6 Integral Controller

Construct the integral element of the controller as shown in Fig. 5. Connect the potentiometer so that its
resistance decreases as the knob is turned clockwise. Note that unlike the proportional controller, increasing
the resistance of the 1-M pot will decrease the gain.

Figure 5 Circuit Diagram of Integral Controller

To test if the integral controller is working, first connect the input (node before the pot) to ground, then
turn the pot all the way to the left (resistance 1 M). Then, adjust the process variable and set point pots
so that the error output is approximately 0.5 V. Connect the DMM, set as a voltmeter, to the integrator
output. Now, connect the input node to the error op amp output voltage, and observe what happens to the
DMM reading. Record the time it takes for the output to reach saturation, starting from the time the op amp
input is connected to the error op amp output. (What is the saturation voltage?) Repeat the process with the
input resistance set to 500 k and 800 k. Record charging time for these values. (Do not forget to connect
the input to ground, then to the error op amp, before observing the DMM.)

7 Derivative Controller
Assemble the derivative controller as shown in Fig. 6. Unlike the proportional and integral control elements,
the derivative controller must have its input inverted first before being fed to the circuit. Connect the
potentiometer such that its resistance increases as you turn the knob clockwise.

Figure 6 Circuit Diagram of Inverter and Derivative Controller

First, check the inverter circuit. Its output should have the same magnitude as the output from the process
variable potentiometer, but with different polarity.
Next, check the derivative controller. Since derivative acts according to how the process variable is
changing, you will have to change the value of the process variable in order to change the derivative. Using
the multimeter, observe what happens to the output of the circuit as you turn the process variable pot. What
happens to the controllers output when you quickly turn the potentiometer? What happens when
movements stop?

8 Adding Together the Controls

Add together the effects of the control elements by wiring the circuit shown in Fig. 7.

Figure 7 Circuit Diagram for Summer

To check if the complete circuit is working, first adjust the proportional, integral, and differentiator pots to
10 k,1 M, and 1 M respectively. Then, adjust the set point and process variable pots such that the output
of the error op amp is approximately 0.5 V. Now, disconnect the input from the integral and derivative op
amps, and measure the summer output using the DMM. Then, connect the input from the derivative op amp
and vary the process variable pot. As the pot is varied, observe the summer output using the DMM. The
behavior of the output should be the same as in Part 7. Reset the error output to 0.5 V. Finally, connect the
input from the integral op amp, and observe the summer output. You should be able to observe it increase to
the saturation voltage.

9 Post-Lab Questions
1. What type of op amp configuration does the error op amp implement? How about the
proportional circuit?
2. What are the theoretical and actual values of the closed-loop voltage gain in Part 5 of the
experiment? How do you account for the discrepancies in the theoretical and experimental
values, especially approaching the high theoretical gains?
3. Why does increasing the integral resistance decrease the gain of the integral element? How
does the value of the integral resistance affect the behavior of the integral output?
4. Why do you need to invert the signal before it is input to the derivative controller?
5. How does the rate of varying the process variable affect the differentiator output?
6. From the basic operation of the proportional, integral, and derivative elements, explain their
primary role in maintaining the function of the PID controller. How does each of them
contribute to achieving the desired set point?
10 References
[1]

PID controller. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Accessed on July 7, 2009.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PID_controller

[2]

J.P. Thrower, S. Kiefer, K. Kelmer, and L. Silverberg. Basic Experiments in PID Control for Nonelectrical Engineers. May 1998.