Bachelor of Technology Programme

ME2142E Feedback Control Systems

Report:

Speed/Position Control
of a DC Motor

Name:
Matric No.:
Lab Group:
Date:

DOLCE GUSTO
A0123456V
1
31st Sep 2014

Speed/Position Control of a DC Motor

Objectives

To become familiar with the operation of an armature-controlled DC

motor.
To study the transient and steady state response of a closed-loop
speed control system.
To study the transient response of a closed-loop position control
system.

Results: Tables
Table 1: Brake Setting = 0 (With Feedback) Gain = 0.1
Motor Characteristics SPEED VS INPUT
Speed (rpm)
400
800
1200
1600
2000
V0 (mV)
39
82
123
168
212
*Speed range is 400rpm to 2000rpm in increments of approximately 400rpm.
Measure V0 with a multi-meter. V0 is the voltage output from the operational
amplifier (OU150A in the figure).

Table 2: Brake Setting = 4 (With Feedback) Gain = 0.1

Motor Characteristics SPEED VS INPUT
Speed (rpm)
400
800
1200
1580
V0 (mV)
49
104
160
243
* Speed range is 400rpm to 2000rpm in increments of approximately 400rpm.
Table 3: OPEN-LOOP LOAD Speed Characteristics (No Feedback)
Brake Setting
0
2
4
6
8
10
Speed
1000
910
750
660
540
470
(Gain = 0.03)
Speed
1000
920
750
670
550
480
(Gain = 0.06)
Speed
1000
890
740
650
530
470
(Gain = 0.1)
* For each gain setting, start with speed of about 1000 rpm at zero brake
scale reading. Then apply the various brake settings and read the speed from
the tachometer.

Speed/Position Control of a DC Motor

Table 4: CLOSED-LOOP LOAD Speed Characteristics (With Feedback)
Brake Setting
0
2
4
6
8
10
Speed
1000
950
860
790
690
620
(Gain = 0.03)
Speed
1000
960
880
830
750
700
(Gain = 0.06)
Speed
1000
980
920
880
820
770
(Gain = 0.1)
* For each gain setting, start with speed of about 1000 rpm at zero brake
scale reading. Then apply the various brake settings and read the speed from
the tachometer.

*Note
Gain = 0.03, Set the variable potentiometer to 3 in Attenuator Unit (AU 150B)
Gain = 0.06, Set at 6 in Attenuator Unit (AU 150B)
Gain = 0.1, Set at 10 in Attenuator Unit (AU 150B)

Table 5:
Closed-Loop Speed Control Transient Response (With Speed Feedback)
Brake 5
Brake 10
Remarks
Time Constant time
Time Constant time
(ms)
(ms)
Gain = 0.03
36
24
Gain = 0.06
28
20
Gain = 0.1
28
24
* Time constant: Time to reach 63.2% of the steady state value from the start
of the input step.
Brake Setting

Table 6:
Closed-Loop Position Control System (With Position Feedback)
With Speed Feedback
No Speed Feedback
Remarks
Overshoot
Rise Time
Overshoot
Rise Time
%
(ms)
%
(ms)
Gain = 0.03
0
636
0
432
Gain = 0.06
0
528
0
252
Gain = 0.1
0
460
7.4
188
* Rise Time: Time to first reach 90% of the steady-state value from the start of
the input step.
Brake
Setting = 5

Speed/Position Control of a DC Motor

Results: Graphs
Graph 1: Motor Speed vs Input Voltage

Moto Speed (rpm)

2400
2000
1600
1200
Brake Setting = 0
800

Brake Setting = 4

400
0
0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Input Voltage (mV)

Graph 2: Speed vs Brake (3 Gains, Open-loop)

1200

Speed (rpm)

1000

Gain = 0.03
Gain = 0.06

800

Gain = 0.1

600

Linear (Gain = 0.03)

400

Linear (Gain = 0.06)

Linear (Gain = 0.1)

200
0
0

Brake Setting

10

12

Speed/Position Control of a DC Motor

1200

Graph 3: Speed vs Brake (3 Gains, Closed-Loop)

Gain = 0.03

Speed (rpm)

1000

Gain = 0.06

800

Gain = 0.1
600

Linear (Gain = 0.03)

400

Linear (Gain = 0.06)

Linear (Gain = 0.1)

