Saturday 24 December 2011

Ingression protection

While reading the instrument specification or electrical equipment specification you might have seen IP classes.IP is interpreted as Ingress protection.Ip calsses stands for specifying the environmental protection of electrical equipments. With ingression protection class we can understand, an instrument can withstand in which environmental condition. While selecting the instrument it is important to consider the ip class. Price of the instrument also varies according to their ip class.

IP class is represented with number. First digit of IP indicates how much the instrument is protected from dust. Second digit of the IP rating indicates how much the instrument is protected from water.

First digit of IP rating
0 = No protection
1 = Protected against touch by hands (>50mm)
2 = Protected against touch by fingers (>12mm)
3 = Protected against tools and wires (>2.5mm)
4 = Protected against tools and small wires (>1mm)
5 = Limited dust ingress protection
6 = Total dust ingress protection

Second digit of IP rating
0 = No protection
1 = Protected against condensation
2 = Protected against water spray < 15 degrees from vertical
3 = Protected against water spray < 60 degrees from vertical
4 = Protected against water spray from any direction
5 = Protected against low pressure water jets from any direction
6 = Protected against high pressure water jets from any direction
7 = Protected against immersion between 15cm and 1m depth
8 = Protected against long term immersion to a specified pressure

IP rating of electrical equipment or instrument


READ MORE - Ingression protection

Wednesday 14 September 2011

[Tool] Unit conversion tool for Instrumentation engineer.

As an instrumentation engineer we have to do a lot of unit conversion. I got a very effective tool converting units. It is a not a software. It is an excel sheet. No need to install it but Microsoft office software must be installed in your computer for opening the tool.

You can convert the following units.

*Length
*Volume
*Molar power rate
*Volumetric flow rate
*Pressure
*Power
*Energy
*Mass
*Density
*Area
*Dynamic viscosity
*Kinematics viscosity
*Mass flow rate
*Heat transfer coefficient
*Thermal conductivity
*Heat flux
*Specific energy
*Specific Heat

Unit_conversion_tool

















Download the Unit conversion tool.

I got the tool from Internet. If you are having such tools, share it..
READ MORE - [Tool] Unit conversion tool for Instrumentation engineer.

Saturday 10 September 2011

[Instrumentation Questions] What are process variables? and Define all the process Variable and state their unit of measurement?


What are the process Variables?
The process Variables are:
Flow.
Pressure.
Temperature.
Level.
Quality i.e. % O2, CO2, pH etc.

Define all the process Variable and state their unit of measurement. ?

Flow: Any fluids or liquids flowing from one place to another place is called flow and it is defined as volume per unit of time at specified temperature and pressure .Conditions, is generally measured by positive-displacement or rate meters.
Units: kg / hr, litter / min, gallon / min, m3 / hr, Nm3 / hr. (Gases)

Pressure: It is defined as Force per unit Area. P = F/A
Units : bar, Pascal, kg / cm2, lb / in2.

Level: The height of the water column, liquid and powder etc., at the desired measurement of height between minimum level points to maximum level point is called level. The measurement principle is, head pressure method.
Units: Meters, mm, cm, percentage.

Temperature: It is the degree of hotness or coldness of a body is called temperature.
Units : Degree Centigrade, Degree Fahrenheit, Degree Kelvin, Degree Rankin.

Quality: It deals with analysis.( pH, % CO2, % 02, Conductivity, Viscosity )
READ MORE - [Instrumentation Questions] What are process variables? and Define all the process Variable and state their unit of measurement?

Monday 5 September 2011

[Update] Deatailed explanation of "How to read a Piping and Instrument Diagram(P&ID)?"

This topic is already(Piping and instrumentation diagram) discussed in instrumentpedia. But now I feel that more explanation is required on this topic.That is why I decided to write a detail post about it.
For reading a piping and instrumentation diagram someone should be very much familiar with the symbols.We can classify the instruments in to three large families.
1.Locally mounted instruments.
2.Instrument present in the front end.
3.Instrument present in the back end(Not accessible by operator. This class of instrument is located in the controller.

classification_of_instruments_in_piping_and_instrument_diagram

Each instrument is also identified by means of letters that describes its function as well as progressive numbers to ensure proper identification.

