration who have assigned tasks and projects.&#160; They now use SharePoint exclusively.&#160; They have a standing agenda and meeting minutes on SharePoint that they can modify and action items that come up in the meeting can be added to the list during that meeting and be assigned to people. 
&#160;
Event Take-aways
Rick Rietz was thrilled with the turnout and active participation of the audience.&#160; &quot;It's a wonderful feeling to see&#160;a&#160;roomful of people&#160;that get it -&#160;automating the measurement of KPIs is essential to achieving business goals.&quot;&#160; Rick added, &quot;SharePoint's Document Management and Workflow&#160;capabilities also resonated strongly with these business leaders&quot;.
With over 100,000,000 world-wide users, Microsoft SharePoint has emerged as the de facto collaboration platform for business.&#160; SharePoint provides businesses with a cost-effective way to leverage the Microsoft technology they already own to drive their business to operate more efficiently and more competitively through a multitude of capabilities.
The presentation slides and selected screenshots from the demonstration are available for viewing below.&#160; For more information about SharePoint's features, visit Rick's video blog:&#160;Feature Comparison of SharePoint 2010, Foundation,&#160;MOSS, and WSS.
To request a consultation on implementing a SharePoint portal or a SharePoint dashboard, please contact Rick Rietz at 312.386.7463 or rick.rietz@dmcinfo.com.&#160;
DMC KPI Dashboards and SharePoint 2010 Workshop



View more presentations from DMC.
&#160;</description> 
    <dc:creator>Jessica Mlinaric</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:08:00 GMT</pubDate> 
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    <title>Employee Spotlight: Eric Nielsen</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/226/Employee-Spotlight-Eric-Nielsen.aspx</link> 
    <description>Eric Nielsen, Systems Engineer
What do you like best about working at DMC?

I really appreciate the community of intelligent and driven individuals and wide range of projects we work on.&#160; I couldn’t last in a monotonous position where I had to do the same thing every day; however the ever changing projects at DMC, the range of customers and industries we partner with, and the ability to utilize cutting edge technology guarantee that we are consistently challenged (= happy).&#160;

What is your favorite programming language?
I would have to say LabVIEW because of its versatility.
What is one of the most interesting projects you have worked on at DMC?

One of the most interesting projects I’ve worked on is a system for a national laboratory that characterizes and tests fuel cells and lithium ion batteries for hybrid electric vehicles and future storage purposes.&#160; It’s really interesting to assist in the development of new green technologies and the shift from relying on fossil fuels.

Can you tell me about some of the wilderness certifications you’ve achieved?

As a guide and instructor I had the opportunity to take a number of courses in different disciplines.&#160; I am a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) – a certification that falls between advanced first aid and wilderness EMT.&#160; I was also able to become a Leave No Trace Master Educator, which focuses on sustainable use of wild lands across the globe.&#160; Overall, I spent 6 or 7 years guiding and instructing.&#160; I had an opportunity to work doing wilderness therapy for individuals with Aspergers and high-functioning Autism. In addition to instructing climbing and backpacking courses in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, the central Rockies, and New Hampshire I have also worked in whitewater instruction.&#160; Additionally, I recently completed a Level 1 avalanche rescue course and took a couple courses in alpine mountaineering to further advance my personal climbing skills.
Interestingly, I often meet many other engineers or mathematicians in my climbing adventures.&#160; I think the challenges of the sport’s highly technical aspects appeal to the people of a methodological nature.
So how many states total have you hiked, guided, or climbed?

Seventeen states total, plus British Columbia, Ontario, and an extended expedition in Chilean Patagonia.

What has been your favorite trip?

I did a 3 month-long trip with the NOLS in Southern Chile and Patagonia.&#160; Check the NOLS Patagonia page out, I’m in the small picture of the group at the terminal moraine of the Pio Once glacier at the top of the page.&#160; Interestingly, Pio XI is one of the few growing glaciers left in the world.&#160; We had the opportunity to sea kayak for 32 days straight through ~340 miles of fjords and open South Pacific Ocean.&#160; We also spent over a month backpacking and climbing on Pio XI.&#160; After that we had to build a Huck Finn-style raft to get back across the river swelled by spring snow melt.
My favorite place to visit in the U.S. is the Cascade Mountain Range in WA.&#160; Once place I haven’t been but would love to go is definitely Glacier National Park in MT.

You were recently on “vacation” for a month in the Pacific Northwest and BC.&#160; What was the coolest thing you saw?

I had to bivy just below the Sherpa glacier on Mt. Stewart.&#160; As I laid down to sleep on the snow under the stars,&#160; a mountain goat and her kid bedded down on a bolder just above me.&#160; It was a perfect end to two 16+ hour days climbing and descending off the Upper North Ridge of Mt. Stewart.
When you are in Chicago what is your favorite place to visit?

I like swimming and kayaking in the lake as well as biking on the lakeshore path.&#160; Two of my favorite indoor places are Hopleaf and Caf&#233; Matou.&#160;

What are your top three wilderness tips for amateurs?

1.&#160;Don’t bite off more than you can chew (at least until you have more experience)
2.&#160;Live in the moment!
3.&#160;NEVER stop exploring

&#160;</description> 
    <dc:creator>Jessica Mlinaric</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:22:00 GMT</pubDate> 
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    <title>Video Demonstration of BMS Test Stand Basic Capabilities</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/225/Video-Demonstration-of-BMS-Test-Stand-Basic-Capabilities.aspx</link> 
    <description>Recently DMC&#160;put together another BMS Validation Test Stand for testing the BMS inside a PHEV battery pack.&#160; Before we shipped it, we wanted to demonstrate the basic capabilities of the battery cell simulators, software, and other electronics.&#160;</description> 
    <dc:creator>Brent Hoerman</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Sun, 22 Aug 2010 21:33:00 GMT</pubDate> 
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    <title>DMC Fun on, and off, and in, the Water</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/224/DMC-Fun-on-and-off-and-in-the-Water.aspx</link> 
    <description>Like we do about three times a year, we had an all-company all day off-site meeting last Friday.&#160; The agenda for the day was pretty fantastic - we all loaded up on my boat at Belmont Harbor (maybe a little crowded), headed south to the Chicago Harbor Lock, &amp;&#160;then down the river to Ping Tom Park.
Once at Ping Tom Park, we broke up into several small groups and handed video cameras to each group with the mission of recording stories that capture DMC's culture, capabilities, lessons learned and history.
After a few hours of videotaping, we went back to the lake to enjoy the Chicago Air &amp;&#160;Water Show practice day.&#160;There were swimmng relays, amazing acrobatics off the boat and some pretty cool jets flying right above us:
While we plan on posting many more videos from the day on the DMC&#160;YouTube Channel, I thought the following two would be a fun start.&#160; The first one, Danny Budzinski does a fun, impromptu commercial about DMC, the second one, Boris Cherkasskiy explains, in his own words (and language) what it's like to work at DMC.








