Book Analog Interfacing to Embedded Microprocessors
This circuit measures the frequency of the encoder
pulses. Using the same 100-to-5000 rpm motor with the same 500-line encoder,
a 10 ms sampling clock will give a count of 8 at 100 rpm and a count of 166
at 2000 rpm. The output of this circuit can also be connected to a logic ana-
lyzer or DAC/DSO combination. Of course, either circuit can be imple-
mented with discrete logic or in a PLD.
Commercial Software
There are software packages that can aid in tuning PID loops. Examples are
Wintune from BestSoft (www.bestsoft.com) and a PID analysis package from
National Instruments (www.ni.com).
Things to remember in control design:
• The accuracy of the system is only as good as the measurement sensor. A
thermistor that measures the temperature of the heater will not provide as
precise control as one that measures the actual temperature of the heated
object. This is especially true of a PID controller, which bases all the control
parameters on the sensor input