The first letter stands for the variable being measured.

T-Temperature
L-Level
P-Pressure
F-Flow
K-Time
S-Speed

Instrument function is represented by the second letter

I-Indicator
T-Transmiiter
R-Recorder
C-Control
D-Differential
S-Switch
E-Element
A-Alarm

Alarm function is represented by the third letter.

H-High
L-Low

Shutdown function is represented by the third and fourth letter.

H-Shut down due to a high value
L-Shut down due to a low value
HH-Shut down due to a high high value
LL- Shut down due to a low low value.

Letters used in Piping and instrumentation diagram

piping_and_instrumentation_digram_identification_letter_meaning

Some examples of instrument representation in piping and instrument diagram

Locally mounted temperature Indicator
p&id_representation_of_field_mounted_temperature_indicator
Panel mounted temperature Indicator.
p&id_representation_of_field_mounted_temperature_indicator
Temperature indicator in the DCS/PLC/Controller.
p&id_representation_of_controller_mounted_instrument
Locally mounted temperature transmitter.
p&id_representation_of_temperature_transmitter_field_mounted

Thermo element representation(Thermocouple/RTD)
p&id_representation_of_temperature_element


Representation of pipes and signal in P&ID:

Process lines
Pneumatic line
Capillary line
Electric line


piping_signal_represenatation

Control valves are representation in P&ID

LCV - Level control valve
PCV – Pressure control valve
TCV- Temperature control valve
FCV- Flow control valve
PSV- Pressure safety valve
ROV- Remote operated valve
MOV- Manually operated valve
FIC/V- Anti surge valve

Related post:
How to read a piping and instrument diagram?
Difference between p&id and pfd?
READ MORE - [Update] Deatailed explanation of "How to read a Piping and Instrument Diagram(P&ID)?"

Thursday 1 September 2011

Blog for Instrumentation, Electrical and Automation Engineers/Professionals

Hi Engineers/Professionals While starting this blog my intention was to share the knowledge with the others.. But now I decided to change the strategy.. Now I am planning to help the fresh engineers by giving some tips about interviews and giving some frequently asked interview questions.. Hey guys, what is your opinion?. Let me know?

Now onwards there will be a separate section for instrumentation and electrical interview questions. I have lot of instrumentation study materials. I am ready to share all those things. I need opinion of you guys.

Share this page with your friends and colleagues. This blog is exclusively for Instrumentation, Electrical and Automation Engineers/Professionals. Cheers!!!
READ MORE - Blog for Instrumentation, Electrical and Automation Engineers/Professionals

Wednesday 31 August 2011

About the DCU reboot.

If you're a fan of comics, and you're probably not, then you would know that DC comics are completely re-booting their stories. Plots, histories, characters and everything else is being re-done just so they can get some extra scratch.
Recently they released their first comic in their new universe; the new Justice League comic.

So. Here's basically how the first comic went.

Batman: "I am Batman."
Green Lantern: "I automatically think I am superior to you."
Batman: "I dislike your methods. Let's go visit Superman because of the plot."
Green Lantern: "I still think you are a wimp. Oh look, it's Superman."
Batman: "I am Batman."

Other things happened in between.
READ MORE - About the DCU reboot.

Friday 26 August 2011

Youtubes.

So.
I don't really go here much.
Keep in touch with my thigns that I do:
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/heiru3
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/HJT
Tumblr: http://heiru.tumblr.com/

A recent look at what I do:
I'm on a Sandstorm kick.


READ MORE - Youtubes.

Friday 5 August 2011

He does a few things similar to spiders.

Well, there you go. The first trailer for the new Spider-Man movie has gone live. I'm not too impressed by it, even though I love Spider-Man. Though, personally, I hardly ever read the comics. Maybe... twice. I've played the games, watched the cartoons, and saw the first three movies with Toby McGuire. Also, the toys. So many toys when I was a kid.

