Rotary Servo Base Unit

Quanser | Mechanical Engineering

A modular lab platform for teaching robotics, mechatronics, and controls.

The Rotary Servo Base Unit is the fundamental element of the Quanser Rotary Control experiments. It is ideally suited to introduce basic control concepts and theories on an easy-to-use and intuitive platform. Use it on its own to perform several experiments, or expand the scope of this unit by adding on other modules to teach an even wider range of control concepts. Instructors can thus expose students to a variety of rotary control challenges for a minimal investment. Real-world applications of the rotary servomotor include the autofocus feature in modern cameras, cruise control in automobiles, and speed control in CD players.

The Rotary Servo Base Unit is a geared servo-mechanism system. The plant consists of a DC motor in a solid aluminum frame. This DC motor drives the smaller pinion gear through an internal gear box. The pinion gear is fixed to a larger middle gear that rotates on the load shaft. The position of the load shaft can be measured using a high resolution optical encoder or a potentiometer. The encoder is also used to estimate the speed of the motor.

Features

  • High-quality DC servo motor and gearbox
  • High-resolution optical encoder to sense position and estimate motor speed
  • Continuous turn potentiometer to sense position
  • Variable loads and gear ratios
  • Optional slip ring for continuous measurement from instrumented modules
  • Ten add-on modules available

Courseware

Modeling Topics

  • First-principles derivation
  • Experimental derivation
  • Transfer function representation
  • Frequency response representation
  • Model validation

Control Topics

  • PID
  • Lead Compensator

Workstation Configuration

The following additional components are required to complete your workstation, and are available separately:

For Simulink

  • QUARC® add-on for MATLAB®/Simulink®
  • 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™
  • 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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