If you found this post fun, then you'll be sure to enjoy a related post from last year.</description> 
    <dc:creator>Frank Riordan</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:50:00 GMT</pubDate> 
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    <title>Personal NI Week Highlights</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/222/Personal-NI-Week-Highlights.aspx</link> 
    <description>So I've been using National Instruments hardware now for 15 years and programming in LabVIEW for 10.&#160; First, that makes me feel pretty old.&#160; Second, why is it that this is the first year I have gone to NI&#160;week?&#160; I don't know.&#160; But I finally understand why everyone else makes such a big deal about attending.
It is a great time.&#160; You get to network with a bunch of great people. And you can quickly get up to speed on new hardware, software features, and the overall future direction of NI.
With that, here is a short list of what I consider to be my highlights from NI Week 2010:

    NI announcing and providing a demo of the Web UI Builder.&#160; With this tool you can create web browser based interfaces to your LabVIEW realtime hardware.&#160; It is basically a skin for Microsoft Silverlight.&#160; The tool creates a 'thin client' application which will run in most common web browsers.&#160; The browser based application pulls data from a webservice running on your realtime target, and presto... live data displayed in a custom UI you designed using your LabVIEW skills... without the need for remote panels.


    NI also had several new hardware modules of interest to Test Automation folks on display.&#160; The NI PXIe-4154, is a new battery simulator module.&#160; While optimized for mobile device testing, I hope it is a stepping stone toward something capable of simulating a large battery stack.&#160; NI also announced a new line of high density matrix relay modules for the PXI platform.&#160; Look for them on NI.com soon.


    FPGA programming will soon get a bit faster, since the next implimentation of LabVIEW will let your FPGA code compile on your own server farm, or better yet on someone else's up on the cloud.&#160; To top it all off, after a recompile to add FPGA features, the FPGA&#160;reference in your realtime code will no longer automatically break your calling VI.


    Getting up close with the new PXI based RF instruments.&#160; Conventional wisdom just a few years ago was that RF signal generators and vector network analyzers (VNAs) would never appear in a PXI form factor.&#160; But there they were, running at 6.6 GHz.


    The biggest one for me was listening to Jeff Kodosky ponder the next big leap for Graphical Design... while most everyone else dozed off, I&#160;was captured by one one question... how is timing information captured on a LabVIEW&#160;block diagram?&#160; As we move toward distributed realtime systems, it is a bit troubling to realize that valuable timing information and synchonization of tasks between elements is nowhere to be found on a VIs block diagram.&#160; Something tells me it soon will be.

&#160;</description> 
    <dc:creator>Brent Hoerman</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Thu, 05 Aug 2010 04:48:00 GMT</pubDate> 
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    <title>NIWeek 2010!</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/221/NIWeek-2010.aspx</link> 
    <description>DMC&#160;is hitting the ground running at NIWeek 2010.&#160; 

&quot;It's Time&quot;.&#160; This is the theme of the keynote of the first official day of NIWeek.&#160; Time to develop, real-time control, timing for data synchronization, time to market,&#160; everything that involves time, and how NI products can help.
This is the first official day of the conference, but the second for DMC, as again this year we've come down to Austin for the first day open to Alliance Members only, with the next three days being open to all.
The first keynote demo for the day was a test system for pixel error rate for 3D televisions.&#160; Active systems for 3D&#160;glasses have update rates of up to 60Hz.&#160; This will be the first of many impressive demonstrations we'll see this week highlighting new products and strategies from National Instruments.
From NI:&#160; &quot;National Instruments is hosting NIWeek, the industry's premier event on graphical system design that attracts more than 3,000 of the world's brightest engineers, educators, and scientists. NIWeek 2010, the company's 16th annual customer and technology conference, opens August 3 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas, for three days of interactive technical sessions, targeted summits, hands-on workshops, and exhibitions on the latest developments for design, control, automation, manufacturing, and test. The conference also features keynote presentations and demonstrations that highlight how engineers and scientists can use NI graphical system design to test, measure, and fix inefficient products and processes to improve everyday life.&quot;
We're looking forward to learning more as new product announcements roll in-- stay tuned.&#160; And as always, it's great to reconnect with colleagues and peers as well as meet new interesting and innovative people at NIWeek 2010.</description> 
    <dc:creator>Darren Jones</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:04:00 GMT</pubDate> 
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    <title>Happy 14th Anniversary DMC!</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/219/Happy-14th-Anniversary-DMC.aspx</link> 
    <description>Remember When, 1996:

    &quot;Macarena&quot; was at the top of the charts
    NBC had 8 of the top 10 shows, including ER, Seinfeld &amp; Friends, (and you could record those shows using a state of the art Hi-Fi 4-head VCR),
    Gas was going for about $1.25/gallon
    With a 100Mhz WinBook XP5, with 16MB RAM &amp; an 810 MB HDD, a little bit of knowledge, and a lot to learn, I started DMC on July 29th.

Anniversaries are a fun time to reflect on the changes that have happened over time. &#160;The 14th anniversary, with a traditional gift of Ivory, isn't as strongly symbolic as some of the more popular anniversaries (generally the ones that are divisible by 5, with the ones that are divisible by 5 twice being among the most popular).
So, even though 14 isn't as strongly meaningful as the 25th or 50th anniversaries, it at least warrants a blog post, and, if I remember, perhaps some donuts.
The first project I worked on in 1996 was a multi-axis servo controlled converting system used to make sausage casing. &#160;The system had a PC running Windows 3.11 for the operator interface with an application developed in MS VB 4.0.
The next few projects included programming the control system for an electronics welding robot, creating the software for an IV Bag manufacturing line, and working on automating a packaging machine for breakfast pastries.
After a few more projects, I realized that I needed help, otherwise I would perpetually be in the feast or famine mode of work. &#160;Thankfully, I was able to convince Ken Brey, one of the smarter people I had met to date (and since) to join DMC as my business partner. &#160;That one decision ended up being foundational in defining our #1 core value&#160;of hiring smart people.
So, although a ton has changed at DMC &amp; the world around us in 14 years, some things have remained pretty constant:

    We continue to work in a variety of industries, with a wide range of technologies
    We remain committed to delivering world-class customer service, with a &quot;whatever-it-takes&quot; attitude
    The DMC Team only becomes better with time (it's amazing the great people we've been able to attract and retain here)

I really look forward to the next 7 years, as it will be really exciting for DMC to be able to finally legally drink.</description> 
    <dc:creator>Frank Riordan</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:59:00 GMT</pubDate> 
    <guid isPermaLink="false">f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:219</guid> 
    
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    <title>Employee Spotlight: Danny Budzinski</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/218/Employee-Spotlight-Danny-Budzinski.aspx</link> 
    <description>Danny Budzinski, Project Engineer
What do you like best about working at DMC?

&#160;It's great to solve problems for a living.&#160; At DMC our customers come to us with such interesting and intricate challenges, and being involved in that is what gets me excited as an engineer.

