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Modernisation of Water Tank Control Laboratory System

Ajan Alhadid, Mohamad LU (2026) In CODEN:LUTEDX/TEIE EIEL05 20261
Division for Industrial Electrical Engineering and Automation
Abstract (Swedish)
This thesis presents an open and documented replacement for the two-tank water level
laboratory used to teach PID control at LTH Helsingborg. The existing system depends on a proprietary, closed-source Windows application and a legacy data acquisition card, tied to an ageing Windows XP-era PC that cannot be modified, documented, or used remotely. The new platform pairs a Raspberry Pi Pico W microcontroller, running MicroPython as a data-acquisition bridge, with a Python web application built on Flask and Flask-SocketIO, which students reach through a browser on any device. A complete PID controller reproduces the functionality of the original software, and the platform offers two operating modes: a hardware mode that drives the physical... (More)
This thesis presents an open and documented replacement for the two-tank water level
laboratory used to teach PID control at LTH Helsingborg. The existing system depends on a proprietary, closed-source Windows application and a legacy data acquisition card, tied to an ageing Windows XP-era PC that cannot be modified, documented, or used remotely. The new platform pairs a Raspberry Pi Pico W microcontroller, running MicroPython as a data-acquisition bridge, with a Python web application built on Flask and Flask-SocketIO, which students reach through a browser on any device. A complete PID controller reproduces the functionality of the original software, and the platform offers two operating modes: a hardware mode that drives the physical tanks, and a simulation mode that replaces them with a mathematical model so the laboratory exercises can be completed entirely remotely. It is delivered in two editions a lab edition for the workstations and a student edition with a self-contained executable for students' own computers.

Testing confirmed reliable communication with the microcontroller at 10 Hz, correct
operation of a three-layer pump-safety architecture, and a simulation that matches its analytical steady-state behaviour, while six unit tests of the controller and model all pass. Full closed-loop control of the physical tank was not completed, as it requires a signal conditioning circuit that remains as future work. The result modernises the laboratory onto current Windows 11 hardware and, through its simulation mode, makes the PID control exercises accessible to students remotely for the first time. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Ajan Alhadid, Mohamad LU
supervisor
organization
course
EIEL05 20261
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
PID control, Anti-windup, Water tank system, Simulation, Raspberry Pi Pico, Remote laboratory, Flask, Open-source
publication/series
CODEN:LUTEDX/TEIE
report number
3162
language
English
id
9244242
date added to LUP
2026-09-28 10:44:00
date last changed
2026-09-28 10:44:00
@misc{9244242,
  abstract     = {{This thesis presents an open and documented replacement for the two-tank water level
laboratory used to teach PID control at LTH Helsingborg. The existing system depends on a proprietary, closed-source Windows application and a legacy data acquisition card, tied to an ageing Windows XP-era PC that cannot be modified, documented, or used remotely. The new platform pairs a Raspberry Pi Pico W microcontroller, running MicroPython as a data-acquisition bridge, with a Python web application built on Flask and Flask-SocketIO, which students reach through a browser on any device. A complete PID controller reproduces the functionality of the original software, and the platform offers two operating modes: a hardware mode that drives the physical tanks, and a simulation mode that replaces them with a mathematical model so the laboratory exercises can be completed entirely remotely. It is delivered in two editions a lab edition for the workstations and a student edition with a self-contained executable for students' own computers.

Testing confirmed reliable communication with the microcontroller at 10 Hz, correct
operation of a three-layer pump-safety architecture, and a simulation that matches its analytical steady-state behaviour, while six unit tests of the controller and model all pass. Full closed-loop control of the physical tank was not completed, as it requires a signal conditioning circuit that remains as future work. The result modernises the laboratory onto current Windows 11 hardware and, through its simulation mode, makes the PID control exercises accessible to students remotely for the first time.}},
  author       = {{Ajan Alhadid, Mohamad}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{CODEN:LUTEDX/TEIE}},
  title        = {{Modernisation of Water Tank Control Laboratory System}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}