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Controlling a mechanism is one of the most challenging things we face as a team. How are mechanisms controlled? How do we go from a motor input to a mechanism performing an action we tell it to?

There are many different types of control, but the one used most frequently is PID Control

PID CONTROL

What is PID Control

PID Control stands for Proportional, Integral, Derivative. PID Controllers look to provide a motor with an input based on a calculation, that calculation being: P * e(t) + I * e(t)dt + D * dedt where e is error and e(t) is a function of error with respect to time, as error will be changing.

But what is error?

Error

Error is an arbitrary unit utilized by PID Controls to determine an output. Error can be in any unit.

Now, don't let that scare you, if you haven't been a calculus class, some of those symbols make look like a foreign language, but trust me, you got this!

Proportional