Need help answering a question

Refresh your understanding of the Nyquist Theorem.

Keith Cress
kcress -

Maybe its way the question is written, but my understanding from electronics is this.. with a microcontroller if you are storing data you're limited to the amount of available bits. So there is a compromise between the resolution and sampling rate. If you increase the resolution the sample rate must decrease so you dont use too many bits.. and vice versa.

And, the microcontrollers clock speed will put a cap on the sampling rate anyway.

Do you think this is close?

Seems to me that you crippled your answer by making a rash assumption. The sampling period needs to be high enough that the its functioning is able to affect the plant. Typically, that's on the order of 5x to 10x the desired control bandwidth. Then, the control algorithm must be able to execute within that sampling period, so that dictates the required throughput of the controller.

If you assume a controller to start with, you might wind up with something that's completely useless. A control algorithm that's too laggy might was well not be there at all, since the lag will result in loop instability.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
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