DISTek to Attend Fall 2017 ISOBUS Plugfest

The ISOBUS Plugfest is nearly upon us once again. Each spring in Lincoln, NE, and each fall in Europe, the AEF (Ag Electronics Foundation) coordinates a Plugfest during which ag electronics from different manufacturers are tested for interoperability. This fall, Plugfest is October 17-19 and engineers from around the world will be meeting in Stuttgart, Germany. I counted quickly so my numbers may be off, but I think there will be 74 Ag implement systems (“Clients”) and 42 Ag displays (“Servers”).

Intern Testimonial: Parting Thoughts from David

Here at DISTek, we place a strong emphasis on our internship program. Every summer we hire a handful of interns to work alongside our teams to not only provide mentor-ship for those entering the field, but also to, hopefully, entice some of the best and brightest to join our ranks after graduation. This summer we were lucky enough to have David Schmadeke, an Electrical Engineering major at Iowa State University, join our internship program.

Summer Send-off: Back-to-School Tailgate

On a gorgeous evening, after work, employees gathered in the back lot of the DISTek Cedar Falls office, while Jeff donned his apron and manned the grill. Employees were treated to brats, burgers, sides, and beverages, while at the same time getting the chance to bolster camaraderie with their fellow DISTekians.

DISTek Turns 25: Past, Present, Future

The Present – Part 1

The 2000s were a tumultuous decade, bookended on the front end by the dotcom bubble bursting, Enron collapsing with Arthur Anderson, and the September 11th attacks, and on the backend with the financial crisis and the great recession. In the world of technology, we saw the quick spread of broadband internet and the broad adoption first of cell phones and PDAs before the two merged by the end of the decade into the smartphone. The internet seemed to get its legs in this decade with the advent of such tools as Google Maps, Wikipedia, YouTube, and social media.

Why Use AUTOSAR for Embedded Software?

Every software engineer knows there are strengths and weaknesses to every programming language/architecture. Trade offs must be made to improve certain aspects of the system. AUTOSAR is no different. The key is finding the right tool for the job by determining which aspects you need more of and which you don’t. During my time working with AUTOSAR, I’ve found some aspects that AUTOSAR does well and some that it doesn’t. I’ll start with a brief overview of what AUTOSAR is and then jump into the nitty-gritty.

Celebrating 25 Years – Family Style!

When DISTek began its 25th year in business back in March, we knew we wanted to celebrate this rather significant milestone, maybe have a party, take in a ball game, go out to dinner, or have a family picnic. 25 years ago, any of these ideas would have been possible with not much more effort than calling the wife, locking up the office, and heading uptown. Ah, the simpler times of yesteryear!

Precision Agriculture: The Future of Farming

Food production, specifically agriculture, is a crucial component in the expansion of civilizations. As populations grow, the need for more food rises. The gathering of data is the new frontier in advancement for agriculture technology. The more known about the field the better it can be nurtured. Precision agriculture is defined as “the application of technologies and principles to manage spatial and temporal variability associated with all aspects of agricultural production for the purpose of improving crop performance and environmental quality.” [1].

How To: Reduce Memory Consumption in LabVIEW Data Acquisition Applications

Acquiring and/or logging high speed data, using the traditional DAQmx scaling approach, will consume considerable amounts of memory due to its use of the double precision data type. Each sample collected will consume eight bytes of memory whether being stored in memory or on disk. This size is fine when collecting data at lower rates, but if you are collecting data at a rate of 1 MS/s, eight bytes per sample is too much for most systems to handle.

DISTek has Gone to the Dogs: Take Your Dog to Work Day

Last Friday, June 23rd, DISTek participated in Take Your Dog To Work Day. This annual event was created by Pet Sitters International in 1999 as a way to celebrate what great companions dogs are, as well as to promote and bring awareness to adoptions. The event encourages employers to experience the joys of pets in the workplace for one Friday each summer to support their local pet communities. Here at DISTek, we were lucky enough to have several furry friends show up with their owners for a day at the office.

Spring 2017 ISOBUS Plugfest Recap

Once again, the AEF put on another successful ISOBUS Plugfest last month. Approximately 130 individuals associated with electronics for Ag equipment spent the week of May 8th at the Embassy Suites in Lincoln, NE. The key attraction is the Plugfest itself, during which nearly 1000 combinations of implement ECUs and displays were tested.