LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

18th March 2013 Engr. 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

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Vince Patrick Cantillon Kimberly V. Jitsukawa

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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 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Item Arduino (Gizduino) Servo Motor (6.5kg) Rubber Ball Bread Board Other Apparatus equipment Ultrasonic Sonar Sensor Cost (in Peso Currency) 650.00 348.00 5.00 180.00 200.00 150.00

TOTAL BILL: Php 1,533.00