Remote laboratory for position control using a Quanser Servo SRV02 operated via Moodle

Remote laboratories allow remote access by teachers and students to perform process control didactic experiences with experimental platforms. In this article we study how to transform an experimental servo platform SRV02 from Quanser by connecting it to Matlab / Simulink and Moodle. The connection with Moodle allows teachers and students to access the lab remotely using their credentials as student / teacher of a regular course. The connection between Matlab / Simulink and the experimental platform is made by converting a BiegleBone Black microcontroller card into a system that acquires signals from a shaft encoder that measures the angular position of the servo and generates the PWM outputs to manipulate a VoltPaQ X1 source from Quanser that feeds the servo motor. The Matlab / Simulink connection with the BiegleBone Black card is done using the UDP protocol with a sampling time of 0.02 seconds, in this way the control routines can be programmed directly in Matlab / Simulink. As the connection is made using aleatory access tools, it is not adequate for real time feedback loop, but only a small disturbance is observed during the first 15 seconds. This 15 seconds time interval is considered as the requisite for the system to reach a stand by position, so that the feedback control system can be initialized and ensure it works correctly in real time.