Temperature Runs Away After Enabling PID? Check the Control Direction

Temperature Runs Away After Enabling PID? Check the Control Direction

A loop that drives farther from setpoint may have the wrong control direction.

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PID Looks Badly Tuned? Check Whether SP and PV Use the Same Scale

PID Looks Badly Tuned? Check Whether SP and PV Use the Same Scale

A PID cannot interpret a setpoint in degrees correctly when its process input represents percent.

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PID Output Spikes When the Setpoint Changes? Check Derivative Kick

PID Output Spikes When the Setpoint Changes? Check Derivative Kick

A sharp output spike exactly when setpoint changes can come from derivative acting on error.

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A Tiny Sensor Ripple Is Shaking the Valve? Check the Derivative Term

A Tiny Sensor Ripple Is Shaking the Valve? Check the Derivative Term

A small measurement ripple can create a large derivative contribution.

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Your PID Runs Every Scan—but Is Its Time Setting Telling the Truth?

Your PID Runs Every Scan—but Is Its Time Setting Telling the Truth?

PID timing errors can make unchanged gains behave differently after a task change.

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PID Says 80%, but the Valve Crawls Behind It? Check Output Tracking

PID Says 80%, but the Valve Crawls Behind It? Check Output Tracking

A downstream rate limiter can make the actuator lag behind the PID request.

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Heating and Cooling Fight Near Setpoint? Inspect the Split-Range Crossover

Heating and Cooling Fight Near Setpoint? Inspect the Split-Range Crossover

Oscillation near a heating-to-cooling crossover may come from split-range behavior.

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PID Keeps Overcorrecting Before Anything Happens? Measure Dead Time

PID Keeps Overcorrecting Before Anything Happens? Measure Dead Time

A controller can overreact while waiting for a delayed process response.

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