Top 5 Control Engineering articles, July 8 to August 7: Tuning PID, PID math, radio frequencies, more

Articles about tuning PID control loops, PID math, radio frequency basics, creating an ASM-compliant HMI, and offshore oil and gas production were Control Engineering’s top 5 reader favorites from July 8 to August 7. You can catch up here.

By Chris Vavra August 7, 2014

1. Tuning PID control loops for fast response

When choosing a tuning strategy for a specific control loop, it is important to match the technique to the needs of that loop and the larger process. It is also important to have more than one approach in your repertoire, and the Cohen-Coon method can be a handy addition in the right situation. 

2. PID math demystified, part 4

You’ve seen the equations, but have you thought about how those elements work together? Part 4: Feed forward 

3. Radio frequency basics

Industrial wireless tutorials: Any radio frequency (RF) discussion quickly expands to the entire technology surrounding the generation and propagation of a radio signal or wave. Here’s what you need to know. 

4. Creating an ASM-compliant HMI goes deeper than screen color selection

Simply adopting ASM guidelines for graphics does not create an ASM-compliant HMI. Achieving that level of effectiveness involves a range of factors that address how people interact with the control system. 

5. Drilling deeper for offshore oil and gas production

Automation improvements make deep offshore drilling economically feasible, while still maintaining safety and reliability. 

The list was developed using CFE Media’s web analytics for stories viewed on controleng.com, July 8 to August 7, for articles published within the last two months.

– Chris Vavra, content specialist, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

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Author Bio: Chris Vavra is web content manager for CFE Media and Technology.