This senior undergraduate mechanical engineering laboratory curriculum does not construct a consumable printed circuit board, but instead relies on four major multi-rail educational and industrial hardware platforms: (1) a FESTO electro-hydraulic test station operating on a dual +24 V DC system supply and +15 V DC analog sensor supply with hydraulic working pressures up to 60 bar (6 MPa) and flow delivery of 2 l/min, (2) an autonomous electric Unmanned Ground Vehicle (the NI DaNI mobile robot) powered by a 12 V nominal NiMH rechargeable battery stepped down via a 5 V DC-DC buck converter to supply an embedded National Instruments Single-Board RIO (sbRIO) computing platform, dual-channel regenerative DC motor driver, optical quadrature encoders, servo pan turret, and ultrasonic rangefinder, (3) a full-scale Mustang Advanced Engineering MDSP 7000 series 4x4 all-wheel chassis dynamometer operating under 3-phase industrial AC mains to test a production 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid vehicle featuring a 330 V high-voltage NiMH traction battery and 12 V auxiliary electrical system, and (4) workstation simulation environments (MATLAB/Simulink and NI LabVIEW) for series hybrid powertrain modeling and dynamic force emulation.

Hardware and Equipment Inventory

1. FESTO Electro-Hydraulics Trainer Platform (Labs 2.5 and 8.10)

• FESTO Didactic PID Controller Module

  • Identity: FESTO Didactic analog PID controller module (integrated front-panel test sockets)
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: Standard FESTO Didactic Quick-Fix profile plate module with 4 mm shrouded safety banana sockets and potentiometer dials
  • Electrical constraints: Operates on +24 V DC main system supply and 0 V ground; accepts and outputs analog control signals in the 0 to 10 V DC range
  • Substitution latitude: Must be an analog PID controller module providing independent, calibrated P-gain, I-gain, and D-gain adjustments, a variable offset trim, and 4 mm test sockets for setpoint, actual value, system deviation, and correcting variable
  • Control operated: Yes; rotary potentiometer dials for proportional gain, integral gain, derivative gain, and offset are continuously manipulated by students during closed-loop response tuning
  • Sourcing plan: general web research: FESTO Didactic PID controller module 0-10V analog closed loop hydraulics

• FESTO Proportional 4/3-Way Regulating Spool Valve

  • Identity: FESTO 4/3-way proportional regulating valve (dynamic valve, mid-position closed)
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: Subplate-mounted hydraulic dynamic spool valve with integrated proportional solenoid actuator and quick-release coupling ports
  • Electrical constraints: 24 V DC solenoid driver compatibility, 0 to 10 V DC or proportional current command signal input; rated for continuous hydraulic pressures up to 60 bar
  • Substitution latitude: Requires a dynamic 4/3-way proportional directional valve with closed center spool and matching quick-connect hydraulic ports
  • Control operated: No (actuated electronically via controller signal)
  • Sourcing plan: general web research: FESTO 4/3-way proportional hydraulic valve mid-position closed

• Hydraulic Power Pack

  • Identity: FESTO Didactic or equivalent laboratory hydraulic power station
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: Benchtop or floor-standing hydraulic reservoir with integrated motor-pump assembly and pressure relief
  • Electrical constraints: AC mains input; hydraulic delivery capacity of 2 l/min at nominal operating pressures up to 60 bar
  • Substitution latitude: Any educational hydraulic pump unit providing steady 2 l/min flow at 30 to 60 bar with standard low-leakage quick couplers
  • Control operated: Yes; system power switch
  • Sourcing plan: general web research: FESTO Didactic hydraulic power pack 2 l/min

• Hydraulic Pressure Sensor

  • Identity: Electronic piezoresistive hydraulic pressure transmitter
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: In-line hydraulic coupling mount with electrical terminals or cable lead
  • Electrical constraints: Supply voltage +15 V DC (or +24 V DC); 0 to 10 V DC linear output proportional to hydraulic gauge pressure up to 60 bar (or 100 bar)
  • Substitution latitude: Any 0 to 60 bar (or 0 to 100 bar) hydraulic pressure sensor with 0 to 10 V DC analog voltage output and quick-coupling plumbing
  • Control operated: No
  • Sourcing plan: general web research: FESTO pressure sensor 0-10V analog output quick-coupling

• Adjustable Hydraulic Pressure Relief Valve

  • Identity: Manual in-line pressure relief valve (used as supply disturbance variable in Lab 8.10)
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: Quick-release coupling line mount with rotary adjustment knob
  • Electrical constraints: Purely mechanical; pressure rating ≥ 60 bar
  • Substitution latitude: Any adjustable hydraulic relief valve with matching quick-connect fittings rated to 60 bar
  • Control operated: Yes; rotary hand knob turned by students to simulate supply-side hydraulic disturbances
  • Sourcing plan: general web research: FESTO Didactic adjustable pressure relief valve

