If you find yourself making that frustrating trip to the circuit breaker often enough to remember, there’s a good chance your electrical panel is overworking itself. An outdated electrical panel is a hassle no homeowner should have to put with. It’s not just an issue of faulty outlets and tripping over extension cords. An outdated electrical panel is a serious fire hazard.

It’s outdated for one, and that can cause a lot of problems, especially for any home improvement projects. An electrical panel’s job is to determine how much electricity is distributed to all appliances, lights, and outlets in your home. If your electrical panel is outdated, not only is it unfit to meet your electrical needs, it puts you and your home at risk. An up-to-date electrical panel has a circuit breaker, which trips or turns off when the wiring is overworked; this prevents your electrical system from overheating and starting a fire. An outdated electrical panel isn’t only a fire hazard; it’s harmful for the following reasons.

If your home needs an electrical upgrade, it can be as simple as replacing a few circuit breakers or replacing the entire electrical panel. It’s best to contact an electrical technician as the wiring in your home is a complicated mess, and a professional knows what to look for. They can inspect your home and provide the best suggestions on how to upgrade your electrical system.

Mechatronics, or mechatronic engineering combines mechanical and electrical engineering to design innovative products and systems. These systems must rely on mechanical and electrical components working together in harmony.

The list includes DVD disc drives, anti-lock braking systems, manufacturing, electric motors and clothes dryers, among others. These devices require electronic controls and feedback systems to interact seamlessly with their mechanical design.

Motor control systems operate by using a programmable logic controller or PLC. This system allows advanced programming and algorithms to dictate a motor’s behavior. Therefore, they can be programmed to control multiple motors or VFDs. A robotic arm or a large factory machine is a good example of this.

In addition, PLCs can accept inputs from a wide range of sensors and switches. This allows precise feedback from the machine it controls. Furthermore, it executes built-in software.

The smallest high-precision motors, DC motors, found in computer hard drives and DVD readers. Due to their miniaturization, they can be easily controlled by computer software to perform nearly any imaginable task. A battery powered quad-rotor drone offers us a prime example of DC motor control. Accelerometers and gyroscopes feeding data into a computer controller adjust the speed of each motor independently to keep the drone flying level.

A simple technology that combines electric motors with feedback control, known as servomechanisms, provides valuable information. They utilize a small electric motor, gearboxes, and a potentiometer to produce accurate position feedback to the motor itself. This ensures that the motor has moved to the correct position. Thus, precise movement control of a motor is possible. Applications of servos include RC car steering, fly-by-wire systems in aircraft, robotics, and industrial control valves.

Servos communicate with computer systems, allowing them to be part of larger mechatronic systems, so they can be controlled by PLCs and computer algorithms.

The field of mechatronics constantly evolves. Therefore, as it does, it incorporates cutting edge computer software and mechanical design, bringing to life new inventions. These breakthroughs make modern-day living much easier and more fun.