Internet-based remote control of a DC motor using an embedded ethernet microcontroller

In this paper, we present an approach to perform position control of a DC motor experimental setup via the Internet. A main component of this setup is an embedded server microcontroller interfaced to the motor. A remote client computer communicates with the server to facilitate remote interaction with the motor. The embedded server is based on Dallas Semiconductor's Tiny Internet Interface (TINI) microcontroller platform, which consists of a DSTINIM400 microcontroller installed on a DSTINIS400 development board. The DSTINIM400 is a 144-pin small outline dual in-line memory module 1C that has a built-in 10/100 Base-T ethernet capability. A TINI runtime environment embedded in the DSTINIM400 allows the TINI microcontroller to function as a network terminal. Thus, through the ethernet, a remote client can upload and execute Java-based programs on the server microcontroller. In addition, through socket data communication using the TCP/IP protocol, the server microcontroller receives/sends data from/to the client computer. The client computer connects to the server using a Java applet that allows the remote user to interact with the motor via a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI includes a slider for commanding the motor position from -100°-100° and text input boxes for tuning the parameters of a position control algorithm "on-the-fly." In addition, a plot provides a visual display of the current position of the motor using real-time sensor data received from the microcontroller.