PLTW ENGINEERING

Activity 3.1.6

Open and Closed Loop Systems (VEX V5)

Distance Learning Support

If you are doing this activity away from the classroom, jump to
the flexible path DL: Activity 3.1.6 Open and Closed Loop
Systems.

INTRODUCTION

Many devices function without ever verifying whether they are doing the job that
they were programmed to do. They might run for a specific period or perform one
function and then stop. For example, if you set the clothes dryer to run for 45
minutes, your clothes might be dry or they might not be dry when the dryer stops.
A clothes dryer is an open loop system because the process provides no
feedback to the device. Newer clothes dryers have moisture sensors. The
moisture sensors inform the machine when the clothes are dry, at which point, the
dryer can stop running. The feedback provided by the sensor makes this a closed
loop system .

In this activity you will design an open loop program to control a motor to oscillate.
Then you will design a closed loop system using feedback from an input to control
the motor.
EQUIPMENT

Computer with VEXcode software

VEX® POE V5 Testbed
84-tooth gear
1" hex screw 
2 – ½-inch standoffs

Limit Switch

VEX® POE V5 Testbed

Part 1: Thrown for a Loop

1 Modify the testbed so that the right motor has a gear with an indicator
standoff attached as shown in the following figures.
a. Remove the wheel from the right motor.
b. Thread a 1-inch hex screw through a ½-inch standoff.
c. Insert this through the gear as shown in Figure 3 and thread a ½-inch
standoff onto the screw on the other side of the gear.
d. Install gear assembly on the right motor.

Figure 1. Install Indicator Standoffs  Figure 2. Gear Assembly

Figure 3. Gear Assembly on Motor

e. Rotate the gear so that the indicator standoff is at a 12 o’clock position so

you can compare its starting and ending points.

2 Open your Lesson3_1_testbed_template, click File > Save As, and save as

“A3_1_6_Part1”.

3 Write a program that will oscillate the motor 0.5 second each way 20 times.
Add comments in your program to explain the purpose of each step. 

4 Download and run the program. 

a. Observe and record the standoff starting position.

b. Observe and record the standoff ending position.

 PLTW ENGINEERING NOTEBOOK

Describe any difference you observed in the starting and ending
standoff positions. The starting position was __5____ degrees away from the ending
position).

5 Save the code as a PDF or take a screen capture as directed by your teacher.

 PLTW ENGINEERING NOTEBOOK

a. Where did the indicator standoff stop? Is this an open loop or closed
loop system? The indicator standoff stopped a little off the 12 o'clock. This is a
b. Where do you closed loop
think the gearbox would have come to rest had you
set the program to cycle 120 times? The gearbox would have rested a little off where
it started.
c. What problems and inefficiencies might this process cause if it were
used in an assembly mechanism designed to run 24 hours per day
for several days?
This might cause an assembly mechanism to run 24 hours a day
to repeat a movement and also cause it to land on the same spot
each week.
6 Get your teacher’s approval before proceeding to the next step.

7 Disconnect your existing code from the event handler and connect it to a
comment block that identifies the type of loop.

Select File and Save. Select Share and save the PDF for submission later.

Part 2: Looping Back Around

8 Modify the testbed so that the right motor has a gear attached as shown in
Figure 5.
a. Remove the gear assembly from the right motor.
b. Add a limit switch as shown in Figure 4. In a subsequent step, you may
need to slightly alter the position.
c. Install the gear assembly on the right motor.
d. Adjust the limit switch position so that the standoff activates the limit
switch (listen for an audible click to verify activation).
e. Rotate the gear so that the indicator standoff is against the limit switch.

Figure 4. Limit Switch Attached

 Figure 5. Completed Assembly

9 In VEXcode, click File > Save As, “A3_1_6_Part2”. 

10 Develop a program that oscillates the motor each way 20 times. One direction
will use the limit switch sensor input. The opposite direction will use a .5-
second time limit. 
a. Begin with the standoff resting against the limit switch. 
b. Run the program and observe the ending position of the indicator
standoff. 
c. Add comments in your program to explain the purpose of each step. 

11 Download and run the program. 

a. Observe and record the standoff starting position.

b. Observe and record the standoff final position.

12 Save the code as a PDF or get a screen capture as directed by your teacher.

  PLTW ENGINEERING NOTEBOOK

a. Where did the indicator standoff stop? Is this an open loop or closed
loop system? The indicator standoff stopped very far away from starting position .
b. Where do you This
thinkis a open
the loop.
gear assembly would have come to rest had
you set the program to cycle 120 times?
The gear assembly would have come to rest very far away from starting position.

CONCLUSION

1 Describe an open loop system that has not already been given as an
example. Could the system benefit from feedback? Justify your answer.
An open loop system example would be a toaster. Feedback we can change it to land on
2 Describe
the sameaspot
closed looptime
every system that has not already been given as an
example. Describe the feedback used. Explain why this type of feedback is
used.
A closed loop system example would be the thermostat. The feedback used is the repeat
and no if statement.
It is used because it can land on the same place each time and can be used to repeat
Proceed to next activity
things with out having different outcomes.