200
0
0

10

12

Brake Setting

Speed/Position Control of a DC Motor

Sample Calculation
Table 5
Gain = 0.06, Brake setting 10, with speed feedback
Identify Steady State Voltage Vss from Dual trace oscilloscope,
Vss = 1.141mV
63.2% of Vss
= 0.632 X 1.141
= 0.721mV
Move the voltage cursor V2 to 0.721mV, move time cursor t2 to
intersect with V2, we can get the Time Constant value:
Time Constant = t2 t1 = 144 124 = 20ms

Table 6:
Brake setting = 5, with position feedback, no speed feedback, gain = 0.1
Identify Steady State Voltage Vss from Dual trace oscilloscope,
Vss = 3.812mV
90% of Vss
= 0.9 X 3.812
= 3.431mV
Move the voltage cursor V2 to 3.431mV, move time cursor t2 to
intersect with V2, we can get the Rise Time value:
Rise Time = t2 t1 = -248 (-436) = 188ms
And, continue to identify the Overshoot Percentage:
Vss = 3.812mV
Vovershoot = 4.094mV

4.094 3.812
% =
100% =
= . %

3.812

Speed/Position Control of a DC Motor

Discussion
1. Discuss the differences in open-loop and closed loop control in
achieving a speed control system and the effects of loop gain and
load on the output speed.
Observation and analysis for the Graph 2 (plotted results from table 3,
open-loop speed control system):
The motor speed output drops significantly if there is a
disturbance, which is the magnetic brake in this experiment. The
reduction of the motor speed is linearly proportional to the
magnitude of disturbance, which in this experiment, when we
adjust the magnetic brake to increase the disturbance, the motor
speed reduced significantly.
We recorded three gain values: 0.03, 0.06 and 0.1. From the
graph, we can see there is no much difference in between them,
which the different gain setting of Op. Amp. has no effect
against disturbance.
A characteristic of the open-loop control is that it does not use
feedback to determine if its output has achieved the desired goal of the
input. This means that the system does not observe the output of the
processes that it is controlling.

From the block diagram, the error does not feedback to the controller,
no matter how we adjust Kt, it has no effect on the output. Kt has no
effect on the open-loop control. On the other hand, the brake has effect
on the output speed, so the more the load caused by the brake is, the
slower the output is.

Speed/Position Control of a DC Motor

Observation and analysis for the Graph 3 (plotted results from table 4,
closed-loop speed control system):
The reduction of the motor speed is still linearly proportional to
the magnitude of disturbance, but the reduction is not as much
as open loop.
Different gain setting affects the reduction in motor output
speed. The higher the gain setting value is, the lesser the
system speed reduction is affected by the disturbance.
In a closed-loop control system, a sensor monitors the system output
and feedback the errors to a controller, adjusts the controller to
maintain the desired system output.
So the errors will feedback to the controller, and its compensated in
the output. So when enlarge the gain Kt, the compensation is also
increased; the speed will be dropped lesser. In the closed-loop control
system, the output is less sensitive to the outside disturbance. And the
more load we apply, the slower the output is.

Speed/Position Control of a DC Motor

2. Discuss the effect of loop gain and brake scale settings on the
transient response of the closed-loop speed control system.
From table 5, we observe that:
The time constant decreases while the brake increases from 5
to 10.
As the gain setting value increases, the time constant also
decreases.

From the graph, the highest power of s is 1, so it is the first order

control system:
()

=
() + 1
The coefficient of s is time constant :
=

1 +

The smaller the time constant is, the faster the systems can
response. If we increase the gain, the value of will be decreased.
As for disturbance TL, the transfer function between it and is:
()

=
() + 1
When KL is a constant, if we increase the brake, add in more load TL,
will also decrease, system will response faster.

Speed/Position Control of a DC Motor

3. Discuss the effect of loop gain and velocity feedback on the
response of the closed loop position control system.
From table 6 (closed-loop, with position feedback):
With speed feedback, the rise time is significantly longer than
those without speed feedback
For those without speed feedback, when the gain setting value
increases to 0.1, there is an overshoot of 7.4% (please refer to
the appendix attached behind)

From the graph, the highest power of s is 2, so it is the second order

control system. There are two important parameter, n (natural
frequency) and (damping ratio).
When we increase the Kp, the damping ratio will be decreased.
When the damping ratio is equal or larger than 1, there will be no
overshoot. When increase the Kp to large enough to force damping
ratio to fall below 1, there will be an overshoot.
So when come to this experiment, the gain of 0.1 is large enough to
cause this 7.4% overshoot. For the natural frequency, Kp is the
nominator, so the natural frequency will increase when the value of K p
increases. Not only means it will oscillate faster, but also it will
responds faster.

10