• Adjustable Hydraulic Flow Control Valve

  • Identity: Manual throttle/restrictor valve (used as load disturbance variable in Lab 8.10)
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: In-line quick-coupling valve body with rotary needle knob
  • Electrical constraints: Purely mechanical; pressure rating ≥ 60 bar
  • Substitution latitude: Any adjustable hydraulic needle/throttle valve rated for 60 bar
  • Control operated: Yes; rotary valve knob adjusted by students to inject load variations
  • Sourcing plan: general web research: FESTO Didactic adjustable flow control valve

• Hydraulic Pressure Gauge

  • Identity: Bourdon tube dial pressure gauge
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: Dial gauge with male quick-release coupling
  • Electrical constraints: Purely mechanical; display range 0 to 100 bar
  • Substitution latitude: Any hydraulic pressure gauge with compatible quick-connect fitting rated to 100 bar
  • Control operated: No (readout only)
  • Sourcing plan: general web research: FESTO Bourdon tube hydraulic pressure gauge quick coupling

• In-Line Hydraulic Pressure Filter

  • Identity: In-line hydraulic fluid pressure filter
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: In-line housing with self-sealing quick-connect fittings
  • Electrical constraints: Purely mechanical; rated ≥ 60 bar
  • Substitution latitude: Standard commercial hydraulic filter compatible with FESTO fittings
  • Control operated: No
  • Sourcing plan: general web research: FESTO hydraulic pressure filter unit

• Hydraulic Hose Lines and Manifolds

  • Identity: High-pressure flexible hydraulic hoses with self-sealing quick couplings
  • Quantity: 6x 600 mm hoses, 2x 1000 mm hoses, 1x 3000 mm return hose, plus branch tee manifolds
  • Footprint/package: Flexible hydraulic hose with quick-disconnect plugs and sockets
  • Electrical constraints: Purely mechanical; rated working pressure ≥ 60 bar
  • Substitution latitude: Hoses must have mating low-leakage quick couplings compatible with the FESTO trainer plate
  • Control operated: No (manually connected prior to tests)
  • Sourcing plan: general web research: FESTO Didactic hydraulic hose quick coupling set

• Dual-Output Regulated Bench DC Power Supply

  • Identity: Laboratory dual-voltage DC power supply unit
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: Benchtop instrument with front-panel 4 mm safety banana jacks
  • Electrical constraints: Outputs +24 V DC (system/valve supply, ≥ 2 A capacity) and +15 V DC (sensor supply, ≥ 500 mA capacity) referenced to a common 0 V ground
  • Substitution latitude: Any bench DC power supply providing simultaneous regulated +24 V and +15 V rails
  • Control operated: Yes; power switch and output adjustment knobs
  • Sourcing plan: retail shopping search: dual output bench DC power supply 24V 15V 4mm sockets

• Dual-Channel Digital Storage Oscilloscope (DSO)

  • Identity: 2-channel benchtop digital storage oscilloscope
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: Benchtop test instrument with BNC input connectors
  • Electrical constraints: Input impedance 1 MΩ, bandwidth ≥ 20 MHz, DC-coupled channel inputs capable of measuring 0 to 10 V step transitions and logging transient response data
  • Substitution latitude: Any standard 2-channel digital storage oscilloscope
  • Control operated: Yes; timebase, vertical volts/div, and trigger knobs
  • Sourcing plan: retail shopping search: 2 channel digital storage oscilloscope 50MHz

• Function / Arbitrary Waveform Generator

  • Identity: Laboratory signal generator
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: Benchtop test instrument with 50 Ω BNC output
  • Electrical constraints: Low-frequency square wave generation (0.1 Hz to 10 Hz) with adjustable DC offset to generate setpoint step commands (e.g. 0 to 10 V range)
  • Substitution latitude: Any signal generator capable of low-frequency square waves with variable amplitude and DC offset
  • Control operated: Yes; frequency, amplitude, and DC offset rotary knobs
  • Sourcing plan: retail shopping search: benchtop arbitrary function generator 10MHz

• Digital Multimeter (DMM)

  • Identity: Handheld or benchtop digital multimeter
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: Shrouded 4 mm banana input terminals
  • Electrical constraints: DC voltage measurement range 0 to 30 V DC, resolution ≥ 3.5 digits
  • Substitution latitude: Any commercial digital multimeter
  • Control operated: Yes; rotary function selector dial
  • Sourcing plan: retail shopping search: handheld digital multimeter CAT II 600V

