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Session 3548

A Simple Software and Hardware System Solution for Process Measurement and Control in Engineering Technology Student Design Projects Dale H. Litwhiler

Penn State Berks-LehighValley College

Abstract

Many design projects conceived by engineering technology students involve using a computer to control some form of physical process. These hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) projects involve making measurements of some physical quantities, processing the measured data, and producing control signals based on the processed data. Choosing the appropriate measurement and control system to achieve the design objectives is often a difficult part of the design. Most projects require the measurement and control of very few parameters that does not justify the purchase of an elaborate analog and digital I/O system. Combining LabVIEW™ software with the 1-Wire™ family of integrated circuit devices from Dallas-Maxim produces a measurement and control system that is an excellent match for many student design projects. LabVIEW is very popular in engineering technology programs and provides the software tools needed to easily develop the data acquisition, signal processing and control routines. The student version of LabVIEW 6i provides plenty of computing power for such applications, is very affordable, and runs on either Mac or IBM-compatible computers. For the measurement and control hardware, 1-Wire devices provide a flexible and low cost set of analog and digital input and output devices that can communicate with the computer via the serial port. Devices in the 1-Wire family include temperature sensors, A/D converters, counters, digital I/O and digital potentiometers. The 1- Wire device bus scheme allows for many devices to be connected to the computer simultaneously, addressed individually, and powered directly from the bus. This paper presents and discusses the software and hardware necessary to implement HIL student design projects on both Mac and IBM-compatible computers. Examples of the LabVIEW code and sensor and actuator designs are also presented.

Introduction

Design projects are an excellent tool for motivating engineering technology students. Although design is not typically emphasized in engineering technology programs, the design project exercise provides an opportunity for the students to apply scientific and mathematical knowledge to convey an engineering experience.1 Many student design projects involve measuring a physical quantity and performing a control function based on this measurement. The design project does not always involve starting from scratch but rather pulling together a collection of existing components or subsystems into a system to achieve the design objective. Perhaps the

Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering Education

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Litwhiler, D. (2004, June), A Simple Software And Hardware System Solution For Process Measurement And Control In Engineering Technology Student Design Projects Paper presented at 2004 Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--14058