Basic Information

  • Course Code: EE 324
  • Course Name: Control Systems Lab
  • Course Offered In: 2023-2024
  • Semester Season: Autumn
  • Instructors: Prof. Debraj Chakraborty
  • Prerequisites: EE 302 (Control Systems) or any similar course on Linear Controls
  • Difficulty (1 being easy and 5 being tough): 3

Course Content

Everyone made a team of 3 students for the entire duration of the course. The first lab was on PID control of a DC motor using Arduino Mega 2560 where the objective was to drive a DC Motor such that it rotates precisely 180 degrees before coming to a stop. The second lab’s objective was to design a controller that will be implemented on a IR-sensor based line following-bot which has to complete given track within 30 seconds, without going off-track even once. The third lab’s objective was to implement a LQR controller on an Arduino Mega 2560 to balance an inverted pendulum setup. It required pre-requisite theory which was covered in a class on Non-Linear controls, Lyapunov functions and Linear Quadratic Regulators. The fourth lab’s objective was to implement a lag compensator based controller for a headphone using a microphone to implement feedback-based noise cancellation.

Feedback on Lectures

Any additional theory required beyond EE302 (which was minimal) was covered in separate class hours. They were well structured and explained anything and everything required for the labs.

Feedback on Evaluations

After each lab, TA’s took a viva and graded the lab reports. There were no exams and grading was solely on viva, reports and timely completion. Grading was very good - 134 AA, 59 AB out of a batch of 213. There was no FR.

Study Material and Resources

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Follow-up Courses

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Final Takeaway

The labs were about careful calibration of PID / LQR constants, understanding the underlying control system, microcontroller programming and breadboarding extensive circuits. People required extra lab sessions to complete certain experiments because of issues in achieving optimal calibration. Overall it was a moderate yet immensely fun course which strengthened our practical understanding of control systems.