LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

18th March 2013Engr. Ernesto Vergara, Jr.Professor, School of EE-ECE-CpE Mapua Institute of Technology Muralla St., Intramuros, Manila

Engr. Vergara:

As part of the requirements in ECE131L, FEEDBACK AND CONTROL SYSTEMS Laboratory, the group presents a balancing beam using Arduino, Matlab, and GUI software.

Other necessary information about the balancing beam is present in this documentation paper. These include the project description, schematic diagram. Programs used and syntax, and also bills of materials.

After the testing of the balancing beam, the objectives were satisfied. With this, the group can say that the project is a complete success. But the final rating is left to the professor.

After the presentation of the project, we are giving the full rights of this project to Mapua Institute of Technology.

Sincerely,

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Jovie Emmanuel Bobis Vince Patrick Cantillon Kimberly V. Jitsukawa Benjo

Mangaoang

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Chester Manansala Adrienne Hugo Mirto Kenneth D. Baylaran Leigh

Victorio

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The ball-on-beam balance system is a classic example of

feedback control systems. The problem is to design and construct

a beam such that it would be able to maintain the position of the

ball at the center of a beam on which the ball rolls along freely.

The ball will return to the center position after it has been

displaced from this location. This system is an effective

educational tool for teaching feedback control principles. Some of

these systems are commercially available.

The set-up of our ball-on-beam system is shown below. The

beam is made of a wood, polyvinyl (PVC) on the side of the beam

and a regular rubber ball that can roll along freely. The beam is

mounted at the center to a servo motor, which is responsible on

tilting the beam in clockwise and counter-clockwise directions.

The servo motor is secured on a vertical shaft. Mounted at one

side of the beam is the Ultrasonic sonar sensor that is used for

determining the position of the ball on the beam. When the

position of the ball is disturbed off the center position, the sensors

will register it. The embedded Arduino (Gizduino), is a

microcontroller that will rotate the beam to a direction so as to

move the ball toward the center. This action continues until the

ball becomes stationary at the center. A velocity feedback

controller is used to reduce excessive oscillations. But in totality,

the MATLAB, which is application software, would be responsible

in controlling the microcontroller and send its data or information

for processing.

The unique features of our ball-on-beam system are as

follows: first, it is inexpensive compared to those commercially

available. It consists of a Servo motor, Ultrasonic Sonar Sensor, a

microcontroller (Arduino/Gizduino), a wood and polyvinyl beam,

and other small mechanical parts.

All these components are low-priced and can be found

easily. Second, the sensing of the ball position is by using an

Ultrasonic Sonar Sensor. There is no wear and tear by the motion

of the ball. Some of the commercial ball-on-beam systems use

conductive strips that suffer from wear and tear by the ball. Third,

it uses a microcontroller (Arduino/Gizduino) for the

implementation of the control algorithm. It enjoys all the

convenience that comes with a microcontroller. For example,

changing the control method from velocity feedback to PID is

simply done by flashing the codes for the PID method into the

microcontroller. It can be done on the fly with no change in the

hardware.

But lastly, with the application of MATLAB, the software

wherein the data and information in the Arduino or Gizduino

should match certain codes also programmed with respect to

Controls Systems applications. The comparison of data and charts

will be flashed in MATLAB. We can also control the parameters.

The Ball Balancing Beam is a standard feedback control

project. Normally a ball will not naturally balance on a flat beam

unless it is perfectly balanced; it is an unstable system. A

feedback control system must be designed in order to stabilize

the system, especially if you want to move the ball to specific

positions along the beam.

In this case, inner and outer loop control systems were

developed - a potentiometer to feedback the angle of the beam,

and a linear resistance sensor to measure the ball's position along

the beam. Combining the two with a lead compensator, the ball is

not only stabilized but can be commanded to arbitrary positions

and patterns along the beam.

SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM

MATERIALS:

US-100 Ultrasonic Sonar - A host microcontroller circuit

determines distance by triggering the US-100 and then measuring

the echo time indicated by the pulse width output of the sensor.

Temperature Compensated for accurate ranging even on varying

ambient temperatures. Sensor with up to 3.5-meters range.

The Ultrasonic Sensor uses the speed that sound waves travel to

measure distance to an object.

Servomotor (6.5kg) - is an electromechanical device in which

an electrical input determines the position of the armature of a

motor. Servos are used extensively in robotics and radio-

controlled cars, airplanes, and boats. Basically, the hallmark of

any servomotor is the presence of feedback and closed-loop

control. Servomotors are able to provide precise control of torque,

speed or position using closed-loop feedback. They can also

operate at zero speed while maintaining enough torque to

maintain a load in a given position. Servomotors have several

distinct advantages over other types of motors. For starters, they

offer more precise control of motion. This means they can

accommodate complex motion patterns and profiles more readily.

Also, because the level of precision offered is high, the position

error is greatly reduced.

Arduino (Gizduino: ATmega328) - the Gizduino is a

microcontroller board based on the ATmega328. It has 14 digital

input/output pins, 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz crystal oscillator, a

USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header, and a reset button.

It contains everything needed to support the microcontroller.

Simply connect it to a computer with a USB cable or power it with

an AC-to-DC adapter or battery to get started. It is an open source

computing platform based on a simple input/output (I/O) board

and the use of standard programming language. In other words, it

is a tool for implementing a program you have designed. Gizduino

is programmed using the IDE (Integrated Development

Environment). Gizduino is ideal for beginner programmers and

hobbyists because of its simplicity compared to other platforms. It

is a multiplatform environment; it can run on Windows,

Macintosh, and Linux. It is programmable via USB cable, which

makes it more accessible and allows communication with the

computer.

GUI Matlab - A GUI (graphical user interface) allows users to

perform tasks interactively through controls such as buttons and

sliders. Within MATLAB®, GUI tools enable you to perform tasks

such as creating and customizing plots (plottools), fitting curves

and surfaces (cftool), and analyzing and filtering signals (sptool).

You can also create custom GUIs for others to use – either by

running them in MATLAB or as standalone applications.

For more control over design and development, you can also

create MATLAB code that defines all component properties and

behaviors. MATLAB contains built-in functionality to help you

create your GUI programmatically. These include dialog boxes,

user interface controls (such as push buttons and sliders),

containers (such as panels and button groups), and ActiveX

controls for Windows users.

BILL OF MATERIALS

S.No Item Cost (in Peso Currency)

1. Arduino (Gizduino) 650.002. Servo Motor (6.5kg) 348.003. Rubber Ball 5.004. Bread Board 180.005. Other Apparatus equipment 200.006. Ultrasonic Sonar Sensor 150.00

TOTAL BILL: Php 1,533.00