Design and Implementation of a Two-Axis Position Control Mechanism with Experimental Data Analysis

In this paper, the design and implementation of a hardware-based two-axis position control device with a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller are presented. The main objective is to develop a two-axis angle control testbed for evaluating various attitude control sensors. The device consists of two primary components: a mechanical structure and an electronic section. The control algorithm is implemented on a hardware platform. The mechanical structure includes a rotatable rod, coupling, bearings, body, base and an electronic section that features a processor board, encoder sensor, battery, telecommunication module and a coreless motor with a rotating disk functioning as a reaction wheel actuator. This configuration, with a rod and two rotating disks at the ends, is specifically designed to enhance inertia and improve system stability. This device is capable of two-degree-of-freedom maneuvers (pitch and yaw) and its position error depends on the control algorithm. The reliability of the device's accuracy, tested through 100 repetitions of these maneuvers, yields errors of 0.11 and 0.20 degrees, respectively, with the PID controller. The device's performance was thoroughly analyzed by examining different input angles, controller coefficients, step responses, initial conditions and both single-axis and two-axis maneuvers. The results indicate satisfactory performance, with an average error of less than 0.23 degrees. The device is built as hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), allowing for the integration of various controllers, monitoring of experimental data and performance improvements.