Now, back to the preview. Hmm... well, there is more focus on his past. The whole Parker-parents thing doesn't seem very suitable for the origin story. Although, I guess it will be necessary for him to develop his web fluid. The fluid is based off a scientific design Parker is able to complete after he gets his spider-powers. Probably because spiders have a natural instinct for creating their own web. Though, the more you think about it, the less sense it makes.

Then Gwen Stacy. Hot. Approved.

Then comes the parkour thing. It looks a lot like the Mirror's Edge game. The special effects producer must have played it recently with his kids.

The Peter Parker character seems a bit too cliche'- nerdy, though maybe he is where the cliche' comes from.
Bla bla bla.
I need more beer. Peace.
READ MORE - He does a few things similar to spiders.

Friday 22 July 2011

Captain America: The First Badass.

Well, the next Summer blockbuster is up.
God, how does that not look awesome?

Short version of the review: I recommend it. Long version of the review: Below.

If you saw Ironman 1&2 and Thor, I would recommend you see this. If you plan on seeing the Avengers film next year, you have no goddamn reason to skip this movie. Otherwise you are missing the point itself. In fact, a piece of the major plot revolves around the very-shiny-and-mysterious cuboid seen in the post-credits scene of Thor. 
Yeah, that thing. The Cosmic Cube. Have they flat-out said what this thing can do? I don't think the Captain America movie even knew what it was all about. 

Now, time to prod this movie with a mocking stick. Also, look out for some spoilers below. I won't be descrete about this. The movie starts with Steve Rogers doing his thing; trying to fight for his US of the America. Some character exposition happens, some more things, and then we are introduced to his best-friend-and-eventually-sidekickish friend Bucky. Sorry girls, he doesn't wear a domino mask in this movie and he isn't 14. More character exposition happens, bla bla bla, just sit back and enjoy.

Then comes the super soldier treatment. In every commercial I have seen for this movie up until it's opening, we see Rogers actually grow inside the giant metal taning bed, which was a really nice touch. It showed progression into the man he would become. Instead, we get blinding light and then he steps out all big-blonge-and-beautiful. Mm. 

Small thing that bothered me: they said that they were going to apply some serum to all of his major muscle groups. Then they only apply it to his biceps. Why didn't he walk out looking like a Tank from Left 4 Dead? A major hulk above the waist, and a tiny scarecrow of a man below. 

After all of this, other things happen. A nice chase scene with only one car involved, Nazi submarines and more. The good stuff. A little humor in there too; which I love. There was a nice little bit where Rogers was chasing down a car using his Adonis-body-from-five-minutes-ago, and he is so unfamiliar with his new form he accidentally turns too hard and crashes into a building. Brilliant. 

Bla bla bla. More stuff happens. Captain America gets three costumes in this movie, all of which are either ridiculously hilarious or down-right badass. Though, to be fair, the second is really a composite of the first and some stolen military gear. 

Then some shields happen, and the rest of the movie spends 40% of the screen time with that damn thing in the screen. 

Then he gets a badass motorcycle that does some tricky-awesome things straight out of Twisted Metal.

Damn, I need to wrap this up. Uh.

Hydra was awesome. Instead of just being a straight parallel to the Nazi army, they are the super devious research and development branch of the Nazi regime that eventually spirals out of control. Their weapons are devastating  and everything has a nice blue neon trim. Though their salute is downright humorous. 

Then Captain America and his rag-tag group of mercinary-soldiers of fortune crash the party and look damn good doing it. However, this is all in montage. I guess the videogames can pick up that slack, but damn, I would have loved to see them crush even more Nazi heads. 
Also more shield. 

Then more character development, some credits roll, and you see pure Marvel magik.
I misspelled that correctly, yes. 

Here is my theory for why everyone loves this: Steve Rogers represents the typical, under-physically-developed fan who wishes they were as big and strong as their favorite heroes. Instead of going to the gym and working up to that stature, Rogers gets it within a span of five minutes. Who wouldn't want that? What a slacker. 

