Introduction to Modeling and Control Labs
Links
  • Mechanics
        Policy and Grading
        Staff
        Learning Objectives
  • Schedule
        Course Syllabus
  • Homework & Quizzes
  • Labs
  • Software
  • Resources
        Reading
        Links
  • Staff Mailing List
  • Student Mailing Lists
     
    		•

    Data Presentation Checklist

    Lab 2: Motor Lab

    Mechanical wrist watches usually use a combination of a rotational inertia (called a balance wheel) and a torsion spring (called a hair spring) to create a physical mass/spring system whose period of oscillation measures time. The balance wheel and hair spring oscillate just like the linear masses and springs you have been studying in physics, but in a rotational mode instead of a translational one. In this lab, you will build a rotational oscillator by combining a physical rotation mass (in your case, a LEGO wheel) with a virtual torsion spring created by control software. A LEGO DC motor and the electronics you have already built will act as a transducer between the physical world and your control software. You will also add a virtual control system part that does not exist in the physical world to keep the mass spring system oscillating forever (a real watch uses an escapement to inject pulses of energy from the main spring). Once you have this system working, you will be ready for the next lab, where, by sending packets of data over the network, you will add a network ``spring'' between the individual oscillators in class. This coupling will allow us to create waves.
    Lab assignment PS format
    Lab assignment PDF format

    Circuit Diagram

    Lab 1: Student Examples

    Below are actual labs turned in by actual students. While these may not be perfect and may have errors, generally the below examples are very good. You should look through these to see what student did to earn high marks. If you would like to see an example of using Latex, the source files for Example 3 are posted. To process these files on Linux simply type
    >> latex thermal_lab_graphs
    >> xdvi thermal_lab_graphs
    >> dvips thermal_lab_graphs
    These commands compile the latex, allow you to view the file in DVI format, and then print the DVI file to your default postscript printer. If you would like to save the output as a postscript file you can try,
    >> dvips -o thermal_lab_graphs.ps thermal_lab_graphs

    Lab 1: Thermal Systems

    Through the several class periods we will learn to model and control a simple thermal system. The final objective will to be to write a control code for maintaining a constant temperature in a powered thermal system. The computer program that you will write will measure the temperature and control the power supplied to the heater. The parameters of the control algorithm will be designed and tested in simulation, then validated with a real experiment. The final deliverable will be a graphical lab report. The lab report will contain several figures that display the key steps and results that you obtained throughout the lab. Each figure will have a caption explaining the data. Other than the captions, there will be no writing. Over the next several classes we will inform you of what plots you should obtain for your report. Roughly, there will be one key result for each class period and you will complete the plot for homework between classes. The figures are all due at one time at the end of the lab. Each figure and accompanying caption should be contained on one page.

    The lab will consist of assignments that will be accumulated over time. The assignments will be posted in turn as they are "due". You should complete each assignment by the due date, but the final report is not due until the end of the lab.

    Assignments