Ball & Beam for Elektor USB DAQ Card

Grind your teeth on PID design and programming

Like it or not, Ball & Beam is a compulsory item on the Electronics Engineering curriculum, specifically for classes on PID (proportional-integral-derivative) control systems. The idea is to try to balance a ball on a beam using a control loop. If the ball is pushed, the system moves the beam to return the ball to its initial position. So let’s get out our USB DAQ card and a PC to show off!

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Materials

080002-PCB.pdf

080002-11.zip

Gerber file

CAM/CAD data for the PCB referred to in this article is available as a Gerber file. Elektor GREEN and GOLD members can exclusively download these files for free as part of their membership. Gerber files allow a PCB to be produced on an appropriate device available locally, or through an online PCB manufacturing service.

Elektor recommends the Elektor PCB Service service from its business partner Eurocircuits or AISLER as the best services for its own prototypes and volume production.

The use of our Gerber files is provided under a modified Creative Commons license. Creative Commons offers authors, scientists, educators and other creatives the freedom to handle their copyright in a more free way without losing their ownership.

PCB

Download Gerber file: 080002-1.zip

Component list

Resistors
R2 = 120k
R1,R7,R12 = 1k
R3 = 10
R4,R5 = 47k
R6 = 220k
R8,R9 = 2k7
R10 = 270k
R11 = 1k5
P1 = 5k preset
Capacitors
C1 = 22µF 16V radial
C2 = 100µF 16V radial
C3,C6,C7,C8 = 100nF
C4,C5 = 100nF
Semiconductors
D1 = LED, low current, 3mm
T1 = BC557B
IC1,IC2 = TLC555 or ICM7555 (do not use plain 555)
Miscellaneous
K1,K3,K6 = 10-way boxheader
K2,K5 = 2-way SIL pinheader
K4 = 3-way SIL pinheader
PCB, ref. 080002-1 from www.thepcbshop.com
PCB artwork, free download