Implementing and Validating Analog and Digital Controllers
Horacio Vasquez, Javier A. Kypuros, Roy Villanueva · 2021
Teaching control systems concepts to mechanical engineering students can be greatly improved by integrating theory with hands-on activities, implementation, and validation of controllers.In mechanical engineering, it is a common practice to teach modeling and analysis of dynamic system and control systems in a theoretical manner, usually complemented with attractive examples and simulations using sophisticated software packages.In most occasions, the control systems perfectly accomplish the task they are designed for and they are ready in just a few iterations, or perhaps, after rigorous theoretical modeling and controller design.However, there seems to be a need for hands-on activities for students to go through the implementation and validation of the designed controllers.The reason why there is a disconnection between theory and experimentation might occur because experimental work with control systems requires additional knowledge about low-and high-power electronics, microcontrollers, interfaces, and digital control systems, which are usually elective or graduate courses; another reason might be due to not having prototypes of real engineering system and the computer equipment required to implement the controllers.It is the purpose of this paper to present the result of several experiments and a practical procedure to design, implement, and validate a relatively simple controller in analog and digital form to regulate the position of prototype rotational arm driven by a geared brush-type DC motor.It is also the goal of this study to show undergraduate mechanical engineering students some practical options available to implement basic control systems laws using analog devices, data acquisition systems, and digital signal processors (DSPs).