A laboratory model for trapezoidal speed traction drive

The paper reports on the development of a real-time laboratory model of an experimental variable reference, constant speed DC motor traction drive system using a microcomputer-based controller implementing software based PD, PI and PID algorithms. This has been done with a view that graduate students of electrical engineering can perform a variety of experiments in order to replenish their knowledge, on thyristor drives, software programming and to test for aspects of modern control theory which they have studied in their course curriculum. Equal emphasis has been placed for their faculty development both on hardware and software. The DC motor drive system has been experimented on a small, separately excited DC motor. A trapezoidal and triangular speed traction drive has been implemented in this laboratory based on a real-time drive system. The microcomputer based PD, PI and PID controllers determine the rate of acceleration and deceleration of the traction drive with user friendly interactive display control facilities. All the control parameters of the drive system can be set and changed through the keyboard in real-time without affecting the smooth running of the motor