Can you describe one of the most interesting projects you've worked on at DMC?
About a year ago, I did some work at a correctional center in Chicago.&#160; We replaced HMI displays in the control room that monitor and control the doors and alarms in the facility.&#160; It was an interesting challenge to program because everything had to be exactly right, at the risk of compromising security and, you know, people escaping.
You have had some biochemical research published.&#160; This seems interesting for an engineer?
Yes, although I didn’t have a background in biochemistry I applied for a biochemical internship at Notre Dame while in college.&#160; I was invited to work on research involving the detection of immunological disorders from urine samples.&#160; Apparently my work was good enough to include my name on the publishing.
Describe some of your engineering hobbies.
I really enjoy homemade robotics.&#160; I programmed my Roomba to play “Jingle Bells” and I want to work on a football-themed soundtrack for the fall.&#160; My goal is to spearhead the creation of a robot utopian society, where all of the work is done by robots and people are free to enjoy their leisure time however they’d like.
I also get into creating props and robotics for Halloween.&#160; It’s one of the only holidays where you can design over-the-top animatronics and decorations.&#160; Every year I set up a pretty elaborate display and let my inner Imagineer show.
What is your favorite programming language?
I would have to say C, with the caveat that I don’t think I am dorky enough to have a favorite.&#160; It’s like having to pick your favorite child.
That statement just made you dorky enough.&#160; What do you like to do outside of engineering?
I am a huge supporter of all Notre Dame sports as well as the 2007 Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts.&#160; I do not like to ride my bike (anymore).
Any advice for city cyclists or motorists?
Drivers turning right should always check the bike lane prior to making any moves into where a biker might be.
Shouldn't they already know that?
They should, but not everyone does.&#160; Cyclists in the city should take the rules of defensive driving and multiply them by 4,000.&#160; Also, if you happen to fall I strongly suggest against landing on your face.&#160; I learned that one the hard way.
I&#160;know you are a LOST&#160;fan.&#160; What character do you identify with most?
I would have to say Jack, because he is obsessed with solving problems.&#160; I often get sidetracked trying to fix or improve things around me.&#160; One thing I’d do differently than Jack, however, is sit Jacob down and have him explain all of the plot holes and discontinuities in the story line.
What is your favorite place in Chicago?
I would have to say the fireworks at Navy Pier, for sentimental reasons.</description> 
    <dc:creator>Jessica Mlinaric</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:29:00 GMT</pubDate> 
    <guid isPermaLink="false">f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:218</guid> 
    
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    <title>Is 1% a Big Deal?  Do the Math…</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/217/Is-1-a-Big-Deal-Do-the-Math.aspx</link> 
    <description>Of course the answer to this question can vary significantly, but far too often, ideas that are supposed to change things by 1% are dismissed prematurely.&#160; Why does this happen?
To most people, the number 1 is a pretty small number.&#160; If you have to make an effort to change something and you expect the result of that effort to yield a 1% improvement, a common gut reaction is that it’s probably not worth the effort.&#160; For motivation, justification, and acceptance of any risk that comes along with a change, people naturally want to see their blood, sweat, and tears yield an attention grabbing improvement:&#160; 
&#160;

    &quot;Sales increased by 20%&quot; 
    &quot;Web traffic increased by 50%&quot; 
    &quot;Lead times were slashed by 25%&quot;

&#160;
Those statements sure sound a lot better than &quot;Utilization increased by 1%&quot;.&#160; [Did you just yawn?]
&#160;
You Have an Idea
I spend a fair amount of time working with business leaders on project justification exercises, where the decision to move forward is often based on whether or not project benefits exceed the cost to complete the project.&#160; It is not uncommon to hear a President, VP, or even a CFO respond to a business process improvement idea with the statement, &quot;That would only improve things marginally&quot;.&#160;&#160; I usually ask, &quot;Would it improve things by 1%?&quot;&#160; If their answer is &quot;Yes&quot; [it usually is], then I ask them to humor me and do the math.&#160;
&#160;
Do the Math...
Here's a real-world example from a recent discussion with an executive at a professional services firm:
&#160;
The product that most professional services firms sell to their clients is a person's time, which is typically sold at an hourly rate.&#160;&#160; I was discussing a $50,000 project with this executive.&#160; The proposed project would change the way that they assign their 50 resources to projects.&#160; After the proposed change is made, we agreed that their employees would be able to spend an additional 30 minutes each week on billable projects.&#160; This would have the effect of increasing their utilization rate by a little over 1%. &#160;[Did you shrug your shoulders too?]
&#160;
Most individuals at this firm are salaried which equates to roughly 2,000 potentially billable hours each year and charge a rate of $150 per hour.&#160; The firm’s average utilization rate is 70%.
So, is a 1% increase in the Utilization Rate (about 25 minutes per week) a big deal?
&#160;

    Before 1% Increase:&#160; Annual Revenue is $10,500,000 (50 people x 2,000 hrs x $150/hr x 70%)
    
    After 1% Increase:&#160; Annual Revenue is $10,650,000 (50 people x 2,000 hrs x $150/hr x 71%) 

&#160;
A Utilization Rate Increase of 1% would increase revenue by $150,000 in the first 12 months!&#160; That's an ROI&#160;of 200% in just the first year!&#160; This 1% change also drives the company’s 10% net profit up by 15%.
&#160;
Don't Forget to Measure &amp; Publish Results
Using a similar process, you can easily do the math on your own ideas to improve your company's Key Performance Indicators.&#160; Once you decide to move forward with a change that targets improvement in a Key Performance Indicator, don't forget to measure the impact of the change (before and after).
&#160;
Although it's a lot easier to measure things when measurements are automated and the results are easy to interpret and share [I’m thinking of a SharePoint Dashboard, but that’s what I do for a living], you can certainly keep track of measurements in other ways – try manually updating a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and generating a pivot table graph if you don’t have Microsoft SharePoint.&#160; With SharePoint, everyone in the organization can view the real-time status of the Key Performance Indicator from their web-browser or perhaps on a LCD screen mounted in a break room or on the shop floor.&#160; If you don’t have SharePoint, you could email the results to everyone in the organization and/or print and post them in&#160;common&#160;areas of the office or on the shop floor where everyone will see them.
&#160;
One reason I am a big fan of implementing an automated dashboard is that&#160;the process of&#160;keeping a&#160;manual dashboard up-to-date can be&#160;time-consuming and too often, other “high-priority” tasks pop-up which take precedence over maintaining the dashboard.&#160; I think you will also find that over time,&#160;the frequency of updating the Excel spreadsheet, sending out an email, and printing &amp; posting results tends to decrease.&#160;&#160; Soon after you finish a reporting cycle, it’s about time to start updating the spreadsheet again.
&#160;
The Conclusion
It is pretty simple to show how a “measly” 1% improvement can have significant impact on your business.&#160; Having a culture of continuous improvement, driving, measuring &amp; publishing these improvements, can truly drive huge benefits.</description> 
    <dc:creator>Rick Rietz</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:27:00 GMT</pubDate> 
    <guid isPermaLink="false">f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:217</guid> 
    
