Parallel PID Controller Kit

Analog parallel PID controller educational kit designed for Menoufia University (Faculty of Engineering) — with companion Position & Speed Control board, hardware P/I/D tuning potentiometers, and motor driver stage

Project Overview

Designed a parallel analog PID controller educational kit for the Faculty of Engineering at Menoufia University. The kit provides a hands-on hardware platform for learning and demonstrating closed-loop PID control, with independent hardware-adjustable Proportional, Integral, and Derivative stages, a feedback section, and an integrated motor driver. A companion Position & Speed Control Kit was also designed to interface with motors and encoders.

PCB design render of the Parallel PID Controller Kit showing the labeled Setpoint (SP), Proportional (P), Derivative (D), Feedback (FB), Current Sensing (C.S), and Driver sections — each with dedicated tuning potentiometers.
Manufactured black PCBs — the main Parallel PID Controller Kit (left) and the companion Position & Speed Control Kit with Motor and Encoder interfaces (right).

Key Features

  • Parallel PID Architecture — independent analog P, I, and D signal paths summed at the output for true parallel implementation
  • Hardware Tuning — dedicated trim potentiometers for Setpoint (SP), P, I, D, and feedback gain — adjustable in real time
  • Error Signal Display — visual error indicator for real-time control observation
  • Current Sensing (C.S) — built-in current monitoring for the controlled plant
  • Integrated Driver Stage — on-board motor/actuator driver for direct plant connection
  • ON/OFF Control — system enable switch for safe operation
  • Companion Position & Speed Control Kit — second board with Motor and Encoder IP interfaces for position and velocity control experiments

Hardware Architecture

Block Implementation
Setpoint (SP) Potentiometer-set reference input
Proportional (P) Analog op-amp stage with trim pot gain adjustment
Integral (I) Analog integrator stage with trim pot time constant
Derivative (D) Analog differentiator stage with trim pot tuning
Feedback (FB) Sensor feedback conditioning and summation
Error Error signal computation and visual indicator
C.S Current sensing for load monitoring
Driver Motor/actuator driver stage for plant control
Companion Kit Position & Speed Control board — Motor + Encoder interfaces

Technologies & Tools

  • Altium Designer — PCB schematic and layout
  • Analog circuit design — op-amp based P, I, D stages
  • Motor driver and power stage design
  • Control systems theory — parallel PID implementation

Key Achievements

✅ Designed a complete analog parallel PID controller for university education
✅ Hardware-adjustable P, I, D gains for real-time closed-loop experimentation
✅ Integrated current sensing and motor driver on a single board
✅ Designed companion Position & Speed Control Kit for motor/encoder experiments
✅ Manufactured and delivered to Menoufia University Faculty of Engineering