ABSTRACT
The goal of this chapter is to introduce some common components in each category and how they are typically used when constructing control systems. The amplifiers and actuators tend to be somewhat specific to the type of system being controlled. There are physical limitations associated with each type, and if the wrong one is chosen, the system will not perform well no matter how our controller attempts to control system behavior. Amplifiers, as the name implies, tend to simply increase the available power level in the system. The actuators are then designed to use the output of amplifiers to effect some change in the physical system. If our actuator does not cause the output of the physical system to change (in some predictable manner), the control system will fail.
