Technicians
and engineers encounter a large variety of mathematical
functions during the important process of calibrating various
types of machinery and measuring instruments.
This
activity engages students
in calibrating the Pointer Table's motor itself. The electrical
signals which actually operate the motor consist of pulses
spaced about 20 ms apart. The width of the pulses controls
the motor's angular position, but different motors can respond
differently to the same pulses. Students input a variety of
pulse width and observe the resulting position of the motor.
They then derive the mathematical function, p = f(a), which
the control program will use to calculate the pulse required
to send the motor to a desired position.
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