DMC developed a LabVIEW application that allows flexible test sequencing across different test stands. In addition, we integrated generic PC peripherals with the LabVIEW application to ensure that high-level functionality of common interfaces (Ethernet, USB, and Serial) was verified. Pairing precision instruments with everyday IO in a custom test sequence allowed for end-to-end product testing and was made possible by the NI TestStand development platform.

The test system is also fully integrated with a Microsoft SQL server database to ensure compliance with modern production requirements. Database-level traceability, especially in the automotive industry, allows manufacturers to confidently and securely store production data with ease of recall for internal reporting or external audit. SQL offers an extensive toolchain for custom data analysis and process performance analysis to ensure the system continues to run reliably throughout its lifecycle.

PCB function test systems are prevalent in modern production environments. Today, Embedded PCB devices have many sub-systems, so achieving complete test coverage with automated test solutions can be demanding. By utilizing a flexible hardware design, customizable software technologies, and partners with the expertise to integrate the system components, manufacturers can ensure a highly productive and effective path to delivering high-quality products.

Learn more about DMC’s Test and Measurement and Embedded expertise and contact us for your next project.

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Software for battery test execution was programmed in LabVIEW for Real-Time to capitalize on deterministic performance and stand-alone reliability.  A PXI chassis with a Real-Time operating system provides critical control logic and data acquisition.  Each chassis is capable of running 10 asynchronous tests for 1000 hours or more.  The test chassis are on a local network, and store data to a central file server running an MS Windows Server and an SQL Server.  Any test on the system can be configured, controlled, and monitored from any PC on the network.  The custom Test Interface features the ability to define test steps, configure modular hardware, access a Battery Information database, and monitor live test conditions.  Raw data is stored in a TDMS format and is viewable through a custom data viewer and NI DIAdem.

Battery and Fuel Cell test environments can present significant safety concerns.  A lab-wide safety system consists of independent, highly available cRIO devices that monitor lab conditions and are capable of automatically shutting down tests in case of hazardous lab conditions.   This functionality is achieved with LabVIEW for Real-Time and for FPGA.

The system provides a modular, scalable, and fully configurable test platform, allowing the engineers and scientists at Argonne to accommodate and accurately test a wider variety of energy storage devices.  The high level of flexibility delivers precise test results without requiring the use of any one specific battery cycler hardware device.

Learn more about DMC’s Test & Measurement Automation expertise and contact us for your next project.

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The device consists of Bluetooth headset designed to measure EEG brain waves. The headset is accompanied by a mobile application which features multiple ‘modes’, each corresponding to a different mental state (ex. focused, relaxed). Audio and video in the app are designed to bring the user to the mental state described in the selected mode. EEG electrodes in the headset measure brain waves and determine the degree to which the selected mental state was achieved. At the end of the session, the app assigns the user a score depending on how closely they came to their goal.  

To prepare for the launch of this product, DMC engineers improved the sound quality and EEG measurement capabilities of the headset. Additionally, the DMC team made improvements to product stability, as well as the speed at which the headphones and app communicate. Lastly, DMC provided testing, experimentation, and product validation support. 

Learn more about DMC’s product development expertise and contact us to get started on your next project. 

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By integrating a solar panel and employing efficient power management strategies, the robot can maintain extended battery life, reducing the frequency of manual recharging.

A high-performance MCU and IMU established a robust foundation for orientation tracking. In addition to IMU and magnetometer, the robot’s sensors include multiple distance measurement sensors to improve obstacle detection. This comprehensive sensor data, combined with advanced motor control, supports efficient and adaptive navigation in a range of environments.

The inclusion of a wireless module simplifies over-the-air firmware updates and device configuration. The main MCU can be seamlessly placed into bootloader mode by the wireless module, ensuring smooth firmware updates for the main MCU. Additionally, the wireless module features its own firmware update capability, allowing for a comprehensive firmware update system.

DMC also developed a PC-based application that allows users to monitor sensor readings, adjust parameters, visualize the robot’s orientation, and control the robot in real time. This tool streamlined testing and optimization while laying the groundwork for more complex autonomous control algorithms.

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DMC combined the two microchips into a single ESP32 module to lower costs and began by using the built-in capacitive touch on the ESP32 chip. To improve performance, DMC implemented a dedicated capacitive touch controller, which enhanced touch reliability.

Breez Smart Bedroom Fan & White Noise Machine

DMC’s upgrade of the product allows for over-the-air updates and temperature sensing through an added thermistor. It was also designed on a sturdy wood base to prevent rattling noise. The temperature sensing feature automatically turns on and off based on the temperature of the room, can be set to a timer schedule, and can be controlled with a smart plug. The added fan allows consumers to alter the temperature while the product still provides white noise.

DMC’s previous work with the client and our experience with firmware programming and circuit board design allowed us to provide a modern, updated solution and successfully upgrade to dedicated capacitive touch reliability.

Learn more about our Embedded Systems Platform expertise and contact us for your next project.

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Image of PCB

The project started by evaluating different motor control technologies from the leading motor control vendors in the industry. Controllers must be able to operate in both sensored and sensor-less modes, be easily reconfigured to drive different motors in different applications, and be tunable on the fly to properly match the needed application.

TI MotorWare technology proved to be a great fit for these requirements. DMC then developed software to expand and optimize the TI MotorWare project to address the client’s need for a near universal PMSM motor controller. 

