RAOP
Understand the Components and Their Connections
Begin by identifying what is measured, what creates motion, and how information moves between software and hardware. These concepts connect all four RAOP platforms without requiring advanced control mathematics.
Sensor
A component that measures a physical quantity and provides a signal representing it. An encoder measures rotation; its counts must be interpreted using the device configuration and appropriate units.
Actuator
A component that converts supplied energy into physical action. A motor can turn a shaft, rotate a joint, or drive a wheel.
Drive or amplifier
The electronics that provide controlled electrical power to an actuator. A software command is not itself the motor’s power supply.
Data acquisition and interface
The hardware and software path used to read measurements and send commands. Interfaces, channels, and command types vary by platform.
Feedback
A measured output is used to adjust the input. Comparing the desired value with the measurement helps determine the next action.
Digital twin
A virtual representation used to investigate a system. It supports preparation and comparison; its behavior and included features depend on the model.
Two Signal Paths in a Laboratory Investigation
Command path
- Software computes or selects a permitted command.
- The platform interface sends it to the appropriate control or drive electronics.
- The actuator produces physical motion.
Measurement path
- A sensor measures the system’s response.
- The interface makes that measurement available to software.
- The model displays, records, or uses the measurement for feedback.
This is a functional description, not a wiring diagram. Hardware may combine several functions inside one device. Follow the exact platform manual for cables, connections, limits, and startup procedures.
QUARC supports real-time execution of Simulink models and supported Quanser hardware interfaces. QLabs provides virtual environments. Their roles are related, but they are not interchangeable.
Read, Write, and Interpret
- Read an encoder
- Record position with the sampling interval, units, reference position, and test conditions. Counts and radians are not the same unit.
- Write a command
- Check whether the model expects voltage, velocity, position, or another quantity. Use instructor-approved limits and the platform’s documented interface.
- Use feedback
- Compare commanded and measured behavior. A difference may reflect the dynamics, sensor noise, limitations, or the experimental setup; investigate before drawing a conclusion.
Connect the Platforms
- Qube-Servo 3: DC motor, encoder measurements, inertia disk, and pendulum attachment.
- Aero 2: rotor inputs and measured pitch and yaw; an introduction to coupled motion.
- QArm: joint motion, actuator commands, sensing, and manipulation sequences.
- QBot Platform: mobile ground robotics, wheel motion, and sensor-based investigation.
One input and one output introduce a single-input, single-output view. Multiple inputs and outputs introduce interactions that require attention to the whole system. Advanced control design and kinematics can be extensions after these foundations.
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