CHINHOYI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF MECHATRONICS
SUPPLEMENTARY
COURSE: INSTRUMENTATION AND EMBEDDED CONTROL
CODE: CUME 221
DATE: NOVEMBER 2015
TIME: 3 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
The paper consists of five (5) questions, one (1) in Section A and four (4) in Section B
Section A is compulsory and carries 40 Marks
Answer any three (3) questions in Section B
Each question in Section B carries 20 marks
Clear state any assumption made
REQUIREMENTS
Non Programmable Calculator
Page 1 of 4
SECTION A
Compulsory
Question 1
A thyristor firing card is used to control an AC Voltage. The card is based on a PIC18F4550. The
voltage controller is made up of two conducting thyristors in alternate cycles of the supply voltage.
Each thyristor is fired to contact by a 0.1ms 5V pulse from the PIC. A mains monitoring circuit gives
two 0.5ms 5V pulses, one when the mains changes from positive to negative and the other when the
mains changes from negative to positive. The firing angle varies from a minimum of 0o to a maximum
of 180o in 128 equal steps. The firing angle is determined from a seven bit input number to one of the
ports.
a) Which interfacing device can be used for the thyristors and the microcontroller [2]
b) Explain the principle of operation of this interfacing device [5]
c) Design a flow chart that represent every stage in the control of the AC voltage [10]
d) Design the necessary circuit so as to achieve the above task stating all the assumptions made
[8]
e) Write an assembly program to implement the given situation [15]
Assume 1ms, 100ms and 1s delay routines are already given
Page 2 of 4
SECTION B
Answer any three questions in this section
Question 2
It is required in a process control to maintain the process temperature between 1850oC and 1900oC. If
the temperature rises above 1900oC, cooling fans should automatically turn on and if the temperature
goes below 1850oC heaters should be turned on. If the temperature is within the required range,
neither the heaters nor the fans should be turned on.
a) Use a block diagram to describe this process [6]
b) Show the process flow on a flow chart [10]
c) Discus the selection criteria you would use for the instrument would select to measure the
temperature [4]
Question 3
a) Distinguish between random errors and systematic errors [3]
b) Give three classifications of transducers and an example under each classification
[5]
c) In relation to a microcontroller discus the main features of
i. timers, [2]
ii. counters, [2]
iii. watchdog timers [3]
d) A data acquisition system gives the ability to measure and analyze physical phenomena.
What factors are considered in the configuration of data acquisition systems? [5]
Question 4
a) FIG QN (4a) shows a block diagram of a basic temperature instrument detection and control
system
FIG QN (4a)
Page 3 of 4
a) Explain the purpose of the following blocks and their principle of operation:
i. RTD [4]
ii. Bridge circuit [4]
iii. Amplifier [2]
b) What is the criterion that is followed when choosing an appropriate microcontroller
[5]
c) Distinguish between random errors and systematic errors [5]
Question 5
a) The temperature of a room can be monitored and controlled through the use of fans and
heaters. Draw a circuit to show how a microcontroller can be used to implement
temperature control in a room with the temperature values being displayed on an LCD.
[8]
b) Compare microcontrollers to microprocessors in embedded systems design [6]
c) With the aid of diagram explain the differences between Von Neumann and Harvard
architecture [6]
Page 4 of 4