Here is a link to my quick and thorough review of the movie on youtube.
Hm, I probably should have posted this first.
Like, comment and subscribe. It grows the brand. http://www.youtube.com/Heiru3
Also check out the twitterpage: http://twitter.com/#!/HJT





Oh, also. Best character in the movie: A young and suave Howard Stark.
What a majestic stache.
READ MORE - Captain America: The First Badass.

Wednesday 6 July 2011

July When?

Summer vlog action Go!

READ MORE - July When?

Sunday 19 June 2011

How to find out the Full load current [Relation between horse power and kilo watt] and how to select a proper cable [Power cable size selection chart]

In previous posts i have explained about electrical drawings, electrical panel component etc.. For smooth working of motor which is connected to the mcc panel, cable size selection has an important role. We have to consider lot of things for selecting a proper cable, like motor rating (Kilowatt,Horse power),Voltage(230v, 415 v etc.),Phase(Single, 3 phase),Temperature, Distance between motor and mcc.
Before that i will expalin how to find out the cable current rating.
1.Incoming suppy cable rating.
           Motor Full load current * 1.2
2.Inside cables – Motor circuit cable rating.
           Motor full load current * 0.7

Now you will be having a doubt how to find out the full load current of a motor?

Formula for finding full load current of a motor.

3 phase:
            Full load current=(746*hp)/(1.732*V*pf*eff) or KW/(1.732*v*pf*eff)
                                 hp=horse power
                                  v =Voltage
                                  pf=Power factor
                                 ef=efficiency
                              1 hp=745.7 W=0.746 kw

Single phase motor Full load current table [Horse power,Kilo watt]

full_load_current_chart_table_single_phase_motor_hp_kw

Three phase motot Full load current table [Horse power,Kilo watt]
three_phase_motor_full_load_current_calculation_horsepower_kilowatt_conversion

Cable size selection chart-Single phase
single_phase_cable_size_selection_chart_full_load_current

Cable size selection chart- Three phase
READ MORE - How to find out the Full load current [Relation between horse power and kilo watt] and how to select a proper cable [Power cable size selection chart]

Friday 10 June 2011

Class is in attendance.

How could I possibly forget to make a review of X-Men: First Class?

Oh yeah, finals. That's why. So shut up.

If you don't want to read this, I have a video summary on my youtube page here. And here:

Basically, I enjoyed this movie. I laughed. I loved. I had one or two emotions throughout.
Michael Fassbender as Erik / Magneto was amazing. Paired with James McAvoy as Xavier, you have a winning combination  If only they were the only two characters in the film, then maybe things would have been more impressive  Sadly not.

The students/mutants they recruited were... interesting. Banshee was a must-have, so kudos to that. Havok? Clearly an allusion to Cyclops who was actually a member of the first class in the comics, but due to continuity they couldnt' have Cyc in the movie. (Even though they broke some continuity later on.)

Angel was also an original member; remember that winged dude in X3? Yeah, that was the original Angel. Instead they took a pixie-stripper and slapped the same name on her. Who would know, right?

Also, Mystique was hot. Not the blue-stique, but the actress who played the human disguise. Jennifer Lawrenece:

A lovely girl.

As for the rest of the movie, it was fun. It wasn't too serious, it wasn't even too good, but it felt pretty darn 60's and light hearted.

Also, the montages. Oooh, the montages. So fun. So good. Excellent cameo in there as well.

Anyway, I am drunk and must go get drunker. Go see the movie. See you next time when I talk about Green Lantern.

Though on a final note, why bother sticking to some continuity of you're going to kill more of it towards the end? Whatever. Fox can't make a movie like Marvel Studios can.

P.S., don't bother staying through the credits. Nothing to see at the end.
READ MORE - Class is in attendance.

Thursday 26 May 2011

What is the difference between control panel and MCC?

You know what is control panel and what are the components used in the control panel. Now we will discuss about difference between control panel and MCC. You might have faced this question in some interviews.