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    <title>Hit By a Bus</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/216/Hit-By-a-Bus.aspx</link> 
    <description>We talk a lot at DMC&#160;about making sure to back up your&#160;programs and to work in teams where everyone is knowledgeable enough to take over any or every part of a project.&#160;We always joke that this is in case an engineer gets, you know, “hit by a bus”.
The logic is that we never want to be in a position where a project hinges on 1 person.&#160;That way, regardless of availability a DMC engineer should be able to support a customer in need almost interchangeably.
Of course, this is just 1 of many crucial pieces in our push to provide world class customer service, but recently the “hit by a bus” joke hit a little too close to home.
&#160;
Biking on the way to work on Monday July 12th, I was cut off by a turning car and was in a major crash.&#160;It was the scariest thing that ever happened to me, but all-in-all I was as lucky as I could have been.&#160;I suffered numerous cuts and scrapes, got a face full of stitches, and spent the night in the hospital, but didn’t have a single broken bone or missing tooth.&#160;&#160;Just goes to show that mom is probably right when she says to wear a helmet kids… mine might have saved my life!&#160;
&#160;



&#160;
In addition to letting everyone know that I am back at work and doing much better, I wanted to take a moment to thank my wonderful coworkers and all of DMC for the visits while I was in the hospital and the words of encouragement as I heal up.&#160;In true engineering fashion they brought me a Rubik’s Cube and Michael Lewis’ book about Silicon Valley to help cheer me up.&#160;In all honesty I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to work with.
&#160;
Thanks everyone and be safe driving and biking!
&#160;</description> 
    <dc:creator>Danny Budzinski</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:38:00 GMT</pubDate> 
    <guid isPermaLink="false">f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:216</guid> 
    
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    <title>DMC to Lead TMA Executive KPI Workshop</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/215/DMC-to-Lead-TMA-Executive-KPI-Workshop.aspx</link> 
    <description>DMC&#160;will be leading the&#160;Tooling and Manufacturing Association's&#160;executive breakfast workshop on August 19, 2010.&#160; The event will focus on defining Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and using Microsoft SharePoint to achieve business goals.
“There are true cost-saving and innovation benefits companies will realize by taking full advantage of the SharePoint platform.&#160; Unfortunately, many small and mid-size organizations do not realize they already own the licensing rights to use core SharePoint features or sometimes they aren’t aware that SharePoint does a whole lot more than just store documents,” says Rick Rietz, DMC’s Director of Consulting Services.

With over 100,000,000 world-wide users, Microsoft SharePoint has emerged as the de facto collaboration, search, workflow, and dashboarding platform for business.&#160; SharePoint offers business a way to leverage the Microsoft technology they already own to drive their business to operate more efficiently and become more competitive through a multitude of capabilities.
The event's agenda includes:

    Complimentary breakfast and networking time with other business leaders
    KPI and dashboard workshop 
    Using existing data to create a performance management dashboard 
    Learn to plan a SharePoint portal and avoid common pitfalls 
    Overview and demonstration of the Microsoft SharePoint Platform 
    Estimating the cost of hardware, software, services, and ongoing support

Event Details and RSVP&#160;Information
The workshop will take place on August 19, 2010 from 7:30 am to 10:30 am at the TMA&#160;offices (1177 S. Dee Road in Park Ridge, IL).&#160; DMC will cover the $40 event fee for our guests at this event. Please contact Jessica at 312.255.8757 or via email at jessica.mlinaric@dmcinfo.com&#160;OR Register Here&#160;as a DMC&#160;guest&#160;for this event.</description> 
    <dc:creator>Jessica Mlinaric</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:23:00 GMT</pubDate> 
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    <title>Compiling 32-bit Apps for 64-bit Windows</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/213/Compiling-32-bit-Apps-for-64-bit-Windows.aspx</link> 
    <description>32-bit applications have been around for a long time while 64-bit operating systems are only recently gaining popularity. Therefore, I would expect that the 64-bit OS successors would make it easy to run legacy 32-bit apps. And, they do as long as you compile them correctly.</description> 
    <dc:creator>Eric Anderson</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:00:00 GMT</pubDate> 
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    <title>Bastille Day 2010</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/214/Bastille-Day-2010.aspx</link> 
    <description>Ok, we really knew about this from the the Shamrock Shuffle earlier this year, but Johnathan Sullivan is now, without any ambiguity, proclaimed:
&quot;World's Fastest Engineer
who works at DMC&quot;
I enjoyed being in that esteemed position for a short period (although my standing had one more modifier - see here).
Team DMC had a fantastic showing in the Chicago Bastille Day 5K, held in Lincoln Park on July 7th. &#160;Our team came in third place out of 26 registered teams (and a total field of over 2000), with an average race time of 21:52 for our top 5 finishers. &#160;IF Jesse Batsche had not had such a poor showing or if Eric Nielsen's time were registered, we would have certainly been in second place!
Team DMC Individual results:

    Team DMC 2010 Bastille Day Results
    
        
            &#160;
            Runner
            Time
            Pace
        
        
            1
            Johnathan Sullivan
            18:01
            5:49
        
        
            2
            Jody Koplo
            20:39
            6:40
        
        
            3
            Eric Nielsen
            21:34
            6:58
        
        
            4
            Cesar Pena
            22:31
            7:16
        
        
            5
            Danny Budzinski
            23:59
            7:45
        
        
            6
            Matt Puskala
            24:36
            7:56
        
        
            7
            Frank Riordan
            25:11
            8:08
        
        
            8
            Jessica Milinaric
            27:08
            8:44
        
        
            9
            Jesse Batsche*
            33:17
            10:45
        
    

* Ken Brey pinch-ran for Jesse since Jesse was in Michigan at race time
Of very interesting note in this race is how well the team from Instep Software performed. &#160;It's just too bad that we didn't have a wager with them on this one, because, depending on how much I spotted them, I'd probably owe my friend John Kalanik a steak dinner now.
Also of note is that Cesar Pena, who I had soundly beat by 1000 milliseconds in the Shamrock Shuffle, managed to outrun me in this race by 0.044 hours.</description> 
    <dc:creator>Frank Riordan</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:36:00 GMT</pubDate> 
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    <title>DMC SharePoint Video Blogs Now Available for MP3 Download</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/212/DMC-SharePoint-Video-Blogs-Now-Available-for-MP3-Download.aspx</link> 
    <description>You are curious about SharePoint and KPI dashboards.&#160; You are still trying to determine the difference between SharePoint Foundation, SharePoint 2010, WSS and MOSS.&#160; You are not quite sure what KPI stands for.&#160; You also don’t have 7-10 extra minutes in your workday to watch a video blog and find out.

DMC understands!&#160; Today’s society is increasingly on-the-go, that’s why DMC made our video blogs available for MP3 download.&#160; Instead of bad 80’s ballads your next jog or commute can be filled with inspiration and ideas for improving collaboration, cutting down on mistakes, and improving the efficiency of your business.&#160; 

We’re not asking you to remove Bon Jovi from your iPod…just add DMC to the playlist!

