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Ball Levitation System

September – December 2025

Still from the ball-levitation demonstration showing a yellow ball in the vertical apparatus
Still from the levitation demonstration, with the ball visible in the vertical apparatus.
Short silent demonstration of the levitation apparatus and control software. The supplied circular framing is preserved.
CAD assembly of the vertical ball-levitation tube, fan base and upper sensor mount
CAD assembly of the ball-levitation apparatus, from our team project report. The source figure is available only at this resolution.
CAD design iterations of the fan nozzle, airflow mesh and supporting base
Mechanical design iterations from our team report: nozzle and airflow components above, supporting base below.
System connection diagram linking a Siemens PLC, Arduino, heartbeat relay, fan and two ultrasonic sensors
Team report connection diagram: Arduino–PLC communication over Modbus TCP, fan PWM control and the heartbeat relay.
HMI design screen with ball height, high and low setpoints, stop button and heartbeat indicator
HMI main-screen design from the team report, showing the height display, setpoint controls and heartbeat indicator.

As part of the team, I integrated Arduino proximity sensing with a Siemens PLC, tuned PID control and filtered measurements. The system maintained ball height within ±3 mm of the target with a settling time of 10 seconds.

Objective: Maintain the height of a levitated ball using feedback control of a fan-driven airflow system, bringing sensing, industrial control and mechanical components together.

My role: Sensor integration, PID tuning and mechanical parts. SETU · University group project.

My contribution: Integrated Arduino proximity sensing with a Siemens PLC over Modbus TCP. Tuned PID control and filtered sensor measurements. Designed and 3D-printed airflow components and sensor mounts. Supported team assembly and testing.

Sensing and communication: Arduino proximity sensing was integrated with a Siemens PLC through Modbus TCP, linking the measurement system to industrial control hardware.

Feedback control: PID tuning and measurement filtering supported closed-loop height control. The reported performance was ±3 mm around the target and a settling time of 10 seconds.

Mechanical integration: I designed and 3D-printed airflow components and sensor mounts to support the team’s assembly and testing of the levitation system.

Scope: These values describe the reported team test. Setpoint, disturbance conditions, sampling rate and the settling-time criterion should accompany any future response plot. Performance outside those test conditions is not established here.

Technologies