INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, ROPAR

DESIGN LAB-II (ME306) LAB REPORT

Lab - 3

Submitted by: Group C(Wednesday)

Ankur Bharali - 2020MEB1267

Apeksha - 2020MEB1268
Arun Kumar - 2020MEB1269
Aryan Prajapati - 2020MEB1270
Ashish Jagarwar - 2020MEB1271

Submitted on: 01/02/2023

Title : DC Motor Control
Contents
Aim / Objective ............................................................................................................................... 3
Experimental Setup ......................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 4
Theory ............................................................................................................................................. 4
Procedure ........................................................................................................................................ 5
Observation Tables ......................................................................................................................... 6
Plots................................................................................................................................................. 7
Calculations..................................................................................................................................... 7
Results and Discussion ( By Ankur Bharali - 2020MEB1267) .................................................... 10
Results and Discussion ( By Apeksha - 2020MEB1268) ............................................................. 10
Results and Discussion ( By Arun Kumar - 2020MEB1269) ....................................................... 11
Results and Discussion (By Aryan Prajapati - 2020MEB1270) ................................................... 11
Results and Discussion ( By Ashish Jagarwar - 2020MEB1271)................................................. 12
Aim / Objective

● To understand the objectives of the control systems.

● To study the change in the speed (output) of the DC motor with the difference in the
input voltage and loading conditions.
● To find out the gain of the plant (DC motor system) and time constant.
● To find required input for a desired output

Experimental Setup

a) MS15 DC Motor module

i) DC Motor
ii) Tacho generator
iii) Output potentiometer (produces -5V to 5V)
iv) Calibrated disk
v) Brake (has three positions)
vi) Ports (for power supply)
vii) Analog control
1) Motor drive
2) Tacho generator output
3) Potentiometer output
b) Digital control (for input and output)
c) AS3 command potentiometer
 d) Virtual Control Laboratory (Software)
e) Connecting Leads (4 mm)
f) Power supply

Introduction

Control systems are all around us. Thus, it is very important to study control engineering and its
objectives. The objectives of Control Engineering are :
1. Controlled output reaching its desired value
2. Maintaining its output under changing loading conditions
3. To reduce the transient time to as short as possible
In this experiment, we will work on these objectives. The experiment consists of three parts:
1. Observing and measuring the input voltage and tachogenerator output voltage over the
range of offset values. It also includes finding the required input voltage for
tachogenerator output to be 2.5 V (50% of 5V full scale value).
2. Observing the change in velocity due to different load conditions for a fixed offset of
50%.
3. Providing step input and then finding the parameters of the first order system which
characterize the motor, i.e., gain and time constant. It also consists of studying and
analyzing the transient and steady-state response of step input.

Theory

When a step response is given to the motor, the output time response will consist of two parts:
1. A transient period which occurs immediately when the input changes and during which
the system seems to be dominated by something other than input.
2. A steady state condition which is reached after the transient has died out. The system
seems to have settled down to the influence of the input.
The transient situation is produced by elements within the plant which cannot respond instantly.
Mass in a mechanical system and capacitance in an electrical system both store energy so it takes
time to change the velocity of a mass or to change the voltage across a capacitor.
In the DC motor, it is the motor armature and all the disks and dials connected to the motor shaft
which require energy to get them moving or stop them moving. Actually, it is the inertia of these
elements, not mass, since we are dealing with rotating bodies.
Procedure

Following steps are taken to perform the experiment.

Part-1: Input vs Output voltage
● Make the proper wiring connections.
● Start VCL software and load the desired setup.
● Set the reference input to internal.
● Make the load zero.
● Switch ON and enable the motor.
● Note down the output voltage at 0% offset level (since input is in the form of DC, offset
level decides the input voltage.)
● Increment the offset level by 10% in each step and note down the output voltage.
● Also, note the input voltage for the output voltage of 2.5V.

Part-2: Output voltage at different load conditions

● Load the desired setup.
● Set the reference input to internal.
● Make the load zero.
● Switch ON and enable the motor.
● Make sure that the break is at ‘0’ level (indicating ‘No load condition’).
● Note down the output voltage at 50% offset level.
● Make the break at level ‘1’ (indicating ‘Half load condition’).
● Note down the output voltage at 50% offset level.
● Make the break at level ‘2’ (indicating ‘Full load condition’)
● Note down the output voltage at 50% offset level.
Observation Tables

Part-1: Input vs Output voltage

Offset level (%) Input voltage (V) Output voltage (V)

0 0 0

10 0.5 0.19

20 1 0.6

30 1.5 1

40 2 1.41

50 2.5 1.82

60 3 2.23

70 3.5 2.65

80 4 3.06

90 4.5 3.47

100 5 3.87

Part-2: Output voltage at different loading conditions

Offset level: 50% (2.5 V input voltage)

Loading condition Output voltage (V)

No load 1.83

Half load 1.42

Full load 1.05

We also observed that to get an output of 2.5 V , the input required is between 66% - 67% offset,
i.e., between 3.30V and 3.35 V.
Plots

Here is the plot showing the relationship between input and output voltages.

Calculations

Gain
Gain is defined as the ratio of the output to the input. For a particular plant, the value of gain is
fixed.
𝑂𝑢𝑡𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑆𝑝𝑎𝑛 𝐴4 − 𝐵4 2.25 − (−2.25) 4.5
𝐺𝑎𝑖𝑛 = = = = = 0.75
𝐼𝑛𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑆𝑝𝑎𝑛 𝐴1 − 𝐵1 3 − (−3) 6

So, the gain for our plant is 0.75.

Time constant

There are three methods to calculate time constant.

