The Application of the Digital Computer in the Control Systems Laboratory

Particularly in undergraduate courses in Control Systems, students are introduced to the three main design criteria, Root Locus, Frequency Response, and Transient Response. These methods are normally applied to analysis rather than synthesis or design due to this type of problem having an easier solution and the lack of student time to attempt the latter type of problem. With this problem in mind a number of computer programs were written to remove the main labor of computation involved in these trial-and-error methods of design. Furthermore, graphical output was provided since this gives the student a better picture of what is happening than does a list of figures. Though the programs were written for an IBM 1620, the flow diagrams are applicable to any similar computer having a FORTRAN processor. The graphical plots were programmed for a 407 off-line printer since a plotter was not available.