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Ball and Beam
Introduce unstable closed loop system control concepts
Control Systems & Dynamics
Electromechanical Control
The Ball and Beam module is ideal to introduce various control concepts related to unstable closed-loop systems. You can use it to demonstrate real-world control challenges such as aircraft roll control. The Ball and Beam module attaches to the Rotary Servo Base Unit.
Gallery
Product Details
The Ball and Beam module consists of a steel rod in parallel with a nickel-chromium, wire-wound resistor forming the track on which the metal ball is free to roll. The track is effectively a potentiometer, outputting a voltage that’s proportional to the position of the ball.
When coupled to the Rotary Servo Base Unit, the tilt angle of the beam can be controlled by changing the servo gear angle. The Ball and Beam module can be operated in stand-alone mode, and the ball position can be controlled via the user interface.
- High-quality aluminum chassis with precision-crafted parts
- Robust machined aluminum casing with stainless steel rod
- Ball and Beam module easily attaches to Rotary Servo Base Unit
- Easy-connect cables and connectors
| Calibrationed base dimensions (L x W) | 50 cm x 22.5 cm |
| Beam length | 42.55 cm |
| Lever arm length | 12 cm |
| Support arm length | 16 cm |
| Ball diameter | 2.54 cm |
| Ball mass | 0.064 kg |
| Ball and Beam module mass | 0.65 kg |
Modeling Topics
- First-principles derivation
- Transfer function representation
- Linearization
- Model validation
Control Topics
- Multiple loops
- PID
The following additional components are required to complete your workstation, and are sold separately:
For Simulink
- QUARC® add-on for MATLAB®/Simulink®
- One Rotary Servo Base Unit
- Quanser VoltPAQ-X1 linear voltage amplifier
- One of the following DAQ devices:
- Quanser Q2-USB
- Quanser Q8-USB
- Quanser QPIDe
For LabVIEW
- Quanser Rapid Control Prototyping (Q-RCP) Toolkit® add-on for NI LabVIEW™
- One Rotary Servo Base Unit
- Quanser VoltPAQ-X1 linear voltage amplifier
- One of the following DAQ devices:
- NI CompactRIO with Quanser Q1-cRIO
- NI myRIO with Quanser Terminal Board
- Quanser Q2-USB
- Quanser Q8-USB
- Quanser QPIDe
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