User’s Manual

STUDY OF SYNCHRO DEVICES

Model: SD-01
(Rev : 01/04/2010)

Manufactured by:
Techno Instruments
261/16, Civil Lines,
Roorkee-247 667 UK
Ph.: 01332-272852, Fax: 274831
Email: [email protected]
[email protected]
Website: www.sestechno.com
 CONTENTS

Section Page

Copyright, Warranty, and Equipment Return 1

1. Objective 2
2. System Features 2
3. Background Summary 2
3.1 Basic Devices 2
4. Experimental Details 5
4.1 Characteristics of the Transmitter 5
4.2 Torque Synchro pair operation 5
4.3 Error detector operation 5
4.4 Modulation of error voltage 6
5. Typical Results 6
5.1 Characteristics of the Transmitter 6
5.2 Torque Synchro Pair 6
5.3 Error Detector Operation 7
6. References 7
7. Packing List 8
8. Technical Support 9
9. List of Experiment 10
 COPYRIGHT AND WARRANTY

Please – Feel free to duplicate this manual subject to the copyright restriction given below.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

The Techno Instruments Model SD-01 Study of Synchro Devices manual is copyrighted and
all rights reserved. However, permission is granted to non-profit educational institutions for
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LIMITED WARRANTY

Techno Instruments warrants this product to be free from defects in materials and
workmanship for a period of one year from the date of shipment to the customer. Techno
Instruments will repair or replace, at its option, any part of the product which is deemed to be
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manufacturing defect or improper use by the customer shall be made solely by Techno
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will be paid by Techno Instruments.

EQUIPMENT RETURN

Should this product have to be returned to Techno Instruments, for whatever reason, notify
Techno Instruments BEFORE returning the product. Upon notification, the return
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Note : No equipment will be accepted for return without an authorization.

When returning equipment for repair, the units must be packed properly. Carriers will not
accept responsibility for damage by improper packing. To be certain the unit will not be
damaged in shipment, observe the following rules:
1. The carton must be strong enough for the item shipped.
2. Make certain there is at least two inches of packing material between any point on the
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3. Make certain that the packing material can not displace in the box, or get compressed,
thus letting the instrument come in contact with the edge of the box.

Techno Instruments SD - 01 Page 1

A PRODUCT OF AN
ISO 9001 : 2008
STUDY OF SYNCHRO DEVICES
CERTIFIED COMPANY
MODEL : SD-01
AC

DC
TRANSMITTER RECEIVER

TX RX

S1 S1

R1 R1
S2 S2
R2 R2

CARRIER S3 S3
IN DEMODULATOR OUT

ON TECHNO INSTRUMENTS, Roorkee

T

Panel Drawing Study of Synchro Devices, Model SD-01

STUDY OF SYNCHRO DEVICES SD-01

1. OBJECTIVE
To study the characteristics of a Synchro Transmitter Receiver pair and use these as
torque-synchro and angular error detector.

2. SYSTEM FEATURES
The unit consists of the following components and subsystems.
a) A synchro transmitter (Tx) with its rotor and stator terminals taken out on the
panel for basic characteristics study.
b) A synchro receiver (Rx) with its rotor and stator terminals taken out. The pair
may be connected as torque synchros for a basic angular position control
system.
c) Locking arrangement on the synchro receiver to operate the pair as error
detector.
d) Calibrated dial and knobs on both shafts.
e) An electronic de-modulator circuit to demonstrate phase-reversal of the error
signal using an in-built DVM.
f) 40V, 50Hz power for the synchros and IC regulated d.c sources for electronic
circuits.

3. BACKGROUND SUMMARY
Synchro systems have been traditionally used as angular position transducers and error
detectors in a.c position control systems. A.C. position and speed control systems which
employed 2-phase a.c. servomotors, especially operating at 400Hz, are still used in many
precision, low-power instrumentation applications, such as in aircrafts. Some of the
advantages of these systems include small size, light weight, low inertia rotors and hence fast
operation, and no commutator and brushes, unlike a potentiometer or a d.c. motor. These
applications are however being slowly replaced by digital systems using stepper motors. A
study of the 2-phase a.c. systems is, without doubt, an important content for any student of
automatic control systems.