Download the MP3s for these blogs [right-click and save as]:
Automating a SharePoint Dashboard is Essential
Feature Comparison of SharePoint 2010, Foundation, MOSS,&#160; and WSS
Planning a Successful Microsoft SharePoint Portal

Or&#160;check out the original video blogs:
Automating a SharePoint Dashboard&#160;is Essential
Feature Comparison of SharePoint 2010, Foundation, MOSS, and&#160;WSS
Planning a Successful&#160;Microsoft SharePoint&#160;Portal
&#160;</description> 
    <dc:creator>Jessica Mlinaric</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:46:00 GMT</pubDate> 
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    <title>LabVIEW 2009 SP1 and Visual Studio 2010 class libraries</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/211/LabVIEW-2009-SP1-and-Visual-Studio-2010-class-libraries.aspx</link> 
    <description>While it is usually preferable to avoid mixing development environments for a project, sometimes we need to create a mixed platform solution. &#160;In a recent project, I needed to create a class library in C# to interact with a LabVIEW 2009 SP1 application.
I fired up Visual Studio 2010 and created a quick .Net 4 application. &#160;On attempting to create a constructor in LabVIEW, I got the error message: &quot;The selected file is not a .NET assembly, type library or automation executable&quot;. &#160;This wasn't entirely unexpected as VS 2010 was released after LV 2009 SP1. &#160;So, I converted the project to .Net 3.5 and was on my way.
Unfortunately, I was greeted with &quot;LabVIEW: Internal error. Wrong memory zone accessed.&quot; when I tried run my newly compiled dll. &#160;No amount of changing settings has any effect on the error message.
There is, however, a simple solution. &#160;Just make sure to select .NET Framework 3.5 when you create your class library in Visual Studio 2010.</description> 
    <dc:creator>Leon Grossman</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Tue, 06 Jul 2010 18:44:00 GMT</pubDate> 
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    <title>Employee Spotlight: Cesar Pena</title> 
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    <description>&#160;Cesar Pena:&#160;Senior Project Engineer
You have had the opportunity to live and work in several different countries; what have those experiences been like?

It broadens your view of the world and opens your way of thinking.&#160; You definitely learn to appreciate things that are usually taken for granted.&#160; For example, in America you can generally find a store open at anytime of the day or night; but in Germany hours are more restricted and stores are closed entirely on Sundays.

Priorities differ from place to place and I try to learn from the best aspects of each place.&#160; Germany has a very “green” and ecologically-minded society, which I have tried to integrate into my life.&#160; In Mexico, I value the great emphasis placed on spending time with one’s friends and family.&#160; I appreciate the practicality of American infrastructure and the entrepreneurial attitude of the U.S.
&#160;
Do you have any key career lessons to share?

Always be learning; you place yourself at a disadvantage by remaining stagnant. Making mistakes is a great exercise in learning and applying knowledge in future situations.&#160; Also, never expect opportunities to fall into your lap - be a go-getter.&#160; These are definitely attitudes espoused here at DMC.
What do you like best about working at DMC?

DMC engineers are able to work on projects with a great degree of variety and challenge.&#160; Also, it’s great to work with such intelligent coworkers.
&#160;
&#160;What is one of the most interesting projects you have worked on at DMC?

I worked on a dimensional weighing system to measure the volume of boxes.&#160; Using a camera and moveable laser we developed a 3D vision system to calculate the volume of boxes on a forklift.
Do you have a favorite programming language?

I would say C++.&#160; It is very flexible for me since I have a great amount of experience in that language.
&#160;
What do you like to do outside of engineering?

My two small kids are a full-time hobby!&#160; I am training for a triathlon, so after they are put to bed at night I go running.&#160; I also bike and swim when I can to prepare for the triathlon.&#160; 
&#160;
I really enjoy traveling, and have visited every continent except Oceania and Antarctica.&#160; Thailand is one of my favorite destinations for their wonderful food, awesome weather, and amazing culture.
&#160;
Any favorite Chicago destinations?
I love the lakefront path when it is not too crowded.&#160; Also, my wife and I enjoy exploring restaurants all over the city.&#160; My favorite is probably Thai food, but we love trying different locations.

Explain your self-proclaimed snobbery.

I am a coffee snob and prefer dark roasted beans.&#160; Also, I am a dark chocolate snob and will go out of my way to purchase quality European dark chocolate.&#160; You just can’t get it at the chain grocery stores!

Describe&#160;yourself in three words.
Smart, funny, and ecological.</description> 
    <dc:creator>Jessica Mlinaric</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:30:00 GMT</pubDate> 
    <guid isPermaLink="false">f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:209</guid> 
    
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    <title>Fast Embedded Prototyping: GHI Electronic's FEZ Cobra</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/208/Fast-Embedded-Prototyping-GHI-Electronics-FEZ-Cobra.aspx</link> 
    <description>&#160;In an ideal world, a design project has well defined phases with appropriate time alloted for each milestone. &#160;In the real world, clients often bring a project that is already behind schedule, needing results yesterday. &#160;Board design can be a cumbersome process, often taking weeks before something physical is ready for the end customer. &#160;Breadboarding is an option, but it often isn't worth the time to put together a complete system with flimsy connectors that will be difficult to document.
GHI Electronics&#160;has been pushing the envelope on serious off-the-shelf options with their&#160;FEZ product line. &#160;Their robust .NET Micro Framework-based &#160;designs make a great solution for many commercial applications. &#160;(Microsoft's .NET Micro Framework is a mature, full featured managed embedded programming platform that makes sense for many complex commercial applications.)
Their latest addition to this line is the&#160;FEZ Cobra, which consists of the&#160;EMX module&#160;mounted on a board with several peripheral devices and IO points available. &#160;Unlike a starter kit, more IO points are easily available along with many useful peripherals including Ethernet, USB Host, USB Device, and an LCD connector. &#160;
This device is an ideal solution for a client looking to get an initial prototype up and running quickly for testing and verification, prior to designing a final board for the EMX module. &#160;The large amount of easily accessible IO leads allow external prototype circuits to be connected and validated. &#160;(Often times development kits don't have enough IO available if the system will use the majority of IO available). &#160;The on board peripherals allow quick connectivity and programmability. &#160;The robust board design is more appropriate for a temporary (or potentially permanent)&#160;&#160;field&#160;deployment to test the device or interface with a larger system compared to a typical development system. &#160;The 6 JST connectors allow connection to one of several off-the-shelf peripherals (see&#160;the FEZ Cobra Components).
Of course the Embedded Master and FEZ lines are also well suited to hobbyists fun for robot design, interactive display devices, and other fun projects. &#160;In the commercial world where the hardware platform is decided by expected volume, target price per unit, engineering cost, and calendar development time, the FEZ Cobra platform definitely has found its spot.&#160;</description> 
    <dc:creator>Matt Puskala</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:45:00 GMT</pubDate> 
    <guid isPermaLink="false">f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:208</guid> 
    
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    <title>Geek Challenge:  Rain Drop Density</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/206/Geek-Challenge-Rain-Drop-Density.aspx</link> 
    <description>DMC Newsletter Geek Challenge&#160; - May 2010:

Devise and perform an experiment to determine the volumetric density of liquid water in the near-ground atmosphere during a hard rain.&#160; Simply put, if you could freeze time and collect all of the liquid water in a 1 cubic meter box of atmosphere at eye level during a rain storm, how much liquid water would you have?
&#160;
We know that there is a lot of water vapor in the atmosphere during a rain storm, but we are only interested in the liquid amount.&#160; While driving when wipers can barely keep up it seems there is a lot of liquid, but there is never so much that a person has a hard time breathing while standing in the rain. How would one quantify it?

