EEE 342 Feedback Control Systems

Fall 2024-2025

Lab 1 - System Identification and PI Controller Design

As in preliminary work, you will need to identify the system by using quantized step response of
the open velocity loop with noise. To obtain step response of your kit, Simulink files and hardware
communication need to be configured. The steps in part-1 explain the adjustments you need to do to get
samples from the physical system properly. In the second part, you will use a first order approximation on
received data to identify the DC motor. In third part, you will need to design 3 different PI controllers to
observe effects of P and I coefficients on step response. Finally, you will implement your final PI controller
design and obtain the closed loop response experimentally.

Part-1: Hardware Connection and Configuration

The sole purpose of this part is to assist you to configure Simulink diagrams and provide a proper
connection between the kit and Matlab. Therefore, you can skip this part in your reports except the plot
of position vs time data obtained from hardware.

1. Connect the power source to your kit. This will cause the Arduino to run the last installed code.

2. Please close Matlab and plug your USB cable for Arduino and wait until a COM port is assigned.
Then, you can open Matlab.

3. Create a folder and download lab1 step response.slx and lab1 read velocity.slx files from
moodle into this folder. Then, open MATLAB-R2021b and set your Matlab current workspace
directory to the folder you created as shown below.

Note that the path of the folder should only contain ASCII codes (space and Turkish special char-
acters may return error during your work on Simuink).

4. Open lab1 step response.slx file and configure the voltage source (Step block): Step time: 0,
Initial value: 0, Final Value: 12, Sample Time: 0.01. This block will now release r(t) = 12u(t) V .

5. The whole configuration part will be done in configuration window. You can open this window by
pressing CTRL+E or by clicking on “Model Settings” button under Modelling tab.

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In order to provide a communication between Simulink and kit, you firstly need to identify the
hardware you are using. This identification allows the Simulink to recognize pins of Arduino and
compile properly. The kits contain Arduino Uno, therefore, in hardware implementation pane in
configuration window, you need to select Arduino Uno as hardware board. Also, in the same pane,
set Serial 0 baud rate to 115200, which can be found under Serial port properties. The figure
provides visualization for this description.

Now that we configured the communicated device, we need to set duration and sampling period.
This can be done by opening the Solver pane in configuration window. Set Start Time to 0 and
Stop Time to 10. Then, select the Type as Fixed-step in Solver selection panel. Lastly, open Solver
details and set fixed-step size (fundamental sample time) to 0.01. The figure below provides visual
content for this description.

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6. There is a final step to provide proper communication between Simulink and Arduino, that is to
compile embedded code in .slx file. Open DC Motor Plant in lab1 step response.slx and double
click on sfcn encoder block. Press the “Apply” button on bottom right of the last opened window.
This action will compile the C code in this block. The following figure shows how this process is
visualized on corresponding window.

7. Close the last window and change the mode from “Connected IO” to “Run on Board (External
mode)” lab1 step response.slx. Press the button with title “Build, Deploy & Start” under
Hardware tab, as shown below. Now, the embedded code is built within Arduino, and you will see
that the DC motor rotates for 10 seconds. However, you will not be able to receive the output data
yet.

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 8. Download lab1 read velocity.slx to your folder and open it. This file will allow you to receive
data. Open “Receive from Arduino” block and set Communication Port to second line (for example
COM23). Click “No” if a window opens after you apply changes. Repeat the same procedure for
“Serial Configuration Block”. You also need to set duration to 10, as can be seen from the following
figure.

9. Apply these changes and close these windows. Open lab1 read velocity.slx again, enter 10 for
simulation duration and click “Run”. After 10-15 seconds, you will see a SimulationOutput data
called “out”. Save this data as vel 1 (both by using vel 1=out.velocity to save on workspace,
and by saving the variable vel 1 on workspace to your current folder as vel 1.mat).

Check-1 Plot the received data and show the figure to one of the TAs for the first check.

Report Plot the raw data in your report. Comment on the received data.

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 Part-2: System Identification in Time Domain
1. Note that you need to save the previously received data to avoid repeating part-1 to receive lost data.
As you have done in your preliminary work, you will need to estimate first order approximation of
DC motor after passing the received data from an LPF, where
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HLP F = .
0.01s + 1
Show your calculations and sample points on figures in your reports.

2. Download lab1 velocity sim.slx file to your folder. Open this file and define your first order
approximation in DC motor block.