3.1. Basic Devices

A synchro device, whether transmitter, receiver or control transformer, consists
essentially of a stator and a rotor. The stator consist of three windings with their axes 120°
apart, connected in star, as if for three phase supply. The phase of the signals in these
windings, taken out as S1, S2 and S3 are of course the same. In its simplest form, the rotor
consists of a laminated iron core carrying a single winding, the ends of which, R1 and R2 are
brought out to slip-rings. The schematic diagram of a synchro device is illustrated in Fig 1.
Let the a.c. voltage supplied to the rotor be

Techno Instruments SD - 01 Page 2

 θ

S1
R1
Shaft
R2

S3 S2

Fig. 1: Schematic of a Synchro Device

Tx Rx
AC Excitation
o o
S1 S1

R1,R2 R1,R2

S3 S2 S3 S2

θR
θT
Input Shaft Output Shaft

Fig.2 Torque Synchro System

Tx CT

S1 S1

AC R R

S3 S2 S3 S2

θi θo

Input Shaft Output Shaft

Fig.3: Synchro Transmitter-Control Transformer pair as error detector

 VR(t) = VR sinωct.
The stator terminal voltages at an arbitrary angle θ may be written as
VS1S2 = √3 K VR sin(θ + 240°) sinωct
VS2S3 = √3 K VR sin(θ + 120°) sinωct
VS3S1 = √3 K VR sin(θ) sinωct
where K is a constant. (Note that the three voltages are all in the same phase)
(a) Torque Synchro
In Fig.2. two devices are connected together to form a synchro-pair. Both rotors are
supplied from the same AC source. If the rotor positions in the two elements coincide, then
the emf’s induced in the corresponding coils of both transmitter and receiver are equal, and
no circulating current can flow between the two stators. This is the equilibrium condition
which is always sought by the system. The notation used for this type of system is Tx for
Synchro Transmitter and Rx for Synchro Receiver.
If the rotor of one element is turned, the emf’s induced in the two stators will no
longer be equal and currents will circulate in the stator windings. As a result of these currents
a torque is produced which tries to bring the rotors back into alignment. When the transmitter
has its rotor position fixed, it is the receiver rotor that is free to move into alignment. The
output shaft will normally support a very small load requiring relatively small torque to align
it. The torque developed increases with angle of misalignment.
The difference between a synchro transmitter and receiver is only constructional. A
mechanical damper in the form of a small flywheel is attached to the shaft of the receiver.
Any tendency of the receiver rotor to oscillate about its new position following a change in
the transmitter position, is opposed by the inertia of the damper. Also the structure of the
rotor is different in each.
(b) Control Transformer
Torque synchros can produce high accuracy angular information in response to input
shaft position, however, the power available at the receiver output shaft is very limited. At
best a light pointer or indicator can be driven by such a system. If the accuracy inherently
available from synchro devices if to be used in heavier, high inertia, control applications,
more output power must be obtained. Control synchros provide the answer to this problem.
Fig.3, shows a control transformer (CT) set up. The first point to be noticed is that the
AC excitation is fed only to the input device. In this case the synchro transmitter Tx. The
output is taken from the rotor of a similar device, called the control transformer, CT, as a
voltage signal. In the present unit the synchro receiver is being used as a control transformer,
ie. CT is actually Rx.
The excitation occurs at the Tx and, since there is no excitation at the CT, the same
electromagnetic vectors will occur there but in the opposite direction for each. A magnetic
field is produced at the centre of the CT which is the resultant of all three stator vectors and is
called the reconstituted field. Clearly, this field is in the same direction as the original field,
which created all the vectors in the rotor of the Tx. If the Tx rotor is angularly displaced, the
reconstituted field at the CT rotor will move with it.

