Litwhiler, D. H. (2012, June), New Life for Process Control Trainers in a Microcontroller Course  Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--21731

\bibitem{asee_peer_21731}
  Litwhiler, D. H. (2012, June), \emph{New Life for Process Control Trainers in a Microcontroller Course}
  Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, San Antonio, Texas.
  10.18260/1-2--21731

Dale H. Litwhiler.  "New Life for Process Control Trainers in a Microcontroller Course".  2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas, 2012, June.  ASEE Conferences, 2012.  https://peer.asee.org/21731 Internet.  22 Feb, 2025

\bibitem{asee_peer_21731}
  Dale H. Litwhiler.
  "New Life for Process Control Trainers in a Microcontroller Course".
  \emph{2012 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, San Antonio, Texas, 2012, June}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2012.
  https://peer.asee.org/21731 Internet.  22 Feb, 2025

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_21731
author = "Dale H. Litwhiler"
title = "New Life for Process Control Trainers in a Microcontroller Course"
booktitle = "2012 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2012"
month = "June"
address = "San Antonio, Texas"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/21731}
number = {10.18260/1-2--21731}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -       New Life for a Process Control Trainer in a Microcontroller CourseAbstractTo improve student enthusiasm and demonstrate the power of embedded control, a controlsystems laboratory process control trainer was adapted and repurposed for use in an introductorymicrocontroller course. While some students are able to extrapolate the ideas conveyed bymaking an LED flash using assembly code, other students need to see their code doingsomething more powerful and realistic. Control system training rigs are common in engineeringand technology laboratories. These setups, from manufacturers such as Feedback®, typicallyhave some type of “plant” that is the controllable center of the system. The parameters of theplant are then measureable via several types of process sensors. To complete the control loop, aprogrammable or otherwise adjustable control unit is provided to be used to demonstrate variousclosed-loop control techniques such as PID control. The system used here was the FeedbackBasic Process Rig model 38-100. This system is comprised of a water process in which the fluidlevel in a tank is regulated by controlling flow into and out of the tank using solenoid and/orservo valves. Tank level and system flow rate sensors are used as inputs to the control unit. Forthe microcontroller course, the manufacturer’s control unit was disconnected from the systemand replaced with a microcontroller trainer board and a simple, custom interface box to make theappropriate interconnections. The students designed their own assembly code to read the systemsensors and control the water level to a user-determined and variable set point. The required codecomponents were developed throughout the semester as each peripheral of the microcontrollerwas discussed. The process control served as a culminating project for the course. This paperpresents the system hardware and example student software. Course curriculum is also presentedand discussed.
AU  - Dale H. Litwhiler
CY  - San Antonio, Texas
DA  - 2012/06/10
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - New Life for Process Control Trainers in a Microcontroller Course
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/21731
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--21731
ER  -