Two readers responded with correct answers to the question: Gene Szafranski of Wonderware North, and Brent Nelson of Texas A&amp;M University.&#160; 
&#160;
Both respondents recognized that the key to solving the question of the volumetric density of the rainy air is to analyze the flow rate equation at the interface between the falling low-density rain and a rising completely dense puddle.&#160; With no water going anywhere else, the rate that that surface water rises must equal the rate that the rain drops fall. For any given collection area, the rain falling in must equal the water rising in the area.&#160; Rain falls into the collection area travelling at high velocity but with low density.

Volumetric Rate = Collection Area X Rain Drop Velocity X Density

If the collection area were a straight-sided container, the volumetric rate of water entering the container would cause the water level to rise by the following equation:
&#160;
Water Rise Rate = Volumetric Rate / Collection Area

Combining these equations, the Collection Area and Volumetric Rate drop out, and what's left is:

Density = Water Rise Rate / Rain Drop Velocity
&#160;
So, to experimentally determine the water rise rate is easy.&#160; All that is required is a rain gauge.&#160; Since rain gauges are generally built to measure several inches of rain, a measurement over a shorter duration can be obtained with a larger collection area more with precise volume.&#160; I like an 8&quot; funnel&#160; and 50ml graduated for this purpose.

&#160;A good hard rain measures out to about 1 inch per hour.

Next, we have to figure the velocity of a raindrop.&#160; Gene Googled it and said it's between 9 and 13 m/s.&#160; Brent suggests you can measure the velocity experimentally using Particle Image Velcimerty, if you have about $50,000 of equipment.&#160; I found a less expensive way.&#160; I parked my car a short distance from a parking lot street light and observed the rain fall past the light.&#160; While I couldn't track an individual drop visually, I could track the general falling mass of drops visually, and I used a stop-watch to time how long it took to reach the ground from the light.&#160; My measurement was 0.8 seconds, and on a dry day I estimated that the light is 24 feet (7.3m) high.&#160; So my observed rain drop velocity is 9 m/s.
&#160;
So now it is possible to calculate the density of rain drops in the air. Density = 1 inch/hour divided by 9m/s.

Converting units, that's 0.000007 m/s divided by 9 m/s=0.00000078 or 7.8e-7.

Since there are 1 million cubic millimeters in a cubic meter, if you froze time and collected the rain inside one cubic meter of rainy air, you would have about 0.8 cubic mm of water.</description> 
    <dc:creator>Ken Brey</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:42:00 GMT</pubDate> 
    <guid isPermaLink="false">f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:206</guid> 
    
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    <title>LabVIEW Data Storage: TDMS Performance Tweaking</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/205/LabVIEW-Data-Storage-TDMS-Performance-Tweaking.aspx</link> 
    <description>In the first part of my series, LabVIEW Data Storage: Overview of TDMS, I introduced TDMS as our preferred file format and pointed users toward exploring and using TDMS themselves. In this post, I'm assuming that you are comfortable handling channels, properties, and data and want to learn more about optimizing your TDMS files to both decrease disk space and improve performance when opening and modifying files.
&#160;
&#160;
Preventing File Fragmentation
The TDMS file format is optimized for streaming. Therefore, data is not arranged neatly in the file. Instead, every time data is written to the file, a new chunk is added that includes some header information and then a chunk of binary data. Essentially, the header is specifying what channels and how many samples are represented in the chunk of binary data. This header plus binary data is then just tacked onto the end of the file. This allows an instance where we may have only written 100 samples to one channel, then we switch and write to another channel, and then we come back and write to the first. In a more traditional file format, the entire file would need to be re-organized on disk in order to keep the data sequential. TDMS handles this by using its headers and simply writing sequentially.
&#160;
You may have noticed that as you write to a TDMS file, two files are created and grow larger as more data is written. The first is the *.tdms file as expected, but the other file is *.tdms_index. The normal *.tdms file is a dump of the packets we discussed above. However, in order to quickly read these packets later, a second file is created that lists each data chunk and exactly where it can be found. If the tdms file is an encyclopedia of data, then the tdms_index file is a table of contents that allows us to flip to the correct page without reading or caring about the pages before it.
&#160;
I'm simplifying everything a bit, but for our purposes this is fair description of how the actual file is laid out. If you're interested, the full details of the on-disk format are available from NI here: TDMS File Format Internal Structure
&#160;
So what does all this pushing to disk mean to us? Well, assume we are only saving one single sample point at a time to our tdms file. Each time we wrote we would need to generate a large header and write it to disk just to record a few bytes of date. Our file would grow incredibly large, especially compared to the actual data contained! This is called fragmentation. Luckily, National Instruments takes care of this for us in the background. A buffer is created by default for every channel we create and write to. Unfortunately, documentation on this feature is fairly sparse, but based on my testing the default value seems to be one, which is effectively no buffering. This means that each TDMS Write creates a new chunk instead of samples being stored up in the background and then written as one larger chunk that contains samples from multiple TDMS Write calls.
&#160;
By default, this is usually okay since most applications are only reading, and thus writing, data at a relatively slow rate. &#160;However, over a long test this can lead to high fragmentation and very large files. These files also generate large tdms_index files since there are so many chunks to keep track of. Other than higher disk usage, there is another detriment to these files - it takes much longer to open them later since the entire index needs to be read in and processed. In fact, a good measure of fragmentation is comparing the size of your tdms file to the size of your tdms_index file. The worst case scenario would be if these files are near identical sizes.
&#160;
There are two solutions to this problem. The simplest is to run a &quot;defragment&quot; on your tdms file after you are finished generating it. The TDMS Defragment function can be found on the palette with the other TDMS tools. The other solution is to prevent this fragmentation in the first place. You may already be thinking about storing your data in an array and waiting for it to reach a specific size, or maybe just not acquiring data as quickly, but there is a much more elegant solution. NI gives us access to a fairly undocumented property that will allow us to adjust their background buffer. It's called NI_MinimumBufferSize and needs to be specified for each channel you create. There is some documentation from the LabVIEW Help here: Setting the Minimum Buffer Size for a .tdms File.
&#160;

