Pid Tuning Blueprint

What People Are Saying

• "Thanks! What you are doing here is awesome. We need more folks like you in other areas of engineering training & development."

  John Bartlet, Austin TX

• “Finn, I have just finished tuning a PID loop for an industrial refrigeration plant (ammonia) and I had to write you a quick note to say how impressed I was/am with your tuning blueprint.

  I followed your steps for an integrating process and used the equations provided and WOW! what a result.

  This has got to be the BEST tuning guide around. I am still yet to see a simpler way to calibrate and tune a loop. ”

  Paul Ellis,
  Electrical Team Manager
  Versacold Logistics
  Melbourne, Australia
  http://www.versacold.com.au

• Just a quick note to say thank you - and add me to the list of the people who say WOW!

  I've been trying to tune a process with a long lag and its taken a long long time. Ran your blueprint, put the settings in and a process that's been oscillating continually for days suddenly falls in to line perfectly! - and at the same time I managed to work out that the HMI does not have enough decimal places to add the tiny amount of I required - hence continual oscillating!

  Phil
  Manchester, UK

• “We had a new control system installed with 3 valves with new pid loops.

  We got all 3 done with your blueprint, and they are stable over the entire operating range. ”

  Michael Fees
  California, USA

• “Its power and utility is embedded in its simplicity.

  Your Blueprint launched our process from ‘expect the worst, but hope for the best’ process to one that is reliable and predictable. ”

  Anthony Keefe
  Michigan, USA

• “What I liked most about the PID Tuning Blueprint was its simple approach. We have implemented it on our clients’ processes and the results are great. ”

  Stefano Ruede
  Energeering Solutions Inc
  Oregon, USA

• I liked the practical approach:
  1) Collect info
  2) Perform calculation
  3) Implement - It worked first try.

  I tuned several chilled water temperature control loops quickly and easily. ”

  A.J. Finnni
  Finnin & Associates, Inc.
  Louisiana, USA

• “Easy to use and to follow. This is probably is the best down-to-earth material for tuning PIDs that I have ever seen.

  Really,.. it is Idiot Proof. It is like you just follow the lines painted on the floor and you will arrive safely at your destination.

  Using your Blueprint, my process was tuned with just PI. PID was not necessary after it was so well tuned. ”

  Francisco Lopez
  Advanced Integrated Solutions Inc
  Puerto Rico, USA

• “In implementing the PID Tuning Blueprint, I was able to uncover instability in the glycol cooling loop.

  The company was impressed by how the PID Tuning Blueprint was able to be used as such an effective tool in identifying deficiencies in the glycol control loop, at a fraction of the cost of software such as RSTune ”

  Terry King
  Gay Lea Foods
  Ontario, Canada

• “I liked it. I felt it was well written. And yes it did help me understand loop tuning.

  I used it to tune a thermal process. Everything from temperature loops to level, pressure and flow.

  I liked the format. I liked how it was written and I felt it like the author was talking to me. So I did not feel like I was just reading some other text book. ”

  Randy Ruano
  California, USA

• “I like the fact it is plain English with humor interjected ”

  David Molley
  Industrial Innovations Inc
  Los Angeles, USA

• “Finally, the ability to show the Automation Engineers that there is more than just "Trial and Error" to tuning PID loops!!! ”

  Anon

• “Good step by step instructions ”

  Jim McGrath
  Montana, USA

• “Straight forward no nonsense approach to loop tuning. ”

  Dale Hoover
  Philadelphia, USA

• “Applicable and Real World.

  Direct translation to real world problems. ”

  Ian Cameron
  WA, Australia

• “The primary reason for purchase was to help tune a difficult loop that had resisted other tuning methods. It was used to tune about 8 loops in total.”

  Duncan Bee
  PV Developments Ltd
  Cheshire, UK

• “I thought that the blue print layout was excellent, each step was clear and concise.

  The clear text and diagrams demonstrate the theory very well.

  It is nice to deal with a company that stands by their product and passes on any upgrades improvements at no charge.