MCC stands for motor control center. It consists of feeders for motors and blowers. Feeders are designed according to the motor rating. In most of the MCCs, auto/manual provision will be there. With manual provision motors can be operated manually. In auto provision external signal is required to start the motor. The signal is given by the control panel. Indicators for the motor operation also will be present in control panel.
mcc- motor control center- control the motor by recieving signal from control panel




















Control panel consist of a controller. Controller may be PLC, DCS, relay or some other type. It gives digital signal input signal to the MCC panel to start the motor. Control panel works based on the PLC /DCS program or the relay logic.  Instruments are normally connected to control panel. Indications for the interlocks also will be there in control panel. Nowadays single panel is used of using separate control and MCC panel.

control panel - PLC/DCS/relay recieve inputs from instrument and give outputs to MCC















Overview: Control panel giving start command to motor through MCC

How control panel control motor through MCC










Related post:
Know more about control panel.
Learn to read electrical relay drawing.
Basics of electrical.



READ MORE - What is the difference between control panel and MCC?

Tuesday 24 May 2011

How to read electrical relay diagram? [Standard symbols used for drawing electrical relay diagram]

In one of the previous post in instrumentpedia I have described how to read an electrical drawing. Now lets look what is electrical relay diagram. Here I am giving the standard symbols used for the electrical relay diagram. In earlier days instead of PLC or DCS like controllers relays are used as controllers. Nowadays also for controlling small systems relays are using as controllers. Comparing to other controllers it is very cheap. Electrical control circuits are drawn with the standard symbols which are given below.

Components used for making a electrical control circuit and its standard symbols.

Switches.
Selectors.
Push buttons.
Contacts.
Coils.
Motors.
Pilot lights.
Alarms.
Connections
standard symbols electrical relay diagram- switches-pus button-connections
electrical relay diagram alarms motor hooter contacts

Related post:
Learn to read an electrical drawing.
Basics of electrical engineering
Electrical control panels
Piping and instrument diagram


READ MORE - How to read electrical relay diagram? [Standard symbols used for drawing electrical relay diagram]

Saturday 21 May 2011

The only thing left.

Seriously. I can't even tell count the number of times this has happened to me.
Left-handed people are the silently oppressed in this world. 
READ MORE - The only thing left.

Friday 6 May 2011

The God of Thunder.

I saw the midnight release of the Thor movie, which is now out in most theaters.

Long review short, I enjoyed it. I didn't fall in love with it like I did Ironman, and I didn't detest it. Perhaps I am biased. I am a superhero fan, and would most likely have a somewhat lower opinion if I was not.

Though, as I said, I enjoyed it. I was entertained. Ultimately that is the point of movies.
There was plenty of action, plenty of laughs, and enough special effects to make you say "whoa, what the shit" repeatedly. Although the camera movement was a little too fast for my taste, blurring out a good portion of the fight scenes.

Also eye candy. Mostly for the women, but still. They give you Natalie Portman, so stop complaining. Honestly, her acting could have been much worse. I guess that's a high point?
The movie throws you in at a comfortable starting point, and introduces the characters and backstory at a relative pace. You don't have to be a comic fan to understand what's going on, which is exactly what they were going for.

Then you get some cool fighting scenes, with giant face-lasers, a giant ice-themed Rancor and a bunch of blue people from Avatar.

[If you want to keep the movie a surprise, I would stop reading about here.]

After that some plot is thrown your way, and Thor is exiled to Earth (a.k.a Midgard). For a day. This is ridiculous to me; after a couple thousand years being Thor, the god of thunder who has had dozens of lifetimes to develop a concrete persona, he becomes a humble man and changes his outlook. It must have been something at that Denny's diner. Probably the pancakes. Or maybe Natalie Portman as Jane Foster is just that hot. (Hint: no.) He probably fell in love with the bars. I have no apathy for New Mexico. Not even people who live there are fond of it! So why would Thor?

Ultimately, if you have the $10 to shell out for a movie, I would say go for it. Did you seen Ironman? The sequel? Yes? Good. Then you will enjoy this, and you will most likely enjoy the upcoming Captain America movie.

Now that is what I am excited about.
READ MORE - The God of Thunder.