1. Initial Slope Method

In this method, time corresponding to the intersection of the initial slope line of the
output curve with the line representing steady state value. It is found as Tconstant = 0.280
sec.
 This is shown in the figure below

2. Settling Time Method

In this method, the time required to settle the output signal is calculated and then that
time is divided by 5 to get time constant.
We find settling time, T = 1.36 sec
So, Tconstant = 1.36/5 = 0.272 sec
The figure showing the above plot is
 3. 63% Method
In this method, time measurement is the time it takes for transient to change by 63%.
FRom output span, 63% level is : B4 + 0.63 (𝐴4 − 𝐵4) = 0.585 V
Time corresponding to this voltage gives the time constant for the first order system,
which is found as , Tconstant = 0.240 sec.
The plot below shows the method.

Thus, we can say that:

Plant Gain Kp 0.75

Time Constant τ 0.240

Error in determining time constant

The time constant found by the 63% method is taken as reference value and the error is
calculated by taking it as the true value.

● Initial slope method

|𝜏63% − 𝜏𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 | |0.24 − 0.28|

× 100 = × 100 = 16.67%
𝜏63% 0.24
● Settling time method

|𝜏63% − 𝜏𝑠𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 | |0.24 − 0.272|

× 100 = × 100 = 13.33%
𝜏63% 0.24
Results and Discussion ( By Ankur Bharali - 2020MEB1267)
We have seen how controls are used in this experiment and how they work. To control a DC motor,
we used a first-order control system, and we observed the outputs by providing various sorts of
inputs. Different loading scenarios were used, and the output was examined in each one. To
examine the link between the output and the input in the first experiment, we increased the input
voltage. There is no assurance that the actual speed will match the set speed in an open loop system.
In the second phase of the experiment, we assess the motor's step response. This experiment was
only run under no-load conditions. We discovered the system's gain. Then, we used the beginning
slope method, the settling time method, and the 63% approach to determine the time constant. The
63% approach, which allows us to determine the precise point of measurement, is the most accurate
of the three. It can be challenging to indicate the precise location where we should measure the
slope when using the initial slope approach, which can lead to errors. The settling point is only
discovered through observation in the settling time approach, which makes it a potential source of
inaccuracy.

Results and Discussion ( By Apeksha - 2020MEB1268)

In this experiment, we learned about the objectives of control systems and also found the
parameters for the first order system for a step input. We also observed that to get an output of 2.5
V ,we need to give an input in the range of 3.3V and 3.35 V. It is because there are various losses
involved in the process of transmission. These are copper losses due to windings that are present
in the motor due to formation of eddy currents and damping losses due to structural damping of
shaft or rotor. There are some frictional losses also. We also learnt that with changing loading
conditions, for the same input, the output voltage changes. Also, gain is the property of plant. Once
calculated, it will be fixed for a given plant.
We also observed that the response to the step input consists of two parts: transient state and
steady-state. Gain of a plant is calculated to characterize the steady-state of the response while the
time constant is calculated to characterize the transient state of the response. Our main concern for
the control systems is to reduce the time to achieve a required output and this can be achieved
when the time of transient state decreases. That’s why it's important to analyze the time constant
for a system to determine the transient response for a given input.
Results and Discussion ( By Arun Kumar - 2020MEB1269)
In this experiment, we learned about the many goals of the control system, including achieving the
intended value with the controlled output, maintaining the output under varying load conditions,
and minimizing the transient duration. For a certain amount of output we have to give more input
because of loss in energy delivered to the output end because of (i)Structural damping of the
system,(ii)Copper losses,(iii)Undesirable friction. We learned three methods to find time constant
- (i) the initial slope method, (ii) settling time method,(iii) 63% method to get the steady state
value, out of these 63% method takes minimum time to achieve the steady state.
Ideally, the relationship of output and input voltage should be linear with slope 1, it was discovered
that there is a nonlinear relationship between input voltage and speed.

Results and Discussion (By Aryan Prajapati - 2020MEB1270)

This experiment demonstrates the application of control systems in electro-mechanical systems.

In our case, the system (also referred to as a plant) was a DC motor system. This experiment was
divided majorly into three parts. In the first part, the relationship between input and output voltage
is analyzed. Ideally, the relationship should be linear with slope 1 i.e. whatever the input is given,
the same output is achieved. However, this was not the case. The possible reasons explaining this
deviation are
● Structural damping of the system.
● Copper losses (heat produced by the electric currents)
● Undesirable friction

In the second part, the output voltage at different loading conditions is found. The results were as
per our intuition. The maximum output is achieved at no load condition followed by half load
condition and finally, the least output is achieved at full loading condition. The resistive force
applied by the braking system explains this behavior of our system.

In the final part, the gain and time constant are found. Before discussing the results, it is necessary
to know the significance of these two parameters. Gain of the system tells us about the relationship
between output and input of the system and it remains unchanged with time.The time constant can
be defined as the time it takes for the step response to rise up to 63% of its final value. Time
constant is a significant parameter to describe the transient state of the system.

To measure these two parameters, a step input was given to the system and the output was
analyzed. The gain was calculated by simple geometric manipulation. In case of time constant, the
three methods were used to calculate the same. These methods were ‘Initial slope method’,
‘Settling time method’, and ‘63% method’. Out of these methods, the 63% method is considered
to be the most accurate as the scope of human error is least in this method.

Results and Discussion ( By Ashish Jagarwar - 2020MEB1271)

In this experiment, we were able to calibrate the apparatus. We also learnt how to use the VCL
software. We also learnt various objectives of the control system such as that the controlled output
should reach the desired value, maintain the output under changing load conditions ,and reduce
the transient time to as short as possible. It was also found that the input voltage and speed have a
nonlinear relationship. We also learned that the 63% method, out of the three, is thought to be the
most accurate.