Identification and Control Design for an Experimental Setup to Take Home

From classroom experience arises a necessity to demonstrate control outcomes through physical examples. One option to carry out these experiments is by using electronics to implement systems, along with microcontrollers to handle data acquisition and control tasks. In this study, a system that generates heat by passing current through the collector-emitter of a power transistor is implemented. The current flow is regulated by a PWM signal applied to the base. A temperature sensor is constructed using a thermistor, which provides feedback on the temperature and compares it to a reference value. The control scheme is implemented using an affordable microcontroller. Input-output measurements for open-loop process identification are performed using the same microcontroller with the support of a Python program. The results are presented to facilitate DIY implementation and to aid in better understanding of various concepts.