Sunday 3 April 2011

Meters used in the MCC panel.

Different types of meters are used in the MCC panel for indicating the status of the panel.Mainly three types of meters are used. Ammeter, Volt meter, Watt meter, Energy meter. Analog and Digital type meters are using nowadays.

Ammeter

Instrument used for measuring the current flow in the circuit is called ammeter. It should be connected series to the circuit .

Analog ammeter
analog ammeter-measuring the current flow

Digital ammeter
digital ammeter

Voltmeter

Instrument used for measuring the voltage across in the circuit is called voltmeter. It should be connected paralled to the circuit.

Analog volt meter
analog voltmeter- measuring the voltage across the circuit

Digital volt meter

digital volt meter


Wattmeter


watt meter

Energy meter

This is also called as a watt-hour meter. Energy meter is used for  measurinh the energy consumed in a circuit.

Analog Energy meter

energy meter

Digital Energy meter.


measures the energy consumption

Related post:
The wattmeter is an instrument for measuring the electric power (or the supply rate of electrical energy) in watts of any given circuit.
READ MORE - Meters used in the MCC panel.

Friday 1 April 2011

Dangerously Scene.

Or maybe it's called Scout Crossing. I'm still not very sure on the title; it's not perfectly advertised.
Either way, this is a webcomic I just came across the other day. Created by Scott Fergus, the mastermind behind Nerf This and other works, I like to think of it as an alternative-trendy take on the Scott Pilgrim mythos. (Have we decided it has it's own mythos yet? Is there a council to decide that?)

I have always been an admirer of Fergus' art style, and I believe he has discovered the perfect culture to integrate it with.
The story began off a little confusing for me, but soon enough I filled in all of my holes of misunderstanding. It begins with the classic "hiding of the hero" and the typical "call to action" you children learned about in high school English class. Except when Scout is called into action, he begins to punch polar bears and make explosions with his sweet sleeve tattoos.
Yes, magical flower-bomb-tattoos are the source of his power. Which, frankly, is awesome.
I have never been a fan of ink myself, but after only a hour of reading this story I was seriously reconsidering my views.
There are also cute girls, music jokes and a murder mystery.
Stop reading what I'm typing and go read it for yourself. Page one is right here. Dangerously Scene updates once a week; twice if we all are lucky.
Is it just me, or does a female character like this appear in all of his works?
READ MORE - Dangerously Scene.

Thursday 24 March 2011

Return of The Venture Bros.

I love this show. 

It's brilliantly written, amazingly hilarious and is a polished parody about a past generation of animated series.
I remember when I was young, I would watch shows like the original Scooby-Doo and shows like Johnny Quest and the various Superhero shows.
Classic Cartoon Network, you know. They were more or less what my parents grew up on; or at least watched ironically.
Then my best friend shared this beauty of a show with me.
It was violent, cruel and held a sarcastic mirror up to that television history.
Mostly I stayed for the violence. Ultimately I fell in love with the theme of the show; failure.
The show is about what happens to our heroes of yesteryear when life throws them a hardball and beats them down. We've all been there.
Part of the original core of comedy is tragedy; we laugh when others fall. Comedy is pretty dark and sadistic if you think about it. At least the good humor is; mom-and-pop humor from the cold war isn't exactly entertaining any more, if it ever was.

I almost came when I heard The Venture Bros. was renewed for a new season.
READ MORE - Return of The Venture Bros.

Tuesday 15 March 2011

Oct 3, 2012
Today we decide to clean up our school workshop. We found 3 rusty bench drill maybe 12-15 years old. Colecting dust for 10 years already. I don't know. We decide to transform them into useable item before 2.00 pm. Guess what? 




 Amazing Job guys. 


  
Sept 28, 2012

School break coming soon, We start to plan the next new project for more  professional quality simulator. Here is the 30% finish drawing.





May 28 2012
If you have a problem to download (as reported) you can e-mail me. thank you.