• Laboratory Patch Cable Kit

  • Identity: BNC and 4 mm banana interconnect cables
  • Quantity: 2x BNC-to-dual 4 mm banana plug cables, 1x BNC male-to-male cable, 1x BNC T-adapter, stackable 4 mm safety patch leads
  • Footprint/package: 4 mm safety shrouded banana connectors and 50 Ω BNC coaxial connectors
  • Electrical constraints: Rated ≥ 30 V DC, ≥ 10 A
  • Substitution latitude: Standard laboratory safety patch leads
  • Control operated: No
  • Sourcing plan: retail shopping search: 4mm safety banana patch cord kit and BNC to banana cables

2. Electric Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV): NI DaNI Robot Platform

• Embedded Controller: National Instruments Single-Board RIO (sbRIO)

  • Identity: National Instruments sbRIO-9631 or sbRIO-9632 embedded controller board
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: Embedded circuit board assembly mounted inside DaNI chassis (approximately 153 mm x 203 mm)
  • Electrical constraints: 9 V to 30 V DC input (powered from onboard 12 V battery bus); onboard 400 MHz Real-Time processor, 256 MB non-volatile flash, Xilinx Spartan-3 FPGA, 110 digital I/O lines (including DIO4 and DIO5 used for motor PWM generation), integrated 10/100 Mbit/s RJ-45 Ethernet port
  • Substitution latitude: Must be an NI sbRIO board compatible with the NI LabVIEW Robotics Starter Kit DaNI architecture, as the lab FPGA bitfiles and pinouts specifically target the sbRIO-963x family
  • Control operated: No
  • Sourcing plan: general web research: National Instruments sbRIO-9631 or sbRIO-9632 single board RIO

• Dual Motor Controller: Dimension Engineering Sabertooth 2X10 R/C

  • Identity: Dimension Engineering Sabertooth 2X10 R/C regenerative dual-channel motor driver
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: Screw-terminal chassis-mount PCB module, 59 mm x 75 mm x 17 mm
  • Electrical constraints: Motor supply input 6 V to 24 V DC (runs on 12 V battery rail); dual 10 A continuous output per channel (15 A peak); accepts 5 V standard R/C PWM servo pulses (1.0 ms to 2.0 ms pulse width) connected to sbRIO DIO4 and DIO5 pins; supports regenerative energy return
  • Substitution latitude: Sabertooth 2X12 or any dual 10 A regenerative brushed DC motor controller supporting standard R/C PWM input signals
  • Control operated: No
  • Sourcing plan: retail shopping search: Dimension Engineering Sabertooth 2X10 R/C motor controller

• DC Drive Actuators: Pitsco Education TETRIX 12 V DC Gearmotors

  • Identity: Pitsco Education TETRIX 12 V DC Gearmotor (Part #W39083)
  • Quantity: 2
  • Footprint/package: 37 mm diameter cylindrical DC motor body with integrated metal spur gearbox and 6 mm D-profile output shaft
  • Electrical constraints: Rated 12 V DC nominal; no-load speed 146 to 152 RPM; stall torque 300 oz-in (2.12 N·m); no-load current 0.17 A; stall current approx. 7 to 8 A; gear reduction ratio 1:52
  • Substitution latitude: Must match TETRIX chassis mounting bolt pattern and 6 mm D-shaft, or use equivalent 12 V DC gearmotors with similar speed (approx. 150 RPM) and torque (approx. 2 N·m)
  • Control operated: No
  • Sourcing plan: retail shopping search: Pitsco TETRIX 12V DC gearmotor 39083

• Drive Wheels: Pitsco Education TETRIX 4-inch Wheels

  • Identity: Pitsco TETRIX 4-inch (101.6 mm) all-terrain wheels
  • Quantity: 2
  • Footprint/package: 101.6 mm diameter plastic/aluminum hub with rubber tread; mounts via TETRIX 6 mm shaft hub
  • Electrical constraints: Purely mechanical
  • Substitution latitude: Any 100 mm to 102 mm diameter drive wheel fitting the motor shaft and DaNI ground clearance
  • Control operated: No
  • Sourcing plan: retail shopping search: Pitsco TETRIX 4 inch wheel

• Rear Castor / Omnidirectional Wheel

  • Identity: Omnidirectional rear caster wheel
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: Swivel caster or omni-wheel assembly bolted to rear undercarriage of chassis
  • Electrical constraints: Purely mechanical; rated load ≥ 5 kg
  • Substitution latitude: Any low-friction omnidirectional caster wheel of matching ride height
  • Control operated: No
  • Sourcing plan: retail shopping search: omnidirectional robot caster wheel 2 inch

