Case Study: the UCL Perspective Dr. Ben Hanson, Lecturer in Control and Dynamics

Scenario: Automatic Control Systems course within Mechanical Engineering Dept at UCL ○~35 students Desirable to add a “servo motor” lab, but ○No time to purchase / install / re-condition equipment ○No extra time on students’ timetable for additional lab sessions ReLOAD provided the solution

Servo Motor Position Control Motors used to control position of many devices ○e.g. surveillance camera, satellite dish These systems are mainly used for remote operation ○Running lab over the internet is quite appropriate

Experimental Setup (in Leeds) One servo motor “Desired” position from Green LED lights “Actual” position from laser spot Webcam records the result as video Position sensor provides trace data

Incorporating ReLOAD into my course Experiment features real lab equipment ○As seen in text books and other courses. ReLOAD servo experiment was ready to use ○I had time to tailor the structure of experiment and write background material to suit my course “24, 7” availability ○Provided ample opportunity to run through the experiment to check results are sensible and illustrate the appropriate learning points

Running the Experiment Theory and method were explained to students ○Demonstrated ReLOAD in a computer class Students run experiment in their own time ○Given Christmas break ○+2 weeks term time (to ensure access to PCs) Only one short period of “down time” ○Fixed promptly ○Since access time is flexible, this did not prevent students from running the lab.

Running the Experiment Students occasionally ed for clarification Wide range of access times was seen ○Including Christmas Eve ○Usage increased near the report hand-in deadline ○Short duration experiment  no queuing problems Students submitted traditional style lab report

After the fact ReLOAD continues to be included in course Lab equipment updated and protocol modified ○This only requires changing one experimental rig Individualised parameters used now Online submission of experimental results ○Assessment now performed semi-automatically, manually verified.

Results Frequency, rad/s mag, dB Student’s experimental data Theoretical result

Future Development “Real” servo lab will not be introduced at UCL Instead alternative, additional teaching resources will be developed ○Including real lab experiments Development of a remotely-operated experiment is planned ○Large physical scale and cost ○Unsuitable for lab use by individual students