In many industrial control processes, the control of the precise position of a valve, cylinder, or many other different mechanical linkages is desired. In order to gain experience in the construction and control of physical plant systems, a laboratory scale model of a ball and beam balancing system has been designed and built. The system consists of a ball, a beam which incorporates a position sensor, and a servo motor. The system will control the position of the ball by using the motor to adjust the angle of the beam. A mathematical model of the system, and compensator design are discussed.
 

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