
from seconds or minutes for a slow system to tens of thousands of samples per
second for something faster.
Figure 5.2 shows a simple control system. Here, a microprocessor turns a
heater on and off via a MOSFET transistor. A thermistor is used to measure the
temperature of whatever the system is heating. The microprocessor reads the
temperature and turns the heater on or off to maintain the correct temperature.
The desired temperature is an input to the system. For now, we won’t worry
about where that input comes from.
On-Off Control
The simplest control system is on-off control, sometimes called bang-bang control.
The microprocessor reads the temperature. ...