May 13th 2012
Budu 2dof v1.5 a.k.a Kubing 2dof v1.5 uploaded. Budu is the codename for this project when it first release 2 years ago. You can use same hardware schematic v1.4. For educational use only. read Disclaimer first.  You can use Kubing 2dof v1.5.hex as inverted pendulum controller if you like (stand alone without PC). Good luck!!---kubing 



Windows take about 2.09 milisecond to send 8 bit binary signal to controller at 19200 baudrate. even with  pause = 1 ms on USO software. That is the Windows hardware restriction for uart communiaction. 


April 15th 2012
Fix a few bugs in Budu 2dof v1.4. So the next release of Budu 2dof v1.5 will be here soon. Download link not available until the next release of firmware. Thank you for support and email. We are planning to start a new project to make it usable with android phone and tablet very soon. 


Dec 20th 2011

Here is my version of joystik/panel controller  

figure 1-1

PCB circuit figure 1-1 was created using Eagle Layout Editor that can be downloaded for free from CADSoft. However, this project used two layer pcb automatically generated using this software. There is still room for improvement to make the best controller. by adding a few expander port in the near future. Expander port is a type of chips produced by the Microchip company that is able to add up to 16bit switch. we can connect this chip using SPI or I2C. imagine if it is connected to 8 chip expander we get 8 x 16 = 128 switches can be controlled separately. Separate means we do not need a diode or a matrix column row system. each switch will be controlled by a separate bit. whether the toggle switch or push button switch.

Rotary encoder, widely known as a shaft encoder, is an electro-mechanical device that converts the angular position or movement to digital. Incremental encoder output provides information about the motion of the shaft is usually processed elsewhere in the information such as speed, distance, RPM, and position. In flight the rotary encoder is used in the autopilot controller, radio communication and so on. For now BuduFsx1643 has four rotary encoder input only. And will be added to the 16 channel according to current needs. I use the rotary encoder EC16B2410408 ALPS brand available at RScomponent or Element14 store. In addition BuduFsx1643 has 16 digital inputs and 3 analog input. This chip has an analog input 12bit resolution or 4095 step. 

I have Logitech GT wheel which only has throttle and brake pedals. so with 3 analog inputs of this controller. I can take advantage of it to build a clutch pedal with 12bit resolution.

Here is Another great microchip project link


NOV 13th 2011

Figure 1-2a

Figure 1-2b

The Figure 1-2a shows a 2dof v1.4 project. It use USB connection directly without any converter chip such as FTDI or MAX232. It is the result of very extensive code modifications from the original project. This project uses PIC18f2550 and some other components. Very easy to build and requires only 30 minutes to solder. There are three variable resistor which is used to adjust Proportional, Intergral and Derivative. Included with two LEDs on board. red light indicates a connection established and the blue led to show incoming data. I think a simple circuit will reduce the risk of connection errors.

As I have stated all the MCU requires special programming tools to enable us to burn the code into its memory. I usually use pickit3 or icd3. you can also make your own programmer if you have time, but are advised to buy at any electronics store like mouser or rscomponent. USB programmer for as low as USD20 is 10 times better than the DIY programmer. Do not misunderstand. Because this is only based on my experience. Try to repair the connection of the DIY programmer that does not work for days is not worth it.



PID algorithm inside kubing controller

What is PID? Old day technology use On Off switching to control the system. The on-off controller is the easiest possible way of control. Many technical systems use it, not limited to controlling a motor.  Refrigerator, heater, water pump usually use this system. But more complicated system its not going to work as we aspect by using this technique. The idea behind feedback control is very simple. We have a target speed, specified by the user or the computer program, and we have the current actual speed, measured by the sensor (hall, encoder, pot, etc). Measurements and actions according to the measurements can be taken very frequently(t).

The easiest way of control is not always the end of the story. A more sophisticated of controller and industry standard is the PID controller. It base on proportional, an integral, and a derivative control part. The controller parts are introduced in the following sections individually and in combined operation.


