9350636 Tang This project addresses undergraduate instruction in areas of control systems and engineering. Control system courses are currently taught in a traditional lecture oriented fashion as in many other universities. Even simple systems can appear abstract and daunting when described only in mathematical terms. The project changes this situation by developing experiments and demonstrations to help students comprehend theoretical concepts and gain experience. The project involves implementation of motor servo and temperature control equipment in analog control systems, digital control systems, and power system courses. Equipment includes a Complete Modular Servo, and a Three-Term Temperature Control. Other ancillary equipment such as a 386-type computer, a data interface board, and analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters are also included. This equipment is used by the students for various experiments including time and frequency response analysis, steady-state error analysis, stability analysis, and controller design, and for their semester-long design project, giving them hands-on experience in solving realistic problems, and thus bridging the gap between theoretical studies and the application of these theories to practical systems.
