During another full month, the Johannesburg team had the pleasure of hosting the branch year-end function, as well as a technology evening presented by turboTRAIN. The year-end function was a spectacular quiz night that was filled with laughter and competitive spirits. Thank you very much to everyone who participated.
The technology evening was presented by turboTRAIN’s Eric Carter, who agreed to step in at short notice to present on ‘PID for Dummies’. In this presentation, there was no pretence at advanced control, just the basics of what P, I and D are all about, with references to how they interact.
The presentation was marred by Teams issues, but the point was made that this is not rocket science and that people such as Ziegler and Nichols made important contributions to the factors that contribute to how the proportional action (gain), integral action (reset) and derivative action (rate), all contribute to a controller output that, if optimally tuned, returns the process variable to set-point, or very close to it, in an optimal way.
There were some interesting questions afterwards, particularly regarding PD control, which Eric answered with reference to common temperature control systems. Another question related to on/off outputs (as opposed to analog). This was explained as being pulse width modulation, also common in temperature control applications, where the time constant is long and integral action sometimes causes problems. The gain is usually high (so proportional offset is small) and a small derivative component is added to prevent overshoot.
The branch thanks all members for their continued support during 2021 and wishes you all the best for 2022.
Digitise what matters and leverage
SAIMC
SAIMC has been invited to partner with technology leaders 4Sight and NextGenOpX for a one-day industry event aimed at unlocking the full value of OT investments in the mining sector.
Read more...SAIMC: From the office of the COO: Ethical and practical use of AI SAIMC
SAIMC
In this day and age, we all have access to AI tools. A lot of people claim that if you are not using AI tools in your daily job today you are falling behind. But would it be ethical to use AI tools to write an article per day and sign my name to it?
Read more...SAIMC: Durban branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The Durban branch of the SAIMC held its July technology meeting at the familiar Premier Splendid Hotel, drawing a strong turnout of industry professionals.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The SAIMC Johannesburg branch recently hosted the July Technology Evening at the Bryanston Sports Club.
Read more...Digitise what matters and leverage
SAIMC
SAIMC has been invited to partner with technology leaders 4Sight and NextGenOpX for a one-day industry event aimed at unlocking the full value of OT investments in the mining sector.
Read more...Bridging the digital gap in industrial systems SAIMC Supplier Advisory Council
SAIMC
Industrial engineers, digital transformation leaders, and operations managers are invited to an exclusive knowledge-sharing event designed to tackle the complexities of digitising large-scale systems.
Read more...SAIMC Johannesburg branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The SAIMC Johannesburg branch recently hosted the June Technology Evening. The presentation covered HVAC systems through the lens of instrumentation, highlighting how sensor technologies form the backbone of effective monitoring and control, allowing for effective energy efficiency.
Read more...SAIMC Durban branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The SAIMC Durban Branch hosted its latest technology meeting on 4 June.The event drew a strong turnout, highlighting the keen interest in the topic ‘Understanding Level Measurement: Contact vs Non-Contact Methods’.
Read more...SAIMC at KITE 2025
SAIMC
The Society for Automation, Instrumentation, Mechatronics and Control Engineering (SAIMC) invites you to connect with us at the KwaZulu-Natal Industrial Technology Exhibition (KITE) from Tuesday 22 to Thursday 24 July 2025.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version