Techno Instruments SD - 01 Page 3

 θi > θ0
r.m.s Error
Voltage
θi = θ0

θi < θ0

Fig. 4: Error Voltage Waveform

a-c supply

Tx CT
K3
2-phase
A.C. Supply e a-c amplifier induction
motor

Gear Trains Load

θi θo

Input Shaft Output Shaft

Fig. 5: An A.C. Position Control Sytem

D1
C
T2
R

T1 D.C. Error Signal

A.C. Error + - (Output) to D.C.
Signal (Input) C Servoamplifier

Reference
Voltage R
D2

Fig. 6: Demodulator Circuit

 The vectors associated with this system are viewed as instantaneous because it is
convenient for the purposes of explanation. However, in reality, the AC excitation is
changing all the time and therefore inducing the emf’s illustrated are at some point of time.
At the CT rotor, an emf will be induced that is dependent upon the rotor position with
respect to the reconstituted field. If the rotor and field are in alignment, the emf induced will
be maximum. If the rotor is perpendicular to the field, the induced emf will be zero (Fig. 4).
Rotation of the CT shaft will produce an emf at the CT rotor which is dependent
upon its angular position with respect to the reconstituted field. The change of phase at the
180° point should be noted. Thus when the rotor and field are coincident, maximum emf is
induced, and when they are perpendicular zero emf is induced.
In control applications the rotor output is used as an error input to an amplifier, or
processor which then actuates the motor.
(c) AC Position Control
Fig.5 shows the CT in combination with a servomechanism. It is actually acting as
the error detector. The input to the CT is a shaft angle on the three stator lines, from which
the field is reconstituted at the rotor. If the rotor is not exactly aligned to give a zero signal
into the amplifier, the error signal is amplified and drives the motor to reposition the output
shaft. The output shaft position is fed back to the CT rotor and brings it into alignment,
reducing the error signal to zero. At this point the motor ceases to drive and the new angular
output is held.
A phase reference is fed into the motor so that it can rotate in the correct direction to
reduce the error on the output shaft. The reference is compared with the phase of the error
signal. If they are in-phase the motor is turned in one direction. If they are 180° out of phase it
will be turned in the opposite direction. This is automatically done in a 2-phase a.c.
servomotor.
(d) Demodulator
In the ac position control system the modulated output from the control transformer
is demodulated by the two phase a.c. motor. The demodulation may also be performed by a
diode circuit as explained below.
This circuit is used in servo systems because it not only converts ac to dc, but it is
also able to distinguish the phase of the ac signal by comparing it to a reference voltage. This
circuit may not be confused with other phase detector circuits, such as those used in radar or
communications systems. This demodulator (phase detector) distinguished signals that are
either in phase or 180° out of phase. For this reason this circuit is useful in servo systems
where the ac output from the error detector (CT) is either in phase with the reference signal
or180° out of phase. Whatever type of error detector is used in the servo system, the
reference voltage to the error detector and to the demodulator must be in phase with each
other for the demodulator to do its job. As shown in Fig.6, the anodes of the two diodes are
supplied with the same reference voltage. With no ac error input signal applied to T2
(quiescent state), both diodes will conduct equally on the positive half-cycle of the reference
voltage. The voltage drops across the two resistance, R, are equal. This results in the two
output terminals being at the same potential; therefore, the output voltage is zero for the
positive half-cycle. During the negative half-cycle, a negative voltage is felt on the anodes of
both diodes, both diodes are cut off, and zero potential is felt across the output terminals.
The circuit will remain in this condition until an ac error signal is applied.

Techno Instruments SD - 01 Page 4

 As an error signal is applied to T2, D1 will conduct when the input signal is in phase
with the reference voltage, in its positive half-cycle. D2 will then remain in cut-off. D2
conducts when the phase relationship between the ac error signal and the reference voltage
changes to 180°. At this time D1 will cut off. This change could be brought about by the
error detector in the servo system sensing a change in the direction of the load movement.
The output of the circuit for one complete cycle of the reference signal will be a filtered,
pulsating, dc voltage. As long as the input and reference signals are in phase, the circuit acts
as a half-wave rectifier and a filter network. As we mentioned earlier, this circuit will also
respond to a 180° phase reversal between the input and reference signals. For instance, when
the error signal applied to T2 is 180° out of phase with the reference signal. D2 conducts and
D1 cuts off, causing the output voltage to change polarity. Variations of the diode phase
detector are also possible, however, they all depend on the same basic principle of operation.
To quickly summarize, the demodulator converts the ac input signal to a dc error signal. The
polarity of the dc error signal is determined by the phase relationship between the ac error
input signal and the reference signal. The amplitude of the dc error signal is directly
proportional to the magnitude of the ac input signal.

