PID Automated Static Test Lab

Project Description

Check out the documentation and code to this project on my GitHub!

This project is a design project I worked on as a Mechanical Engineering Intern at Boeing Insitu. All information and materials on this page and its immediate links are presented with explicit permission from Insitu, Inc. There are many original assets (CAD files, images, code, and written documentation) that I created with another intern. These files have been reviewed and released for personal use.

The PID Automated Static Test Lab is a custom integrated mechanical, electrical, and software system that allows a user to manually or programmatically command a pulling mechanism to apply an arbitrary load vector over a specified period of time. The system serves as an improvement to the previous manual static test lab system and has been adopted for professional use at Insitu. I have included images and files in the media section below.

Methods

Designed high-level mechanical, electrical, and software systems based on product requirements with an emphasis on modularity and interoperability of parts
Performed stress, torque, and power analysis on design to meet static testing needs
Sourced COTS parts from vendors including load cell, stepper motor, driver, microcontroller, winch, and other mechanical/electrical components
Designed (in SolidWorks) and fabricated custom parts for integration with COTS parts
Designed electrical system with relays, E-stops, and breakout boards to allow for multiple interfaces (software application control and hardware potentiometer control) with defined communication hierarchy
Wrote and tuned a PID control program in C++ Arduino to automatically maintain load magnitude
Created and implemented mathematical algorithms for data characterization on the Arduino to identify and handle errors and edge case scenarios
Wrote a custom packaged application in Python using Qt GUI for user-friendly control from a PC; application handles serial communication, control mode switching, error communication, and programmatic automation
Conducted system tests and implemented numerous redesigns to catch failures and ensure system functionality and safety for deployment
Wrote user manual and detailed 17 page system documentation for project handoff

Media

Winch and Load Cell

Control Box

Custom GUI Software

PID Control Response in load (lb) vs. time (ms) graph (target 400 lbs)