Updating Control Labs In The Caribbean
Objective:
The University of the West Indies looks to Quanser for updating its undergraduate control lab.
The BSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering course at the University of the West Indies (St. Augustine, Trinidad) is a British-style, three-year program designed primarily for students coming out of the Caribbean high school system. With a relatively short program length, students are exposed to an intense concentration of technology courses, unlike many North American colleges that blend the humanities in their engineering programs.
Dr. Brian Copeland of the university's Faculty of Engineering is certain of what his students must get out of his classes.
"The control industry in the Caribbean is process oriented," he says. "In the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, in particular, process industry is fuelled by expansive oil and gas reserves. This industry, in turn, fuels the most dynamic economy in the English-speaking Caribbean."
He adds "Trinidad and Tobago provide more than 50 percent of the natural gas demands of the Eastern USA and is a world leader in the supply of Methanol."
To balance the demands of an intense curriculum, industrial needs, and a frugal university budget, Brian turned to Quanser for assistance in updating his undergraduate lab.
Quanser Solution:
While an in-house solution was possible, Quanser's low-cost QET was available immediately - with a full curriculum already in place.
To get his undergraduate lab updated quickly and cost-effectively, Brian selected the Quanser Engineering Trainer (QET) DC Motor Control (Ten units were purchased initially.) The portable standalone trainer is designed to demonstrate control fundamentals using a wide range of control methods.
"Before the Quanser acquisition, our aging laboratory resources included five old DC servo systems and a mix of other control rigs," he explains. Unsatisfied with the limitations of his equipment, he began searching for alternatives:
"The department had already successfully experimented with PC-based oscilloscopes and was looking for a solution that allowed for easy experimental rig manipulation from the PC. The department had also started the process of building an in-house solution when we happened on Quanser's QET system. Given the resources available at the time, we estimated a two-year lead-time for the in-house solution while the Quanser option was immediately available. The Quanser solution provided us with a means to immediately treat with the more urgent problem of an ever-increasing class size while still facilitating the development of higher level creative skills."
Brian is delighted with his space-saving purchase and is looking to expand his lab with more QET units.
This is because Quanser's QET Motor Control Trainer provides an ideal way to demonstrate the fundamentals of motor control, tuning and haptics. The advanced trainer is exceptionally versatile and can be controlled via analog, digital, embedded or computer control, including a laptop. It also comes bundled with comprehensive curriculum materials co-developed with Professor Karl Åström, a venerable force in control education.
Brian's students are now finding their control labs more relevant, interesting and memorable. He looks forward to his next delivery of leading edge and cost-effective Quanser technology…
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| The University College, established in 1948 at Mona, Jamaica, was the first Campus of the University of the West Indies. Subsequently, campuses were established at St. Augustine, Trinidad (1960) and Cave Hill, Barbados (1962). Today the University of the West Indies comprises three main campuses, the Centre of Hotel and Tourism Management in the Bahamas, the Institute of Business at St. Augustine and Mona as well as 11 non-campus centres situated in other Caribbean countries. |
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Students in Dr. Copeland's control
lab
learning from the QET DC Motor
Control Trainer |
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