332: There Were Fires

Embedded.fm · 29 May 2020 · 1h 11m · Episode 332

What this episode covers

Doug Harriman, CTO of Simplexity Product Development, discusses the cross-disciplinary nature of mechatronics, emphasizing that mechanical, electrical, and control systems must be designed together to avoid failure. He details the trade-offs between stepper, brushed DC, and brushless DC motors, explaining how improper impedance matching between electrical and mechanical domains leads to blown FETs and fires. Harriman also covers control strategies like PID and feed-forward, sensor selection including encoders, and the critical importance of homing and stall detection in safety-critical systems.

Mentioned

Companies
Simplexity Product Development, Valve
Products
HTC Vive
Also
Control Systems Engineering, Notes on Diffy Qs, 3 Brown 1 Blue

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