&#160;
Determining an appropriate size for your application basically involves a balancing act between disk usage, RAM usage, and data integrity. If your application or OS crashed before a buffer is written to disk, your unwritten data will be lost. This can be avoided by using the Flush TDMS function, also available on the TDMS Palette. This function explicitly writes the buffers to disk for a given TDMS file, no matter how many samples are in them. At DMC we often use the Flush TDMS function when changing between test steps, or at a given interval (say 15 minutes) if the data rate is fluctuating or under user control. Obviously this is very dependent on the specific implementation.
&#160;
The overall goal here is to minimize our fragmentation in order to keep disk usage low and more importantly to keep opening and interacting with TDMS files quick.
&#160;
&#160;
&#160;
Efficiently Managing Metadata
Remember earlier when I discussed the difference between binary data and metadata such as properties and names? Well, metadata can also have a strong effect on the performance of our TDMS files. Metadata is not stored and opened the same way as the raw binary data. Because metadata includes a lot of the important hierarchy and channel properties for a TDMS file it needs to be quickly accessed. If we go back to the encyclopedia analogy from above, this metadata makes up our table of contents. It would be impossible to look up the data for a specific channel without knowing the names of the channels that exist in our file. This can also be true of other properties, like channel length or datatype. For this reason, all metadata is loaded into memory when you open a TDMS file. It also means that as you write more metadata, your memory footprint grows.
&#160;

&#160;
This may seem fairly trivial right now, but consider the following case. You're writing an application that goes through a series of test steps. During the test you need to monitor data from 500 channels. Maybe some of these are analog inputs, maybe some of them are data values received over CAN or serial, but the application has 500 distinct values that need to be recorded during the test. The simplest implementation is to create a new group for each step the test runs through and then save each of your channels by name into that group. Well, if we estimate an average of 10 letters per channel name, with 500 channels, and 100 steps you now have 500k bytes of extra metadata (at one byte per character). This doesn't take into account the default properties that each channel has, like NI_ChannelLength or NI_DataType. Those account for another 27 characters per channel and another 1350k bytes. When you consider parsing time and reading all of this from different places in disk, your TDMS files will open very slowly indeed, even if the files themselves aren't large.
&#160;
There are a number of ways to get around this, and I'll talk about them more in depth in my next post.
&#160;
&#160;
&#160;
Reading Only What You Need
Another option for TDMS optimization that is often under-utilized is the ability to read only certain chunks of the raw data. For example, if I am only interested in the last half hour of a test, there is no need to read in the entire data structure and then discard half of it. Instead I can read the properties for the channel, including length, time interval, and start time and then calculate where I need to start my read and how many samples to retrieve. This doesn't provide a huge benefit with lower data rates or low channel count applications, but if we are talking about an incredibly large TDMS file, then it may not even be possible to pull the full waveform into memory.
&#160;
This can also be used when analyzing past data. If you are looking for a signal to transition from 0 volts to 10 volts in a larger data set, the most efficient way to search is via chunking. Chunking is the process of reading in a smaller sample set over and over. Instead of reading in a full array of 100k samples, we can read in 1k samples at a time and check for the voltage transition. If we really wanted to optimize the process we would tune the chunk size (multiples of 2 work well - 1024 is often a good choice) and make sure that we re-used the same chunk of data for each read and inspection to prevent multiple memory allocations.
&#160;
&#160;
Conclusion
&#160;
This should provide a good primer on dealing with complicated and larger datasets using the TDMS format. By utlizing the above techniques you can not only substantially decrease the file size, but also increase the performance and responsiveness of opening and managing these files. Obviously, the exact implementation will vary greatly from one application to another, but generally each of these tips can be used in some facet.
&#160;
For a hands-on demonstration of how we pulled all of these techniques together to implement a data file format for a Battery Management System (BMS) Validation Test Stand check out my next blog in this series:&#160;LabVIEW Data Storage: TDMS Usage Case Study
&#160;</description> 
    <dc:creator>Jody Koplo</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:44:00 GMT</pubDate> 
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    <title>LabVIEW Data Storage: Overview of TDMS</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/178/LabVIEW-Data-Storage-Overview-of-TDMS.aspx</link> 
    <description>This is part one of my blog series detailing the use and optimization of the&#160;TDMS format. Here is a table of contents for all blogs in this series:
LabVIEW Data Storage: Overview of TDMS
LabVIEW Data Storage: TDMS Performance Tweaking
LabVIEW Data Storage: TDMS&#160;Usage Case Study
&#160;
Here at DMC, almost all of our LabVIEW applications acquire data at one point or another. This data often needs to be saved to disk for later review, display, and/or exported to a report. Years ago, logging to disk would mean working with our client to decide what type of file format fit their needs the best.
&#160;
If they were concerned about disk space and needed high speed streaming rates we would use a raw binary file or other binary format like NI's datalog. If they wanted the data available for review and calculations in Excel we would create a CSV file with the trade-off being speed and large log files. If they were simply looking to save settings or setup data we would use an INI file format. In the last couple of years though, NI has released a file format called TDM which was later expanded by a format called TDM Streaming or TDMS.&#160;
&#160;
TDMS is described fairly in depth on National Instrument's site (NI TDM Data Model). Essentially, it's a file that includes a combination of metadata strings for things like names/properties/hierarchy and binary data for higher throughput, more byte consuming raw data. This model gives it the flexibility of an INI or XML file but with the high speed access and efficiency of a pure binary file.

Because of the great utility of TDMS, we find ourselves now using it on nearly every LabVIEW project, &#160;even if it's just to save some data during the debug phase.
&#160;
To get started with TDMS, search the LabVIEW examples and start with the simplified &quot;Write TDMS File.vi&quot; and &quot;Read TDMS File.vi&quot;. You can easily access the TDMS functions from the LabVIEW Palette. Just look in the File I/O submenu.

My next blog post will focus on TDMS performance and what's happening behind the scenes. Before going much further, I recommend familiarizing youself with with the concept of Groups, Channels, and Properties and how they can be used within the TDMS Hierarchy. Either look through the NI site on this subject (NI TDM Data Model) or play around with the example VIs until you have a good feel for what's going on.
&#160;The next blog in this series is&#160;LabVIEW Data Storage: TDMS Performance Tweaking
&#160;</description> 
    <dc:creator>Jody Koplo</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Tue, 15 Jun 2010 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate> 
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    <title>Energy Storage Research and Development:  Two New Case Studies</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/204/Energy-Storage-Research-and-Development-Two-New-Case-Studies.aspx</link> 
    <description>At DMC, we're happy to be working hard at the cutting edge of emerging Energy Storage devices.&#160; Many of the systems we've recently architected and delivered are world-class manufacturing test systems for Batteries and Smart Battery Packs.
Another aspect of our work is further upstream, in the realm of Research and Development.&#160; Two new case studies cite specific and extensive work that we have performed in world-class Battery and Fuel Cell research.
Both systems can be distinguished from our work in manufacturing by a few significant features:&#160; increased test throughput, scalability and flexibility for a range of laboratory equipment, and the high volume of data collected:
Batteries and Fuel Cells:&#160; Large Scale Distributed Testing
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Customizable Platform
&#160;</description> 
    <dc:creator>Darren Jones</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Mon, 14 Jun 2010 23:36:00 GMT</pubDate> 
    <guid isPermaLink="false">f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:204</guid> 
    