DMC worked closely with the client to design the custom PCBs for the controller and power electronics. These PCBs had to fit in an extremely small envelope to be used with the client’s smallest devices while also having the efficiency and thermal dissipation to effectively drive the client’s more powerful motors. We achieved this with a highly integrated design between the housing and PCB. With this, we used the latest Intelligent power modules from Infineon that allowed for high peak and sustained currents in a very compact design by integrating a half bridge and mosfet drivers into a single IC.

Learn more about DMC’s Embedded Development and Embedded Programming expertise and contact us today for your next project.

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As a potentially life-saving device, it is extremely important that every AED is checked regularly for proper functionality. Previously, most of this monitoring process was manual — an employee went around to each AED cabinet to physically check if each device was working correctly. This posed a few problems. First, if an AED were not functioning, it would only be discovered and resolved once an employee manually checked the device. Physically checking each AED cabinet can be very time-costly and is subject to human error.

DMC helped integrate an IoT solution so the monitoring could be performed remotely to mitigate these safety and inefficiency issues. Now, each AED is mounted inside of a cabinet fitted with an RMS connected to a cellular network. All AEDs perform self-checks on a regular basis. Using patented technology, the RMS can now sense the electrical activity within the AED during its self-checks and determine if the AED is operating correctly. If no electrical activity is sensed, or the AED fails its self-check, the RMS will send a notification via cellular network so that action can be taken to promptly replace the failed AED. 

By changing the AED monitoring process from manual to an automated remote monitoring system, the client’s RMS drastically reduced labor and maintenance costs, mitigated human error, and allowed for real-time monitoring of AEDs. With up to a ten-year battery life, the new device is now as dependable as it is effective. DMC is proud to have worked with this client to develop a product that has the potential to save many lives. 

Read more about DMC’s Embedded Development and Embedded Programming, and contact us to get started on your next project. 

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DMC delivered a fully open solution which included all source code and hardware schematics. This solution enabled the client’s in-house process and test engineers to maintain, refine, and expand the system over time, supporting any future test requirements.

This solution utilizes NI CompactRIO (cRIO) Single-board controller. This is an embedded system for rapid commercial development and deployment. It is designed for high-volume and OEM embedded control and analysis applications that require high performance and reliability. Featuring an open embedded architecture and compact size, this flexible, customizable, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware device is part of an accelerated custom design platform that can help you get your custom embedded control system to market quickly. With the CompactRIO platform, you can take advantage of FPGA performance, real-time determinism, and reliability with relatively low nonrecurring engineering compared with custom hardware design.

The complete solution provides out-of-the-box support for peripherals such as USB or Ethernet, the communication interface between the processor and FPGA, and drivers to onboard and modular I/O. The complete integrated software solution reduced the time and risk of a new project and allows engineers to focus on application development.

This solution utilizes CAN Bus Usage on the NI sbRIO. National Instruments (NI) provides a simple toolkit called “NI-Embedded CAN for RIO” for performing CAN operations on sbRIO targets. The toolkit provides access to send and receive CAN bus information at the frame level. The toolkit does not provide automatic processing of CAN frames into engineering data, or support of higher-level protocols such as SAE J1939.

DMC developed a limited feature toolkit to implement the SAE J1939 toolkit on the NI sbRIO platform. The toolkit consists of an example main loop VI with independent write and read loops. The user can initialize both loops with the J1939 PGN and SPNs they are interested in reading and writing, and then they can use the simple functional global VIs to update or read the SPNs they need in the main body of their custom code. Furthermore, DMC validated the sbRIO code for the client on a test bench using standard and well-accepted Vector CAN tools as the benchmark.

Our experience with LabVIEW programming and being a National Instruments Alliance member since 1997 qualified us to provide an updated solution for our client by developing a LabVIEW software toolkit.

The client finished their initial prototype development and evaluation process on time and on-budget, thanks to the DMC J1939 sbRIO toolkit. They were able to provide several prototypes to their customers for preliminary evaluation of their hardware, and, thanks to the flexibility of the DMC toolkit, they were also able to modify their J1939 usage as needed to meet each individual customer’s specific J1939 requirements.

Learn more about DMC’s Test and Measurement Automation expertise and contact us for your next project. 

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This solution utilizes Silicon Labs Bluetooth modules to control the operation of the battery, the main control module, and the remote controller.

We worked to optimize the Bluetooth based remote control reconnection time to eliminate the delay in response after users pushed buttons. DMC came up with our own method of pairing and securing the communication between the remote and the battery that uses the Bluetooth advertising, which does not need to create a full connection. This upgrade allows for significantly improved remote response time and allows the remote to be powered from a small coin cell battery that does not need to be charged or replaced frequently. 

Through the global chip shortage, DMC helped secure the parts for this project and optimize the design to allow for flexibility and multi-source options. Our experience with motor controls, higher power applications, and Bluetooth qualified us to provide a modern upgraded solution and successfully upgrade to Bluetooth based communication.

DMC’s work to upgrade the product allowed the client to expand their product portfolio, add Bluetooth and other new features, and continue selling devices through the chip shortage. 

Learn more about DMC’s Embedded Device Connectivity expertise and contact us for your next project. 

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DMC designed a custom circuit board from the ground up to be compatible with existing Dickson devices. These devices include replaceable sensor pods that measure different metrics such as humidity and temperature. The batteries in the sensors last up to a year, or more depending on how often they are transmitting. These RF devices are designed to communicate over long distances at low data rates and low power.

Learn more about DMC’s Product Development expertise and contact us for your next project. 

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