Board 23: Add a Real Experience on Process Control Lab to your Students … for Free!

Lab work is essential for helping undergraduate engineering students connect theory with real process‑control systems. Commercial control rigs are often very expensive, which limits how much hands‑on time students get. This project describes how to build and use an open‑access, low‑cost process‑control lab that gives practical experience without a big budget. The setup uses common open‑source hardware and software to mimic industrial loops such as temperature, level, or flow control. Students work with real‑time data collection, system identification, and controller tuning methods like Proportional‑Integral‑Derivative (PID) control. The design lets you add microcontrollers, simple sensors, and actuators, and uses open‑source programming tools to display process behavior and check closed‑loop performance. By

linking mathematical models to physical hardware, the platform helps students grasp stability, transient response, and disturbance rejection more deeply. The project includes step‑by‑step instructions for building, calibrating, and analyzing these inexpensive lab modules, making process‑control education practical even in resource‑limited schools.

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