Design of an Inverted Pendulum Experiment

Notes will appear here soon on the design of an inverted pendulum, as used in a laboratory experiment at the University of Southern Queensland.

The pendulum can be removed from the carriage, to leave an exercise in position control.  The requirements of 'real' position controllers such as the arm of a robot are much more rigorous than the simple 'indicator repeaters' that form many commercial experiments. 

The system must be able to resist a disturbing force with a minimum of deflection.  It must not overshoot and must come to rest as though hitting a brick wall.

In pendulum mode, the system must respond briskly to a command for the trolley to move to a new position.