Utilization of G-Programming Language for Educational Control Application: Case Study of Magnetic Levitation of Elastic Beam
Abdallah Amr, Mostafa Eshra, Ayman A. Nada
TL;DR
This work addresses control education by leveraging LabVIEW G-programming to implement and compare classical control strategies on a magnetic levitation setup with an elastic cantilever beam. By deriving a linearized plant model, the authors design and tune PID and Lead-Lag compensators, validate them in simulation, and realize real-time hardware-in-the-loop control via an Arduino LINX interface. The study highlights the impact of solver choice and sampling on real-time performance and demonstrates practical, low-cost teaching tools for control concepts such as stability, overshoot, and settling time. The findings support the use of LabVIEW as an accessible platform for experiential learning in control engineering, enabling rapid prototyping, visualization, and validation on affordable hardware.
Abstract
This paper presents the practical employment of G-Programming tools to demonstrate, design, and implement traditional control algorithms upon magnetic levitation system. The complexity of controlling this type of fast dynamic and sensitive system is vital for highlighting the capabilities of LabVIEW G-programming in control education. PID and Lead-Lag controllers are designed and implemented within the LabVIEW environment, with the ability to tune and optimize the controllers utilizing the Virtual Instruments (VIs) of the control design and simulation toolkit. The paper enables the reader to understand the modelling, testing the control action, and dynamic simulation of the system. Then, deploying the control law in real time. It can be concluded that the G programming shows a suitable and easy tool for facilitating hands-on, experiential learning and validation in control systems engineering.