At the 2015 American Control Conference (ACC), I presented a paper in the invited session on Controls Education. In this paper, I included the technical details and code developed for the GE 320 laboratory kit. The technical details include a bill of materials and circuit board diagrams. The code includes s-function code and Simulink models used in the laboratories. The models used to 3D print other parts are available upon request. The full paper can be found on the IEEE Explore website.
Abstract
The aim of this research is to expand the access of hands-on controls education at the undergraduate level with an affordable laboratory kit. A kit was assembled for around $130 while replicating the educational functionality of a typical station in an introductory controls laboratory. The kit consists of a Raspberry Pi, a DC motor, and various circuits required for the lab exercises. Details of each of these components are explained. Additionally, the laboratory experiments tested with this kit are described. This kit replaces expensive equipment with an affordable alternative that can be easily shipped anywhere in the world and used by students who do not have a formal laboratory space to use. The kit greatly enhances the accessibility of the laboratory experience to students in budget-strapped campus laboratories and those participating in distance education.
Citation
Reck, R. M. & Srennivas, R. S. (2015, July), Developing a new affordable DC motor laboratory kit for an existing undergraduate controls course invited paper presented at 2015 American Control Conference (ACC), Chicago, Illinois. 10.1109/ACC.2015.7171159