4. EXPERIMENT DETAILS
The various experiments that can be performed on the unit are detailed below.

4.1 Characteristics of the Transmitter

Step 1: Connect the transmitter rotor terminals, R1 and R2, to the excitation supply Vs on
the panel. Stator terminals S1, S2 and S3 are left unconnected.
Step 2: Vary rotor angle from 0° to 360° in steps of 30° and measure the three voltages,
VS1S2, VS2S3 and VS3S1 with the help of the voltmeter on the panel. The voltmeter
should be set to ‘AC’ position
Step 3: The three stator voltages are next plotted on the same graph sheet as a function
of the rotor angle. Note:- Although the voltages are measured as r.m.s. values,
these are plotted in accordance with the three equations (section 3.1) to show the
relative magnetic field direction in the coils.

4.2 Torque Synchro pair operation

Step 1: Connect both transmitter and receiver rotors to the excitation supply Vs on the
panel. Interconnect the respective stator terminals of the transmitter and receiver,
i.e., S1 to S1, S2 to S2 and S3 to S3. Do not lock the receiver.
Step 2: Vary the transmitter rotor angle from 0° to 360° in steps of 30° and note the
receiver rotor angle. The receiver should follow the transmitter rotor.

4.3 Error detector operation

Step 1: Connect the transmitter rotor terminals, R1 and R2, to the excitation supply Vs on
the panel. Interconnect the respective stator terminals of the transmitter and
receiver, i.e., S1 to S1, S2 to S2 and S3 to S3. Lock the receiver rotor.
Step 2: Connect receiver rotor terminals to the voltmeter on the panel. The voltmeter
should be set to ‘AC’ position. Also connects CRO to display the ‘error voltage’
i.e., the voltage across the receiver rotor terminals.

Techno Instruments SD - 01 Page 5

 20

18

16

14

12

10
VS1S2 VS2S3 VS3S1
8

Stator Voltage 4

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260 280 300 320 340 360
-2

-4

-6

-8

-10

-12

-14

-16

-18

-20

Rotor Angle, T X

Fig. 7 Transmitter Characteristics

360

340

320

300

280

260

240
Output Shaft Angle, θ 0

220

200

180

160

140

120

100

80
V V
60

40

20

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260 280 300 320 340 360

Input Shaft Angle, θ1

Fig. 8 Torque Synchro Pair

 Step 3: Vary the transmitter rotor angle from 0° to 360° is steps of 30° and record the
error voltage. Note on the CRO the 180° phase change as the error voltage
crosses zero.

4.4 Demodulation of error voltage

In the error detector operation at sec 4.3 above, connect the error voltage to the
demodulator input. Set the voltmeter to read ‘DC’ and connect it to demodulator output. This
output, spanning both positive and negative voltages, represents the magnitude and direction
of the angular error between transmitter and receiver shafts.

5. TYPICAL RESULTS

5.1 Characteristics of the Transmitter

S. No. Rotor Shaft VS1S2 VS2S3 VS3S1
Angle θi
1. 0° 2.14 14.85 16.95*
2. 30° 10.95 7.32 18.20*
3. 60° 16.80 2.41* 14.40*
4. 90° 18.50 11.25* 7.27*
5. 120° 14.85 17.10* 2.30
6. 150° 7.34 18.58* 11.32
7. 180° 2.52* 14.74* 17.25
8. 210° 11.51* 7.00* 18.50
9. 240° 17.35* 2.74 14.65
10. 270° 18.10* 11.40 6.85
11. 300° 14.50* 16.80 2.40*
12. 330° 7.05* 18.00 11.00*
The above is plotted in Fig. 7 and shows the changing magnetisation of the stator coils
as the rotor moves.
*Reading in STAR are 180° phase shifted signal.

5.2 Torque Synchro Pair

S. No. Input Shaft Angle θi Output Shaft Angle θο
1. 0° 0°
2. 30° 32°
3. 60° 61°
4. 90° 91°
5. 120° 120°
6. 150° 150°
7. 180° 181°
8. 210° 212°
9. 240° 241°
10. 270° 272°
11. 300° 301°
12. 330° 330°
The above is plotted in Fig. 8. This demonstrates how the output shaft follows the
input shaft.
Techno Instruments SD - 01 Page 6
Fig. 9 Error Detector Characteristics
5.3 Error Detector Operation (output shaft locked at θο = 0)
S. No. Input Shaft Angle Error Voltage Ve Demodulator
θi (rms) Output Vd (d.c.)
1 0° 17.11* -7.05
2 30° 14.30* -6.30
3 60° 7.53* -3.60
4 90° 1.05 0.48
5 120° 9.50 4.70
6 150° 15.45 6.80
7 180° 17.15 7.25
8 210° 14.10 6.42
9 240° 7.25 3.57
10 270° 1.40* -0.50
11 300° 9.50* -4.70
12 330° 15.30* -6.60
The plots in Fig. 9 shows that error voltage is a sinusoidal function of the angular
error of the two shafts, (θί – θο). For small errors a linear function may however be assumed.
*Reading in STAR are 180° phase shifted signal.