• Optical Quadrature Wheel Encoders

  • Identity: Dual-channel optical quadrature shaft encoder (US Digital or Pitsco TETRIX compatible)
  • Quantity: 2 (one per drive motor shaft)
  • Footprint/package: Motor-mount or shaft-mount optical encoder housing
  • Electrical constraints: 5 V DC supply; dual-channel (Channel A, Channel B) 5 V TTL square wave output, 400 pulses per revolution (PPR)
  • Substitution latitude: Must output 5 V TTL quadrature signals with 400 PPR; differing PPR requires updating the encoder decoding VI in the LabVIEW FPGA bitfile
  • Control operated: No
  • Sourcing plan: retail shopping search: 400 PPR quadrature optical encoder 5V

• Ultrasonic Rangefinder

  • Identity: Ultrasonic distance sensor (Devantech SRF04/SRF05 or Parallax PING))) style)
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: Dual transducer PCB module mounted on front turret
  • Electrical constraints: 5 V DC supply; 40 kHz acoustic burst; TTL pulse trigger and echo interface; measurement range 2 cm to 300 cm
  • Substitution latitude: Any 40 kHz ultrasonic sensor with standard TTL pulse interface matching the LabVIEW timing logic
  • Control operated: No
  • Sourcing plan: retail shopping search: Parallax PING ultrasonic distance sensor 28015

• Pan Turret Servo Motor

  • Identity: Standard R/C hobby PWM servo motor
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: Standard R/C servo body (approx. 40 mm x 20 mm x 36 mm)
  • Electrical constraints: 4.8 V to 6.0 V DC supply; standard 50 Hz PWM input (1.0 ms to 2.0 ms pulse width) driven from sbRIO
  • Substitution latitude: Any standard analog or digital R/C servo (e.g. Futaba S3003 or Hitec HS-311)
  • Control operated: No
  • Sourcing plan: retail shopping search: standard RC servo motor 5V

• UGV Main Rechargeable Battery Pack

  • Identity: 12 V Rechargeable NiMH battery pack (Pitsco TETRIX or equivalent)
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: 10-cell sub-C NiMH pack with heavy-gauge wire harness and keyed connector (Tamiya or Anderson Powerpole)
  • Electrical constraints: Nominal 12.0 V DC (10.0 V discharged to 14.5 V fully charged); capacity ≥ 3000 mAh; continuous discharge rating ≥ 15 A
  • Substitution latitude: Any 12 V NiMH or 3S LiFePO4 battery pack fitting the chassis battery compartment and providing ≥ 15 A peak
  • Control operated: No
  • Sourcing plan: retail shopping search: 12V NiMH battery pack 3000mAh Tamiya connector

• DC-DC Step-Down (Buck) Converter Module

  • Identity: Switched-mode DC-DC buck converter
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: Chassis-mount PCB module
  • Electrical constraints: Input 10 V to 15 V DC; regulated 5.0 V DC output at ≥ 3 A continuous to power servo, ultrasonic sensor, and logic interfaces
  • Substitution latitude: Any high-efficiency buck converter module delivering stable 5.0 V DC at ≥ 3 A
  • Control operated: No
  • Sourcing plan: retail shopping search: DC-DC buck converter 12V to 5V 3A module

3. Full-Vehicle Chassis Dynamometer Facility

• Chassis Dynamometer: Mustang MDSP 7000 Series

  • Identity: Mustang Advanced Engineering MDSP 7000 Series 4x4 All-Wheel Drive Chassis Dynamometer
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: Floor-recessed or above-ground industrial 4-wheel drive dynamometer rollers with mechanical linkage / independent axle speed synchronization and eddy-current power absorption units (PAUs)
  • Electrical/facility constraints: 3-phase industrial AC electrical service (208/240/480 V AC); integrated strain-gauge shaft torque load cells, optical roll speed encoders, vehicle restraint harnesses, and dedicated instrumentation rack
  • Substitution latitude: Any commercial all-wheel-drive chassis dynamometer supporting individual axle control, road-load simulation, programmed force testing, and full-vehicle power curve sweeps up to at least 200 hp
  • Control operated: Operated via dynamometer control PC workstation
  • Sourcing plan: general web research: Mustang Advanced Engineering MDSP 7000 all wheel drive chassis dynamometer

