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Low-Cost DC Motor Control System Experiments for Engineering Students

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Conference

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Baltimore , Maryland

Publication Date

June 25, 2023

Start Date

June 25, 2023

End Date

June 28, 2023

Conference Session

Online and Remote Teaching

Tagged Division

Electrical and Computer Engineering Division (ECE)

Page Count

15

DOI

10.18260/1-2--43504

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/43504

Download Count

195

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Paper Authors

biography

Bhawana Bhatta Youngstown State University

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Ms. Bhawana Bhatta is a graduate student in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at Youngstown State University (Aug 2021 – May 2023). As a graduate assistant, she has been actively involved in developing the low-cost controls laboratory set-up at YSU. She also completed her BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from YSU.

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Ghassan Salim Youngstown State University

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Ghassan Salim is a lecturer in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Youngstown State University. His areas of interest are control systems and signal processing. He holds a BS, an MS, and PhD (ABD) all in electrical engineering. Additionally, he is a registered professional engineer in WV since 2001, and is an active member of IEEE.

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Vamsi Borra Youngstown State University

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Before moving to YSU, Dr. Borra worked as an assistant professor and program coordinator (Computer Engineering Technology) in the Department of Computer Science, Information Systems, and Engineering Technology at California University of Pennsylvania (CALU). Also, prior to CALU, Vamsi was a visiting assistant professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) department at the University of Toledo. He also worked as an electrical engineer for Valley Electrical Consolidated Inc. (Girard, OH) before starting my Ph.D. studies.

Dr. Borra served as a chair of the Toledo section’s IEEE Young professionals group. His research interests include characterization and fabrication of electronics materials, controlled whisker growth, thin-film fabrication and characterization, and condensed matter physics-related research. He was recently awarded a patent to mitigate whisker growth Nickel Oxide sublayer.

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Frank X. Li Youngstown State University

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Abstract

By and large, the control system theory curriculum in many Engineering schools is limited to computer simulations, mostly because of the limited control lab equipment suppliers and modest resources. The Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) program’s faculty and graduate students were tasked to design a low-cost system that connects the theoretical concepts learned in class and real-world applications. This system was designed with a modular approach to develop new experiments using the existing system. The developed system is an integration of National Instrument’s (NI) LabVIEW software, NI’s myDAQ (a portable and easy-to-program low-cost data acquisition device), a DC motor with a built-in rotary encoder, and a PCB with the motor drive circuits. The circuit wiring for the whole system has been designed and developed into a PCB design for compactness and ease of use. The students use graphical programming to control the motor and record its response utilizing the myDAQ as an interface between LabVIEW and the DC motor. Lab experiments that emphasize on design, simulation, and development of virtual instruments to implement motor control have been developed. These experiments train students in various topics of control system theory, such as identification, modeling, speed, and position control. The entire system is housed in a 12” X 12” polycarbonate case, for safety and laboratory desk organization purposes. To assess the level of effectiveness of this newly designed control system laboratory, the student performance was assessed using relevant grading rubrics. A student feedback survey was also performed to help improve the learning experience. The developed control laboratory system proved to be a low-cost and effective hands-on learning experience. Students were able to study several DC motor control designs for desired control specifications. Further revisions of the lab instructions and experimental setups have been in progress based on student feedback and instructor observations.

Bhatta, B., & Salim, G., & Borra, V., & Li, F. X. (2023, June), Low-Cost DC Motor Control System Experiments for Engineering Students Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43504

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