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Electrical Engineering + Robotics, IoT and Hardware

Build a PID temperature controller

Hold a small heater at a set temperature and tune the controller from its step response.

  • DifficultyAdvanced
  • Estimated time2–4 weeks
  • Budget₹1,000–₹2,500
  • ClassCollege, years 2–4
  • Team2–3 people
  • You needArduino required

Prerequisites: Arduino programming; idea of feedback

Original · by TechnifyedFinal-Year ProjectHardware ProjectHardwareWell documentedTwo subjects

My projects

Overview

A PID controller compares the measured temperature with the target and adjusts the heater power. Tuning its three gains changes how fast it settles and how much it overshoots.

Why build this?

Feedback control is in every machine; here you can see each term's effect on a graph you record yourself.

What you will learn

  • What proportional, integral and derivative terms do
  • How to read rise time, overshoot and settling time
  • How to tune by a systematic method
  • How sensors and delays limit control

Skills you will use

Control tuningData loggingStep response analysis

Safety

  • Use only batteries or a low-voltage supply (12 V or less). Never connect a project to a wall socket.
  • Hot surfaces and liquids can burn. Use tongs or oven gloves and let things cool before touching them.

Materials and tools

  • Arduino
  • Temperature sensor
  • Low-voltage heater (power resistor) with a transistor
  • 12 V supply
  • Small insulated box
  • Computer to log data

Tools and software

Arduino

Expected cost₹1,000–₹2,500About ₹1,500 at most, less if you borrow parts
Estimated duration2–4 weeks6 build steps, plus the report

Step-by-step roadmap

  1. Start

    You will finish with: step-response graphs for each stage and a table of rise time, overshoot and settling time.

  2. 1

    Prerequisites

    Know this first: arduino programming; idea of feedback. Then collect the 6 items in the materials list.

  3. 2

    Learn

    • What proportional, integral and derivative terms do
    • How to read rise time, overshoot and settling time
    • How to tune by a systematic method
    • How sensors and delays limit control
  4. 3

    Plan

    Sketch the design, list every part with its price and decide how you will know it works.

  5. 4

    Build

    1. Drive the heater with PWM and log temperature against time.
    2. Implement on-off control and record the oscillation.
    3. Add proportional control and observe the steady error.
    4. Add the integral term and remove the error.
    5. Add the derivative term and reduce overshoot.
    6. Tune the gains and record the final step response.
  6. 5

    Test

    The temperature should settle within 1 °C of the target and recover after you open the box briefly.

  7. 6

    Document

    Photograph each build stage, keep the circuit or drawing, and note what failed and how you fixed it. Report structure

  8. 7

    Present

    Demonstrate it working first, then explain how it works and what you would improve. Presentation structure · Viva questions

  9. 8

    Publish

    Share a short video, the parts list and the drawing or code so someone else can build it.

Expected outcome

Step-response graphs for each stage and a table of rise time, overshoot and settling time.

Other versions of this project

Beginner version

Implement only on-off control with a dead band.

Advanced version

Use a model of the system to predict the gains and compare with your tuning.

Research version

Compare two tuning methods and report which gives better performance.

Make this project better

  1. BasicImplement only on-off control with a dead band.
  2. This projectBuild a PID temperature controller
  3. AdvancedUse a model of the system to predict the gains and compare with your tuning.
  4. ResearchCompare two tuning methods and report which gives better performance.

Research mode

Text marked "You write this" is a prompt for your own work; everything else is specific to this project.

Research question
You write thisOne question you can answer with data, narrow enough to finish in the time you have.
Hypothesis
You write thisWhat you expect to find, and why.
Variables
You write thisWhat you change or compare, what you measure, and what you hold constant.
Methodology
Compare two tuning methods and report which gives better performance.
Data collection
You write thisSay what you will record, how many times, and how you will keep the records safe.
Analysis
You write thisChoose the table, chart or test that answers the question; report averages with their spread.
Limitations
You write thisList what could have affected the result: small sample, instrument limits, things you could not control.

Literature review

Find five to eight sources (your textbook, review articles, reports) and note what each says about your question. Group them by idea, not one after another, and end with what is still not known.

References

List every source you used in one style throughout (author, year, title, where it was published, link and the date you opened it).

Working as a team

2–3 people. Suggested roles:

DesignHardware and buildCode or controlTestingDocumentationPresentation

Report and presentation

Report structure

  1. Title and aim
  2. The problem it solves
  3. How it works (principle)
  4. Parts list with cost
  5. Design: drawing, circuit or block diagram
  6. Build steps
  7. Testing and results
  8. Problems faced and fixes
  9. Limitations
  10. Future improvements
  11. References

Presentation structure

  1. The problem
  2. The idea
  3. How it works (one diagram)
  4. Parts and cost
  5. The build (photos)
  6. Live demo or video
  7. Test results
  8. What did not work
  9. Next version

Viva questions

Try answering before you open each one.

What does the integral term do?

It adds up the past error, removing the steady offset that proportional control leaves.

What is overshoot?

How far the output goes above the target before settling.

Why does too much gain cause oscillation?

The controller over-corrects because the system responds with a delay.

What is PWM?

Switching the heater on and off quickly to set its average power.

Resources

Arduino Course for Beginners - Open-Source Electronics PlatformfreeCodeCamp · Free video courseArduino Course for EverybodyfreeCodeCamp · Free video courseArduino vs Raspberry PiGreat Learning · Free course courseArduino documentationdocs.arduino.ccWokwi: free Arduino simulatorwokwi.com

Source and attribution

Original

Written by Technifyed. Free to use for your own school or college project; write the report in your own words. Added 1 Oct 2026.

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