Samantha Chowdhury
Research Mentor: Zheshen Zhang
Mentor Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering
Author(s): Not Available
Session: Session 1 (9:00 AM – 9:50 AM)
Presentation Type: Poster 130
Abstract
Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controllers are widely used and are an industry- standard instrument that relies on a feedback-based control loop to continuously adjust and manipulate feedback loops in real time. PID controllers are necessary, especially at The University of Michigan’s Quantum Engineering Lab aims to control optical signals under different experimental conditions, including drift control, optical mode cleaning, and phase locking. Commercially available PID modules on the market are often bulky and expensive, occupying valuable laboratory space and extra costs, which are cost-prohibitive at scale. This project focuses on the design and development of an in-house hybrid analog-digital PID controller that is cost-effective, compact, and specially tailored with features to improve the versatility for researchers in this laboratory and environment. By prioritizing these customizations, this project aims to create a tailored and specialized PID controller, designed and tested in real-world laboratory tabletop experiments. This design includes using an ESP32 microcontroller that is compact and able to perform PID operations without the need for excess passive devices, while also including analog components such as digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and operational amplifiers (Op-Amps) for manual gain adjustment and to expand the controller to be able to interact with physical optical signals. This project required a multidisciplinary skillset, including fundamental research, circuit design, code implementation, and electronic assembly. This project aims to demonstrate how an established electronic signal manipulation design can always be improved upon, customized, and scaled.
