Using a hydraulically balanced beam as a case study in control implementation for control education

This paper discusses a low cost solution to teaching controls in the laboratory through the use of a novel balance beam. The balance beam provides a vehicle to address many problems of control implementation as well as control algorithms. Due to the complexity of the system a full semester of laboratory exercises is provided for even advanced students. The flexibility of the system provides challenging exercises for different levels of education. A low overall cost translates to accessibility to more schools