  Well done on a great product. ”

  William Rufus
  SA, Australia

• “It help me understand the concept of PID, and what the effect of each parameter on the output result is.

  The best thing about this manual that it is short and to the point. ”

  Randy Cooper
  New Jersey, USA

• “Simple, easy to understand explanations

  The “Idiot‘s Guide to the PID Algorithm” helped me and it help me to explain loop tuning techniques and constraints to clients. ”

  John Maunder
  Instrumentation Control Solutions Ltd
  Kent, England

• “I liked that it was to-the-point and left out all the theory crap… ”

  John Campbell
  Fiberplex Inc
  Maryland, USA

• “I like the ease of use of the Blueprint. It worked well for tuning a difficult control loop. ”

  Arnie Casto
  West Virginia, USA

• “I showed my Engineering Professor your Blueprint and he said it was extremely good - that's saying something because it takes a lot to impress this guy!”

  Hugh Maloney
  HM Electrical, USA

• “The way you explain PID is really amazing. Thanx ”

  Awande Mandlazi
  Natal, South Africa

• “First of all I read all your Idiot's guide to PID and absolutely loved every minute of it. For crying out loud I totally understand in concept the components and their reasoning ... just love it!!!

  I do appreciate much your simple articulating and analogies and the way you bring it all together. ”

  Aldad Ernon
  New Jersey, USA

• “Firstly I would like to congratulate you on the way you have laid out the guide. I have been in process control for over 20 years and have not seen a more clear explanation of the tuning process.

  I purchased your guide because I have been tasked with training a couple of instrument technicians on the art of vessel jacket tuning (with an added complication that my students are French!!!).

  I have done quite a bit of tuning over the years, though not anything like on a full time basis, and the principles are well known to me but I could not have laid out the steps in such a clear and concise manner.

  Will Anderson
  Ireland

• “I found The "Idiot‘s Guide to PID Tuning" clear, concise, and to the point.

  I haven‘t really had exposure to closed-loop control, however, this is a requirement in my new business, and I had to get an idea of what the hell it was.

  Thanks to my electronic engineering background, in conjunction with the guide, I feel a lot more comfortable in tackling a closed-loop system, since it now makes sense. It is satisfying to be able to apply the ‘book’ knowledge in the real world, which is the difference between an academic, and a ‘real’ engineer. ”

  Adrian Wahl
  South Africa

• “I have gone through your idiot's guide..making me one of those ‘idiots’ who have benefitted immensely from your guide.

  Jokes apart, let me say thanks to you for sending me your wonderfully written tutorial which is as much fruitful to a Process Engineer as much as it is to a Control Engineer.

  I being a Process Engineer, was always mesmerised by PID controllers but I now I feeel I understand them fully and realise that the control engineers are no more clever than me!

  Once again thanks for your wonderful write up, ”

  Praveen Kishore
  India

• “Well I'll be buggered!! Here I am scouring the world via the web for an understanding of PID and after reading heaps of admittedly over my head info (it's way too long since I did calculus) I find the best I've found so far right here in SA. ”

  Rob Guyatt
  SA, Australia

• “I purchased your PID Blueprint Pro/Deluxe more for evaluation than for needing an introduction to PID. I have been working with PID software for over 30 years, doing various flavors of custom algorithms. The most complicated one was PID with a few strings attached: I spent many hours in simulation.

  Wish I would have had your spread sheet then. This one processed polymers on the NASA Space Shuttle a number of years ago.

  Please let me know if we can put some useful PID information on our site along with links to buy your PID Blueprint. My personal recommendation will be the Pro edition. ”

  Jim Hogenson
  President
  Control Solutions, Inc.
  MN, USA

• “I have to say the literature that you are providing is fantastic and simplifies the whole meaning of how to control.

  The book gives a very structured method to tuning loops where as other literature maintains a complexity.

  Seriously, I believe the direction you are heading and the information/instruction you have already given is second to none. ”

  Paul Mclean
  Manchester, UK

• 1. You explain every thing one needs to understand both the theory and process of mastering PID loops. It is rigorous without being tedious.

