Development of an Arduino-based, open-control interface for hardware in the loop applications

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Computer Science
• Control Systems

Background:

• Electric drives often require expensive or proprietary hardware interfaces for control and testing.
• There is a need for accessible, low-cost solutions for electric drive research and development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a flexible, low-cost control interface for electric drives.
• To enable PC-based testing, simulation, and control applications for electric drives.

Main Methods:

• Development of a control interface using open-source Python scripting language.
• Integration of accessible open-source Arduino hardware.
• Communication with test stands via I/O terminals and developed electronic amplifiers.

Main Results:

• A functional, low-cost control interface for electric drives has been successfully developed.
• The interface facilitates seamless connection between a standard PC and electric drives.
• The system provides a foundation for advanced hardware-in-the-loop simulations.

Conclusions:

• The developed interface offers a cost-effective and flexible solution for electric drive control.
• Open-source tools (Python, Arduino) significantly reduce hardware costs and increase accessibility.
• This work paves the way for more sophisticated simulation and control strategies in electric drive systems.