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 Dynamic Systems Design can be described as a four part
process. The starting point depends on
where you are and your needs. If you are
designing a system for the first time, the model can be built to specify the
first prototype. Once the prototype is
made, system identification is used to verify the model. Existing system evaluation or diagnosis may
begin by making measurements and creating or validating a matching model. If you have an existing system that is
misbehaving, system identification and modeling can help you understand the
problem or improve performance.
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Recently, one of my articles was published in the March 2010 edition of Control Engineering Magazine.
Making Analog Data Digital helps you understand how to create digital representations of analog systems for control system applications.
It is available online here Making Analog Data Digital
Or you can download the full article here  Digital Representations of Analog Systems
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We model the system dynamics by developing dynamic equations
and a computer model. The benefits of making a good system model
are:
• Save money
in the prototype phase.
• Faster
design-verification cycles with less turns.
• Save
money by not over-specifying components or performance requirements.
• Achieve
a robust design by understanding the impact of parameter variations.
• Better
communication between teams.
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System identification can be one of the most challenging tasks
facing a designer since models have to be adjusted to reflect real-world
conditions. You can't fool Mother
Nature! Once you do have a system well
characterized, you can proceed with much greater confidence.
Although a system model can be created mathematically, it is
considered a hypothesis until real measurements can be made to verify it. This gives confidence that the design of a
control system will reflect reality. Existing systems can be monitored to ensure
they still meet specifications.
We use a variety of tools and techniques to identify a system. Depending on the situation, we may ask you
for specific stimulus and response measurements of your plant or visit your
site to perform these tasks.
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You may be interested in improving a system design based on
specifying and integrating components, or in a full control system to improve
the performance of an existing plant.
By "plant" we mean the dynamic system that yields particular output
variables to a stimulus. Examples are
simple motor position or position controls, paper mill tension controls, or wind turbine
speed controls.
The design of the control system begins with specification
of your performance and stability requirements.
We can help you design a simple PID system, or more advanced custom
controllers. We support analog or digital
designs depending on your requirements.
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We program microcontrollers ourselves, or partner with
subcontractors to develop microcontroller or DSP designs. We partner with your company’s experts in PLC
programming to implement the solution, or similarly subcontract to capable
vendors that specialize in your particular platform.
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