Proportional is the simplest term. The error is multiplied by the proportional gain,The amount of correction applied to the system is directly proportional
to the error.
'kP term....
              P1 = Kp * DIFF

P math in C code (embedded)

1    e_fungsi = v_target - v_drive; // error function //
2    z_motor = Kp*e_fungsi ; //motor output



Integral term is calculate the "historic" error in the system in fixed period of time. How long the motor need to move from point A to B? How to set the timer overflow in microcontroller is not as easy as in P and D term. If we set the timer overflow too fast from what they need to compensate the error and the system will not going to stable. The integral gain must be thoroughly tested before implementation to any PID systems. Its not as simple as I term =  gain * sum.
output = (kp * error_value) + (ki * integral) + (kd * derivative); 

The idea for the I controller is to reduce the steady-state error of the P controller. With an additional
integral term, this steady-state error can be reduced to zero.

I math in C code (embedded)
3 e_fungsi = v_target - v_drive;
4 z_motor = r_old + Kp*(e_fungsi - e_old) + Ki*(e_func+e_old)/2;



Derivative term is based on the rate at which the system is changing. Sometime it can be extremely aggressive when it is acting on the error of the system. In my case I make it adjustable to reduce the aggressiveness of this term. Similar to the I controller, the D controller (derivative controller) is rarely used by itself, but mostly in combination with the P or PI controller. The idea for adding a derivative term is to speed up the P controller’s response to a change
of input
 
'kD term......
              errdelta = DIFF - errprev
              d1 = kd * errdelta

              drive = d1 + p1

15 sept 2011 


Understanding DOF in simulation system (long story short)

In three dimensions, the six DOFs of a rigid body are sometimes described using these names:
  1. Moving up and down (heaving) = The yawing along the vertical Z-axis;
  2. Moving left and right (swaying);
  3. Moving forward and backward (surging) = Rolling along the longitudinal X-axis;
  4. Tilting forward and backward (pitching) = Sway along the lateral Y-axis.;
  5. Turning left and right (yawing);
  6. Tilting side to side (rolling).




Sept 9th 2011
 
Figure 1-3

The Green board on Figure 1-3 is pololu motor driver. It has the VNH2SP30-E chip full bridge motor driver intended for a wide range of automotive applications. The device incorporates a dual monolithic High-Side drivers and two Low-Side switches. The High-Side driver switch is designed using STMicroelectronic’s well known and proven proprietary VIPower™ M0 technology that allows to efficiently integrate on the same die a true Power MOSFET with an intelligent signal/ protection circuitry. This package, specifically designed for the harsh automotive environment offers improved thermal performance thanks to exposed die pads. Moreover, its fully symmetrical mechanical design allows superior manufacturability at board level. The input signals INA and INB can directly interface to the microcontroller to select the motor direction and the brake condition.



Sept 7th 2011 

Finally Kubing 2DOF with USB CDC (virtual com) done. Using a PIC18F2550. Instruction shown below are for Windows Vista. Just Follow a yellow guide for setup.

 







Kubing 2dof USB Setup finish. Sometime X-sim can't detect virtual comm so you need to manually add "\com1"  or "\comx" in the listbox above. 
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Kubing 2dof V1.3b (June 9th 2011) The new and improve version come with status Rx led and much faster motor respond. Its should work well without limit switch.

*Gear indicator with F1 style rpm indicator for rfactor MMG..code and schematic Uploaded. Click here
 
 
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Inverted Pendulum Project



Inverted pendulum on buggy 

The derivative term is crucial in order to bring the inherently unstable system into stability. In any PID control the derivative terms acts as an anticipator. By checking the current error against the previous error, the controller
can tell if the error term is getting bigger or smaller. If the error term is getting larger, the derivative term
adds to the output of the controller much like that of the proportional and integral terms, but to a lesser effect. If
the error term is getting smaller, this term will subtract from the output of the control in anticipation of an overshoot
condition. Without the derivative term the system will always be unstable because there is no way to compensate for the overshoot condition.
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KUBING 2DOF V1.1 (March 31th 2011)

After a month of testing and tuning on my inverted pendulum buggy I have found that by adding suppression caps to the POTs will drastically reduce the noise problem. This update applicable to all pots in my schematic. But only VR1 and VR2 shown.

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