3. Plot the response of simulation on top of the data you received from hardware. You can use the
following lines:

figure; plot(vel_1,’b’,’LineWidth’,2);
hold on; plot(out.vel_sim,’r’,’LineWidth’,2);
xlabel(’Time (sec)’); ylabel(’Velocity (rpm)’);
title(’Velocity vs Time’);
legend({’Hardware result’,’Simulation result’},’Location’,’SouthEast’);

Check-2 Plot the received data and output of your model on top of each other. Show the figure to one of
the TA’s for the second check.

Report Plot the figure and type the first order approximation of your DC motor, and the calculations you
have made in your report. Explain the reasons of differences between approximation and raw data.

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 Part-3: PI Controller on Simulation System
Now that you approximately found a mathematical model of the physical system, you can design con-
trollers in computational environment. You are asked to design a PI controller such that the output of
the closed loop satisfies the following criteria.

a) Steady state error is 0.

b) Maximum percentage overshoot is less than 8

c) Settling time is less than 0.8 seconds (%2 error bound).

In order to design your controller, please use the following steps:

1. Download lab1 closedLoop sim.slx from Moodle.

2. Make sure that the input is r(t) = 120 rpm.

3. Adjust the parameters of first order approximation of DC motor:

K
Gmotor (s) =
τs + 1

4. Set PI controller coefficients Kp and Ki to [0.5, 0.5].

Kp s + Ki
CP I (s) =
s

5. Run the simulation and observe the output. Change your PI coefficients according to specified
criteria and what you have learned from the first preliminary work (for example consider how
overshoot can be reduced or how settling time can be increased).

6. Simulate the closed loop and adjust your PI parameters until the output satisfies the criteria.

7. Finally, you should have 3 different PI controllers where one of them satisfies the criteria mentioned
above, one of them has Kp = 10Ki relation, and the last one satisfies Ki = 20Kp equality.

Check-3 Plot outputs of 3 aforementioned controller designs on different figures. Show these figures to one
of the TA’s. You also need to show that the criteria are met in your final design (overshoot, settling
time and steady state error).

Report Your report needs to include plots of responses of the closed loop with 3 different PI controller
designs. Please indicate the overshoot, settling time and steady state error of all three responses.
Also, output of the controller of final design should be shown in your report.

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 Part-4: PI Controller on Physical System
1. Download lab1 closedLoop hardware.slx from Moodle.

2. Implement your final PI controller in PI controller block in Simulink.

3. Deploy this file to Arduino (follow the steps at part-1 to avoid any errors during data transmission).

4. Run lab1 read velocity.slx to receive data.

Check-4 Plot the received data and your simulation output for the final controller on top of each other. Show
the figure to one of the TAs for the final check.

Report Plot the data obtained from both simulation and hardware on top of each other (a single figure that
contains both of the output responses) in your report. Comment on differences between hardware
and simulation results in your report. Does the response of hardware satisfy criteria given in part-
3? Also, please comment on how system identification and simulation was useful during controller
design in your conclusion.

In your report, you are expected to explain the work done in order. It needs to include all plots you
drew, all mathematical equations you did, and all the results you obtained in the lab. You also need to
comment on each result you obtained between lab checks. Do not forget to use report template and
write introduction and conclusion parts.
Submit the results of your own work in the form of a well-documented lab report on Moodle.
Borrowing full or partial code or other material from your peers or elsewhere is not allowed and will be
penalized.
Throughout the assignment, you are not allowed to use symbolic operations in MATLAB. The axes
of all plots should be scaled and labeled. To modify the styles of the plots, add labels, and scale the
plots, use only MATLAB commands; do not use the GUI of the figure windows. When your program is
executed, the figures must appear exactly the same as you provide in your solution. You need to write
your MATLAB codes not only correctly but efficiently as well.
Please include all evidence (plots, screenshots, MATLAB codes, MATLAB command window print-
outs, etc.) as needed in your report. Append your MATLAB code at the end of your assignment as
text, not as an image, and do not upload it separately. You can use the “Publish” menu of MATLAB to
generate a PDF file from your codes and their outputs and append it to the end of your report. If you
do this, please also indicate the part that the code corresponds to with a label. Please do not upload any
photos/images of your report. Provide a high quality scan, using CamScanner if possible. Your complete
report should be uploaded on Moodle as a single good-quality pdf file by the given deadline. Please try
to upload several hours before the deadline to avoid last-minute problems that may cause you to miss the
deadline. Please do not submit files by e-mail or on memory stick/CD or as hard copies.
Please name the PDF file you submit on Moodle as follows, using only lower-case English characters
for your first name, middle name (if any), and last name. Please use your full name as it appears on the
Bilkent system.

LAB1 firstname middlename lastname.pdf

filename example for Ayşenur Çiğdem Sürücü:
LAB1 aysenur cigdem surucu.pdf