PID Control Done in a Snap

A thought came to mind that when I need a PID controlled process or something on the side of industrial automation I just take an old “recycled” controller that was bound for the garbage heap and I make whenever I need. That’s great for me; my blog readers, not so much. I recently replied to a posting on an electronics forum with a guy looking for a cheap and easy way to control is variable frequency drive (VFD). This is a device that varies voltage and frequency to vary the speed of a motor. You can buy these in single phase for fractional HP motors thought they’re more commonly used in three phase applications. The poster was looking for a way to vary the control voltage (0-10V). I bit my tongue through the comments from people misunderstanding that it was control voltage an in fact the guy didn’t need a 10V 300A power supply. In his case he wanted to manually adjust the speed, but if it was to be an automated process and if I was him; I’d used a stand alone PID controller. These controllers are great for a pool pumps, hot water solar panels, exhaust fan controls, or something along those lines. I would use the Johnson Controls System 350 series controller. http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/content/us/en/products/building_efficiency/commercial-refrigeration/system-modular-control/350controls/a350/sysa350p.html

System 350 PID Controller
System 350 PID Controller

You can get these to control off temperature, humidity, or pressure to vary your output. They also come in staged outputs. I’ve seen these for green house controls, water pump VFDs, etc etc. It’s pretty simple; have a control sensor, and command an output, adjust the set-point and proportional band/integration to “tune” the loop.

Full disclosure: I work for Johnson Controls, However! I do not/can not sell or install these. These are generally installed by electricians but trust me.. anyone could install one of these. I’ve played around with them from a condenser deck we were working on one time. You can pick them up at grainger or anywhere you can buy HVAC components, likely eBay as well?

.. also forgive the liberties I took with “PID”, I do realize it’s only a PI controller. It’s rare to find full PID implemented in an industrial or energy automation controller; we usually don’t need to use derivative.

Author: Chas

I don't know why I blog, because? I have no agenda, just love electronics and want to share. I love to follow other experimenters/hardware hackers just to see what other people are working on. Shoot me a message if you blog.

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