• Test Subject Vehicle: 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid

  • Identity: 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid production sport utility vehicle (full parallel/power-split hybrid)
  • Quantity: 1
  • Footprint/package: Full-size production vehicle
  • Electrical/propulsion constraints: 2.3L Atkinson-cycle 4-cylinder gasoline engine (133 hp / 99 kW); permanent-magnet AC synchronous electric traction motor; total combined powertrain rating 155 hp (116 kW); 330 V nominal nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) high-voltage traction battery pack; auxiliary 12 V lead-acid vehicle battery; OBD-II diagnostic communication port
  • Substitution latitude: The dynamometer lab procedures specifically evaluate the power-split and engine/battery transitions of the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. A 2005-2012 Ford Escape Hybrid / Mercury Mariner Hybrid or similar full power-split hybrid vehicle (e.g. Toyota Prius) can substitute if vehicle weight, frontal area, and road-load coefficients are updated in the dynamometer test profile
  • Control operated: Yes; accelerator pedal, brake pedal, and ignition switch operated by driver inside vehicle during dyno test sweeps
  • Sourcing plan: retail shopping search: used 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid vehicle

Software and network dependencies

• Mustang Advanced Engineering Dynamometer Software Suite (Power Curve Test and Programmed Force Editor)

  • Source: Mustang Advanced Engineering (bundled with MDSP 7000 dynamometer instrumentation console)
  • Version: not stated
  • Version origin: not stated
  • Version pinning: not stated
  • Manifest: not stated
  • Network exposure: not stated in the sources; executes locally on the dynamometer control PC console
  • Check plan: not checkable: turnkey industrial testing software with unstated version

• National Instruments LabVIEW Development Environment

  • Source: National Instruments
  • Version: not stated
  • Version origin: not stated
  • Version pinning: not stated
  • Manifest: not stated
  • Network exposure: not stated in the sources; runs on workstation PC for simulation and embedded deployment
  • Check plan: not checkable: proprietary software suite with unstated version

• National Instruments LabVIEW Real-Time Module

  • Source: National Instruments
  • Version: not stated
  • Version origin: not stated
  • Version pinning: not stated
  • Manifest: not stated
  • Network exposure: not stated in the sources
  • Check plan: not checkable: proprietary software module with unstated version

• National Instruments LabVIEW FPGA Module

  • Source: National Instruments
  • Version: not stated
  • Version origin: not stated
  • Version pinning: not stated
  • Manifest: not stated
  • Network exposure: not stated in the sources
  • Check plan: not checkable: proprietary software module with unstated version

• NI LabVIEW Robotics Starter Kit / DaNI Obstacle Avoidance VI (Vector Field Histogram Navigation)

  • Source: National Instruments Robotics Starter Kit software distribution / course materials
  • Version: not stated
  • Version origin: not stated
  • Version pinning: not stated
  • Manifest: not stated
  • Network exposure: The NI sbRIO controller communicates with the host development workstation over a standard RJ-45 10/100 Mbit/s Ethernet connection for code deployment and live telemetry. Port numbers, default credentials, and remote services are not stated in the sources
  • Check plan: not checkable: course-specific VI source files and proprietary robotics library with unstated version

• MathWorks MATLAB and Simulink

  • Source: The MathWorks
  • Version: not stated
  • Version origin: not stated
  • Version pinning: not stated
  • Manifest: not stated
  • Network exposure: not stated in the sources; executes locally on student workstations to simulate series HEV power split models
  • Check plan: not checkable: commercial software package with unstated version

Dependency pinning summary: None of the software dependencies in this course are pinned. There are no lockfiles, manifests (such as requirements.txt or package.json), or specific release tags identified in the repository; tools are referenced exclusively by application name.

Downloads and External URLs

• Course resource landing page: https://ate.community/index.php?ID=23070&P=FullRecord
• Course distribution archive: https://ate.community/downloads/870/LTU%20Course.zip
• Syllabus document: https://ate.community/downloads/49492/Syllabus.pdf
• Note on model and code files: Standalone executable MATLAB/Simulink model files (.mdl or .slx) and LabVIEW Virtual Instrument files (.vi) are not provided as separate binary files in this archive subset; the workshop handouts provide block diagrams, governing differential equations, and complete parameter tables (such as vehicle mass 1200 kg, frontal area 2.0 m², battery nominal 160 V / 40 Ah, generator limit 12.5 kW, SOC trigger thresholds 60% to 75%) allowing reconstruction in standard Simulink and LabVIEW environments.

Fabrication

No custom printed circuit boards (PCBs), Gerber files, drill files, or custom enclosures are fabricated in this course. All practical labs utilize off-the-shelf industrial and educational trainers, standard production automobiles, or commercial modular robotics hardware.