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PID Control

Getting Started with PID

PID control is a feedback control algorithm widely used in control systems to regulate a process or system. It helps to keep a process variable (speed, position) at a desired value.

The three components of PID are:

  • Proportional: It adjusts the control action based on how far the process variable is from the desired value.
  • Integral: It looks at the accumulated error over time and helps to eliminate small errors that persist.
  • Derivative: It predicts how the process variable will change in the future and adjusts the control action accordingly.

PID control is commonly used in robotics, automation, temperature control, and motor speed control. It allows for precise and responsive control, even in systems with complex dynamics and disturbances.

In FIRST Robotics, PID control is heavily used to control arms, flywheels, and other mechanisms.