In the present work, a magnetic levitation system (maglev) with one degree of freedom (vertical) is designed, simulated and implemented physically. A simplified linear model is first obtained which describes the system. From this model, linear controllers are designed using traditional control methods. The effectiveness of these controllers to stabilize the system and their performance parameters are tested by simulation. The proposed models are also validated experimentally. Regarding implementation, an electromagnet is used, whose current flow is controlled to levitate a disk in which a permanent magnet is inserted. The current control is performed using the PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) technique. An infrared optical position sensor and a current sensor are constructed to measure these variables in the system. The control algorithms are implemented in a microcontroller optimized for signal processing (dsPIC). Due to the digital implementation of the controllers, the influence of sampling and processing times on the performance and stability of the system is discussed. Stabilization of the disc for small variations around an equilibrium point within the range of 3 to 8 cm from the magnet is achieved. Finally, the considerations necessary to achieve dynamic control within the range (for variable positions) including non-linear control strategies are discussed.
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