  2. Unlike most other treatments on this subject you go to great lengths to explain the ‘units’ used by different PLC's and controllers, which I have always struggled with.

  Dave Mitchell
  Arizona, USA

• “I like how the software improves my understandingis and I wish I could have found about this PID Tuning Blueprint long ago. ”

  Brad Mallen
  New Jersey, USA

• “Plain English and valuable intuitive explanations. The simulator really helps me predict changes in the process response with changing characteristics. ”

  Kristjan Flosason
  Idnadartaekni
  Iceland

• “It Worked!”

  Ray Bryant
  South Carolina, USA

• “It works.
  It‘s simple to follow, quick to use, and it works. I‘ve tried other methods with usually lousy results. I've used this method a few times and it works properly.

  When the client drops in ‘to see how I'm getting on’, his loop is running sweet and his jaw drops to the floor, that's a good product.

  You have knocked my socks off! ”

  Graham Denney
  Zi-Argus
  VIC, Australia

• “As an industrial electrician the company I‘m working for now has been my first experience with instrumentation. The Tuning Blueprint is easy to understand and use as well as being a great reference source.

  We had very good results, and our process is a little strange! It was no problem to keep the tank level constant but the feed rate was swinging wildly. By using your information I slowed down changes to our feed rate. We're still having a few problems with our process but these are due to other pieces of equipment being controlled manually. ”

  Robert Perch
  Collingwood Ethanol
  Ontario, Canada

• “I thought that blueprint might be the same as other similar products which give only theory. I really had to think many times before I finally bought the blueprint

  My understanding about PID is really getting better, thanks to the blueprint for the clear explanations, my confidence when PID tuning has been boosted.

  My first tuning was pH control, it was so difficult to find the ideal tuning constants. With the blueprint with me I managed to find the tuning parameters in no time. And now the controller is working well. ”

  Sigit Raharjo
  Qatar

• “Most control/PID literature (textbooks etc) is a mass of mathematics which bears little relationship to real life situations. Written by academics!

  I really like your style! Your approach is very similar to mine - at the interface between theory and practice, and that comes over. You clearly understand the theory, but have loads of practical experience with which to set the theory in a usable context. ”

  Richard Landen
  Econergy

• “I was surprised at how well it worked with so little time involvement.

  I got excellent results initially that needed little to no additional tuning to get within specifications. ”

  Mark Flaugh
  Pennsylvania, United States

• “I was hesitant that the Blueprint would be general enough to be applicable to my PID tuning requirement, and that it would be too technical for a non-engineer, or applicable for only industrial processes.

  Both the Idiot's Guide and the Blueprint helped me understand what my PID controller was actually trying to do, and I finally grasped how the P, I and D components affect the controller output. I also understood the correct definitions of many of the other terms, and determined the response type (integrating) of my process.

  Now that I understand my process, and particularly its long lag and inertia, I have arrived at P and I parameters that provide me with the best trade-off between minimal overshoot and responsiveness.

  In other words, I am now at peace with my process, whereas before I was increasingly frustrated by its behaviour. (I was up to my 20th trial when I found your guide.) It has been a fascinating journey! ”

  Mark Bartter
  NSW, Australia

• “After years of trial-and-error tuning I decided it was time to make a concerted effort to really understand pid. Your publications came up as a practical way of doing this. In my business, combustion control for boilers and industrial processes, there seems to be few people who‚ have this understanding and ability.

  The Idiot's Guide and Blueprint are a great help - THANK YOU! ”

  Clive Lamprell
  Lamprell Industries

• “Before buying, as with anything else on the internet, I thought:

  ‘Is it a rip-off?’

  But the idiots guide really helped the technicians and operator understand PID loop tuning.

  And Thanks to the blueprint We‘ve tuned Pressure, level & temperature and had great results tuning a difficult pH loop. ”

  David Sund
  Red Trail Energy, LLC
  

• “Thank you very much. This is the best thing I have ever done to improve my job performance and stay employed.”

  Charles Atterberry
  USA