Microprocessors offer cheap computing power to the control engineer and with it the prospect of applying methods of advanced control. However, they are not particularly suitable for the replacement of specialized one-off digital control systems, as the system analysis, hardware and software design effort that is required is not removed by their use. Instead, their main economic benefit will be in areas where it is possible to provide a comprehensive and standard configuration so that development costs can be defrayed over many systems. This precludes many advanced applications of control theory, as these depend on detailed plant models, and are therefore specific to individual systems.
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