6. REFERENCES
(a) M. Gopal, “Control Systems – Principles and Design”, Tata Mc GrawHill
Publishing Co., New Delhi, 2002.
(b) B.C. Kuo, “Automatic Control Systems”, Prentice Hall of India Pvt. Ltd., 1989.

Techno Instruments SD-01 Page 7

 PACKING LIST

(1). Study of Synchro Devices : One

(2). Patch Cords : Ten
(a) Red (8”) : Four
(b) Black (8”) : Four
(c) Red (12”) : One
(d) Black (12”) : One

Techno Instruments SD-01 Page 8

 TECHNICAL SUPPORT

Feed Back

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us know. Techno Instruments appreciates any customer feedback. Your input helps us
evaluate and improve our product.

To reach Techno Instruments

* Phone : +91-1332-272852, 277118

* Fax : +91-1332 - 277118
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Model number and Revision (listed by month and year on the front cover).
Have the manual at hand to discuss your questions.

Techno Instruments SD-01Page 9

 List of Control Laboratory Experiments manufactured by us

• Digital Control System

Study of microprocessor control of a simulated linear system
• A.C. / D.C. Servomotor study
Study of characteristics of a 2-phase a.c. motor/ d.c motor. It allows the determination of torque-speed
characteristics, inertia and friction parameters of an a.c. motor. Transfer function can also be evaluated in
this system. A digital display is available for time constant measurement.
• A.C. / D.C. Position Control
Study of an a.c. / d.c servomotor angular position control system.
• D.C. Speed Control
Study of a d.c. motor speed control system
• Temperature Controller System
To study a typical temperature control system (Compact Oven)
• PID Controller
Performance evaluation and design of PID Controller
• Study of Synchro Devices
Study of synchro transmitter-receiver pair with calibrated dials. Receiver can be used as control
transformer. Built-in balanced demodulator circuit. Digital display of ac/ dc voltages.
• Linear Variable Differential Transformer
Study of the performance characteristics of a LVDT.
• Magnetic Levitation System
Analysis and design of feedback control system to keep an object suspended in air.
• Stepper Motor Study
To study the operation and characteristics of a stepper motor with an 8085 based µP-Kit and user software
EPROM.
• Relay Control System
To analyze a simulated relay control systems.
• Compensation Design
To design a suitable cascade compensator for the given system and verify the resulting improvement.
• Study of Second Order Networks
Study of synchro transmitter-receiver pair with calibrated dials. Receiver can be used as control
transformer. Built-in balanced demodulator circuit. Digital display of ac/ dc voltages.
• Linear System Simulator
To study the performance of First, Second and Third order Systems.
• Potentiometric Error Detector
To study the performance of a potentiometer type d.c. position error detector.
• Light Intensity Control
P and PI control of light intensity with provision for disturbance and transient studies
• Microprocessor Device Controller
Study of 8085 µP based switching control of LED, Relay sequence, 7-Segment display. Besides it also allow
the study of switch state input through 8255 port and SID/ SOD operation of a microprocessor.
• Study of Temperature Transducers
Study of input-output characteristics of some common transducers like, thermistors (PTC and NTC),
thermocouple, semiconductor sensors
• Stroboscope
For measurement of shaft speed using stroboscope principle in harsh laboratory environment.
• Function Generator
10Hz-2MHz; Square/Sine/ Triangular; Amplitude 0-3V (p-p); 4 digit digital counter
• Study of Digital to Analog Convertor
Detailed study of D/A schemes – 4 bit weighted resistance, R-2R discrete network and 10-bit IC based
circuits with 8085 based µP-kit and interface for CRO included.
Techno Instruments SD - 01 Page 10