TuneWizard - Amazing free PID tuning tool

http://www.pas.com/tunewizard

I've been using this a lot lately, used to cost $10k but now it is free (hoping you will pay for support or buy their other products). You need to email them for a free license key, they normally get back to you within the day.

What you do is do a few step responses and use the built in OPC driver to get data. The software will then model the process gain and give you suggested tuning parameters, it has different methods depending on what you are trying to do (eg a lag time with a temp controller, a surge tank that can have loose control, tight pressure control etc).

Will check for valve stiction, non linearity, variable process gain etc.

It has a simulator built in that is fantastic for learning how to use the software.

Here are some screen shots from a pressure loop I tuned recently, just look at how well it tuned the loop from the results with an extremely non linear valve! It only took me 1 hour to get the data and output those results, faster AND better results than trial and error.

Step response:


Response:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3PFUyfsc1A

Rollex:

I downloaded it, and waiting for the license key.

What kind of systems can it simulate and tune?
I can look at the plots above and see that the system is a non integrating first order system with no dead time.
The simulated closed loop tuning isn't that good.

The real trick is doing the system identification to get the plant model.

Peter Nachtwey said:

What kind of systems can it simulate and tune?
I can look at the plots above and see that the system is a non integrating first order system with no dead time.
The simulated closed loop tuning isn't that good.

The real trick is doing the system identification to get the plant model.

Click to expand...

That example was a real world loop, eg a small pressure vessel controlling fuel gas pressure, eg something that is very easy to tune anyway.

The simulated tuning is pretty good, it allows you to tune systems with deadtime, integrating, non integrating. Eg good enough to learn how to use the program.

Here is a screen shot from the simulator.


Here is the tuning parameter selector (once you have given it data to process)


Here are the different tuning methods it uses


The program isn't magic, it requires good solid data without much noise to be able to tune. If your system has a large variable gain or poor control valves it isn't going to give you good results unless you can filter the data before hand. It is great for comparing tuning parameters in these cases though.

Personally it saves me huge amounts of time tuning loops.

Can't get to the ftp site from here. /shrug

Email support, I'm sure they will look into it. The download link works fine for me.

Anyone else try the software? Curious if people are using other programs they think are better, personally this is the best I've come across.

What download link? They sent me an FTP site which doesn't respond, and a password in an email.
Seriously not worth the effort.

Do you do any loop tuning as part of your job? Will save you lots of time.

How do you do it currently?

They sent me the license number, and software is working properly. My problem now is that I have rslinx lite and this does not allow me to use it as an OPC server. Any suggestion out there ??

all I know is the page where you sign up says I have to put in my email address even though I've already put it in 6 times, not worth any further effort

My problem now is that I have rslinx lite and this does not allow me to use it as an OPC server.

Click to expand...

see if Kepware has a server that will do what you need ... I "THINK" that you can get it to run for free in a "demo" mode for 2 hours at a time ...

nice thread has been bookmark

rollex said:

Do you do any loop tuning as part of your job? Will save you lots of time.

Click to expand...

Yes, it will save lots of time providing the auto tuning program has a model of the plant you are trying to tune. You can't use an auto tuner designed to tune FOPDT or SOPDT systems for tuning a motion control system. The auto tuner have a model for every type of plant it is going to tune.

How do you do it currently?

Click to expand...

I can write my own auto tuning programs. I use a noise robust method of determining the model. This is key. Once you have the right model calculating the gains is easy.

I have a Scilab auto tuner that works for FOPDT and SOPDT systems. Our product has an auto tuner designed for tuning motion control applications. They are two different programs. The motion control auto tuner can't tune a FOPDT system.

It isn't clear to me that the free auto tuner can handle these varied types of systems.

I'm not sure how it does the modelling in the back end, would be interested to see if it does work for your examples though.

widelto said:

They sent me the license number, and software is working properly. My problem now is that I have rslinx lite and this does not allow me to use it as an OPC server. Any suggestion out there ??

Click to expand...

The OPC driver for most SCADA packages (citec, ifix etc) is what I use. If you are using this in a production environment there is almost always some sort of OPC collector available with most SCADA packages. Otherwise there might be some free OPC clients out there that will work with your PLC of choice. What PLC/environment are you using?

Google returns quite a few links.
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=...&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8#safe=off&q=free+OPC+driver

I was able to download TuneWizard 5.0.4.3 Setup.exe.
But cannot download the TuneWizard user guide??