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    <title>DMC Presents at the 2010 Siemens Automation Summit</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/203/DMC-Presents-at-the-2010-Siemens-Automation-Summit.aspx</link> 
    <description>What was the best part of my trip to Charlotte,&#160;NC&#160;last week?&#160; - Watching the Blackhawks Stanley Cup game 6 on a massive screen in the NASCAR hall of fame after the Siemens award ceremony.&#160; Very surreal...and totally awesome!
Yes, Siemens really knows how to put on a great event.
Last week was the 2010 Siemens Automation Summit, held in beautiful Charlotte, NC.&#160; The Siemens Automation Summit is a conference that specifically focused on the end users of Siemens automaton products.&#160; It is a great event for users to check out new products and&#160;innovative&#160;solutions.&#160; It also&#160;gives them a chance to&#160;spend some quality time with&#160;many Siemens hardware and software experts as well as&#160;Siemens Solution Partners (like DMC).&#160;
Siemens presented some outstanding awards to their customers for innovative uses of Siemens products during a reception at the NASCAR hall of fame.&#160; One notable award was for&#160;a company called&#160;Magnetecs that&#160;is developing a&#160;medical device that uses a focused magnetic field to guide a catheter&#160;during&#160;heart surgery.&#160;&#160;When this technology&#160;gets approved it is supposed to greatly&#160;reduce the risks associated&#160;with heart surgery.&#160; This is really cutting-edge technology, all controlled by a high reliability Siemens PLC.

I&#160;gave a presentation at the summit on a solution that we developed for Siemens Water Technologies&#160;for their mobile de-ionized water trailers.&#160; The presentation highlighted the use of Siemens new S7-1200 PLC combined with a Siemens MD720-3 Sinaut Cellular modem for a complete control and telemetry solution.&#160; The presentation was very well received by the attendees and sparked a lot of great questions and dialog following the presentation.

DMC was very pleased to have been invited to the summit by Siemens and we look forward to next year.</description> 
    <dc:creator>Tim Jager</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:47:00 GMT</pubDate> 
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    <title>Northwestern Design Competition 2010</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/202/Northwestern-Design-Competition-2010.aspx</link> 
    <description>&#160;DMC has once again sponsored the Northwestern Design Competition. Design Competition is a contest that occurs every year at Northwestern and pits fully autonomous robots against each other to accomplish a specific task. This year that task was following a line maze and retrieving wooden and metal tokens to score points. The robots competed head to head which made collisions a very real possibility.
Those of you who keep up on the DMC blog may have read the employee spotlight that detailed my own participation in Design Competition. I have to say that it was one of the best learning experiences I had in college. I'm glad DMC could support this event and that students continue to have the opportunity to compete against each.
For more information about Northwestern Design Competition, please see their website:&#160;http://sites.google.com/site/dcnuinfo/
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</description> 
    <dc:creator>Jody Koplo</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Fri, 11 Jun 2010 22:06:00 GMT</pubDate> 
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    <title>Employee Spotlight: Jody Koplo</title> 
    <link>http://www.dmcinfo.com/Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/198/Employee-Spotlight-Jody-Koplo.aspx</link> 
    <description>Jody Koplo, Project Engineer&#160;
&#160;
You are one of DMC’s four&#160;Certified LabVIEW Architects.&#160; Describe the process for attaining that status.

It is the top level of certification that National Instruments offers for LabVIEW developers, so you must first attain all of the previous levels.&#160; There is a four hour exam in which you are given a project to program whose scope is well beyond the given time constraint.&#160; The exam is geared toward managing time and expectation so that someone else could potentially continue your project where you leave off at the end of the allotted time.&#160; You are required to document the project design and program the framework to a high enough level that it can be resumed including strategies to test, debug, and ensure the functionality works.
Do you have any engineering hobbies?

Since biking is a favorite hobby of mine I like to wrench and build bikes.&#160; I also dabble in audio, amplification, and sound devices.&#160; I am interested in kinetic art, and would like to get involved in that someday.&#160; It’s a form of art installation combined with some form of wind or motor-powered motion.
Can you tell me about the design competition you won in college?
&#160;
I entered the Northwestern Design Competition my sophomore year with four teammates.&#160; There is a stated challenge and the robots must be programmed to compete self-sufficiently with no remote control or interaction.&#160; That year the challenge included a tug-of-war where robots were tethered to a central ring and needed to locate and pop balloons.&#160; Our strategy was to combine the biggest motor with the biggest battery pack so we had a 7lb. robot with 2 horsepower motor.&#160; To pop the balloons we glued needles and x-acto knife blades to the robot, which we named Little John.&#160;
&#160;
When Little John operated at about 40-50% power the torque would break the wheels loose and it would spin in circles. To maintain consistent operation we had to change the battery every round.&#160; The entire project took about six months to design, source parts, and build and out of about 15 teams competing we won.
&#160;
Describe some interesting projects you have worked on at DMC?
&#160;
It’s always interesting to work with large government labs due to the extensive scale of their projects and available resources.&#160; One such project involved battery pack testing and another employed preventative maintenance to diagnose problems for a large super-cooled machine.
I always enjoy partnering with our neighbors at SRAM because my hobbies coincide.&#160; I was able to work with a product development fixture for endurance testing and failure analysis for a new gear system for bikes.&#160; It was fun to see the product development through each phase to product launch and read the cycling community’s guesses online about the new product details.
You are known for being an outdoor adventurer, describe one of the most interesting outings you’ve had and your goals for future athletic adventures.

I ran an accidental marathon in Las Vegas last year wearing a full zombie costume and makeup.&#160; A friend and I were doing the half-marathon in costume and she dared me to run&#160;the full marathon route. My overall time was just over 4 hours.
As far as future goals, I would just like to continue improving my times in everything.&#160; It is something of a life goal to complete a sub-3:00 marathon. A little more attainable is getting my 5k time down below 19 minutes.&#160; I’m still pretty new to climbing as&#160; a sport, but at some point in the next couple years I’d like to send a 5.12 sport route.
What is your favorite spot in Chicago?

I would have to say the Lakefront path because I spend so much time there, both running and biking. That being said, I also enjoy grabbing a beer from time to time at the Maproom.
What do you like best about working at DMC?

The atmosphere; DMC is a relaxed and collaborative environment.&#160; We share information and teach each other about our fields of expertise.&#160; For example, soon after I started at DMC four years ago I was working on a project involving Cognex.&#160; Ken, who is nationally renowned for his expertise in vision, coached me at the project outset and then let me take the lead. Everyone at DMC is an expert in their field and is working to accomplish the same goals; we benefit from each other immensely.</description> 
    <dc:creator>Jessica Mlinaric</dc:creator> 
    <pubDate>Wed, 26 May 2010 19:04:00 GMT</pubDate> 
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