Real World Instrumentation with Python

Suggested Reading

If you would like to learn more about control systems and their applications, I would suggest that you pick up one (or more) of the following books:

Advanced PID Control. Karl Åström and Tore Hägglund, ISA—The Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society, 2005.

If you want to dig deeper into control systems theory, and PID controls in particular, this book is a good place to start. It covers nearly every aspect of using PID controllers, and combines discussions of real-world examples with a solid presentation of the mathematical theory behind PID control technology. With chapters dealing with topics such as process models, controller design, and predictive control, it is a valuable resource for anyone working with control system technology.

Introduction to Control System Technology, 7th ed. Robert Bateson, Prentice Hall, 2001.

I would recommend this book as a good starting point to learning about control systems and their applications. The math doesn’t require much more than first-year calculus, and the author employs numerous real-world examples to help illustrate the concepts. It also contains extensive definitions of terms in the form of chapter-specific glossaries and a section on basic electronics.

Computer-Controlled Systems, 3rd ed. Karl Åström and Bjorn Wittenmark, Prentice Hall, 1996.

While it is well written (albeit a bit terse) and contains examples for Matlab^® and Simulink^®, this is probably not a book I would recommend as a first read on the subject ...