Category: Mechatronics, Industrial Control & Instrumentation
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The General Principle of using a Servo Motor for Position Control
Servo motors are typically employed in closed-loop position control; for example let us consider the following application, where the angular position of the output shaft is intended to follow the reference voltage (ϴref). Figure 1.0 Closed loop angular … Read more
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ZigBee Wireless Protocol for Industrial Communication
ZigBee is an open wireless standard for low-rate networks. It is an IEEE standard 802.15.4 protocol. The physical layer radio operates at 2.4 GHz band carrier frequencies with direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS). It supports a range of up to … Read more
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How Modbus is used in Industrial Networks
Modbus is an open standardized communication protocol that was founded by Modicon. Initially it was designed for the communication among PLCs in industrial applications but it also gained significance use in building automation domain for instance in HVAC systems, DDCs … Read more
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Features of a Serial Interface
In a serial interface, the data is sent 1 bit after the other on a single wire. Serial data is classified as being either synchronous or asynchronous. Synchronous data require that the data bytes be sent as group in a … Read more
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Designing a System to Measure & Display a Shaft Rotation Speed
We would like to design a system to measure and display the rotational speed of a shaft. To accomplish this, we shall use a number of integrated circuits (ICs) to create the desired functionality of this system. A simple technique … Read more
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What is a Microsyn Transducer?
This is a variable-reluctance transducer used to detect small motions, giving output signals as low as 0.01° of changes in angles. The figure below shows an example of Microsyn: In the Microsyn transducer above, the coils are connected in such … Read more
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Basic Features of Sercos Automation Bus
Sercos is a short form for serial real-time communication system; a digital automation bus that interconnects motion controls, drives, I/O, sensors, and auxiliary devices such as cameras and weighing stations. Sercos is an open controller-to-intelligent digital device … Read more
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Null vs. Deflection Type Instruments
Null Instrument The null technique is one of the operational modes for a measuring instrument. A null instrument employs the null method for measurement. In this technique, the instrument exerts an influence on the measured system so as to oppose … Read more
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Analog vs. Digital Sensors
Analog Sensors Analog sensors provide a signal that is continuous in both its magnitude and its temporal (time) or spatial (space) content. Most physical variables such as, current, pressure, temperature, displacement, acceleration, speed, light intensity and strain tend to be … Read more
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Variable Capacitance Sensors
Several mechanical input sensors, as well as some sensors which measure humidity or temperature, operate by the transduced quantity causing a change in capacitance, which in turn, is converted to an analog output voltage by an ac bridge circuit or … Read more