Teaching Motion Control in Mechatronics Education Using an Open Framework Based on the Elevator Model

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The paper explains in detail the activities carried out in a mechatronics course within a bachelor's program in engineering. This course provides for about half of the hours laboratory activities on which the authors focus by explaining the equipment developed and their use.
The general approach used is similar to that of other existing courses, however the authors have developed a device for carrying out motion control experiments ("All in one Servo Lab") which has interesting characteristics and which differs from common laboratory systems because it presents itself as a mature and easy-to-use product.
Reading the paper is certainly useful for comparing the methodologies and tools adopted, even if there is probably mostly a confirmation of what is already being done.

In general, the technical content of the paper does not present very significant novelties or complexities. Some details (for example: lines 205-212 and lines 256-260) are uninteresting and, in my opinion, can be omitted.

Author Response

Thank you for your positive and constructive feedback. In the revised version of the manuscript, lines 205-212 and lines 256-260 are omitted.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

The abstract should consist of the research purpose, methods, results and conclusions. Obviously, the abstract part of the article introduces too much research background, and does not mention the methods used, the effects obtained and the summary of the experiments.

I have tried reading it many times, and although the description is clear enough and the pictures are comprehensive, it is difficult to qualify this article as a scientific paper. The title of the article is " Teaching Motion Control in Mechatronics Education Using an Open Framework Based on the Elevator Model ", the author did not conduct optimization research on motion control, but combined multiple parts together, and the individual parts did not innovate theoretically, making the article more like a syllabus.

Author Response

The authors would like to thank the reviewer for giving us the opportunity to improve the content of the manuscript. In the revised paper, the abstract has been revised by reducing the research background and focusing more on the methods adopted. As highlighted in the revised abstract, in this study, a novel open prototyping framework for mechatronics education is used to teach motion control. The proposed framework is based on low-cost commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components and tools. From a methodology standpoint, students take part in both practical, highly engaging group projects in the lab and a series of well-organised theoretical lectures. The methods of surface learning and deep learning are frequently combined to help students in understanding, making connections, and expanding their knowledge. Both the course's organisation and its main themes are presented. An elevator model that makes up the suggested open framework is described in full. Early evaluations from the students indicate that the structure of the course and its topics are successful and advantageous.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

I congratulate the authors for their contribution to the open-source hardware and software. I have the following recommendations to improve the article.

1. Whenever articles present parts of the code: functions, variables, or snippets, it is a good idea to use them with a font similar to monospace to distinguish it from the other text. Example: the function name Setup() in line 206.
2. The circuit diagram is given in the article can be included in the GitHub repository.
3. I understand that the authors designed and developed the all-in-one servo lab (AIOSL). Also, the manuals and assignments are under the development phase. I recommend authors to include those documents in the GitHub repository. Also, mention the same in the article.
4. AIOSL's CAD and electronic circuitry are absent from this article. If it is open-source as well, authors should share information. They can upload the information to the GitHub platform and mention it.
5. Figure 2 shows the all-in-one servo lab (AIOSL) has a LED indicating Bluetooth. However, the article doesn't present hardware or software compatibility with Bluetooth. In the simplified photo of AIOSL of Figure 4, an Arduino MEGA, which doesn't have an inbuilt bluetooth. It is interesting how authors exploit wireless communication.
6. CAD designs and computer generated circuit diagrams are shown but the pictures of actual hardware is missing. Authors should include these into the article.
7. The code shown in Figure 8 is a screenshot. The image quality is not good. I recommend to present the code as an algorithm or present code using some of the techniques explained in the this link. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/387453/how-do-you-display-code-snippets-in-ms-word-preserving-format-and-syntax-highlig
8. The image quality of Figure 9 can be improved
9. [MOST IMPORTANT] It is mentioned in the article that it is fun for the students. However, it is good to back this claim. The authors can achieve through surveys. It would be interesting to record student's expectations before the lab and their experience after the lab.

Author Response

The authors would like to thank the reviewer for giving constructive feedback. In the revised manuscript, the following changes have been implemented:

1. The Latex Listing library is adopted in the revised manuscript to better highlight part of the code presented. According to the suggestion from Reviewer 1, the function name Setup() in line 206 and corresponding information is omitted in the revised paper.
2. The circuit diagram that is given in the article is now also included in the GitHub repository, together with the full documentation for the All in One Servo Lab (AIOSL). Please refers to the following link: https://github.com/Microttus/Elevator-model/blob/main/documentation/All%20in%20one%20Servo%20Lab.pdf
3. As mentioned in the previous point, the full documentation for the All in One Servo Lab (AIOSL).
4. AIOSL's CAD and electronic circuitry are now also included in the GitHub repository, together with the full documentation for the All in One Servo Lab (AIOSL).
5. The AIOSL is equipped with a HC-05 Bluetooth serial module. This module allows the Arduino controller to send serial strings over Bluetooth to another devise that supports Bluetooth serial data. The module can act both as a slave and a master. This information is now present in the revised article, as well as in the in the GitHub repository.
6. Several pictures of actual hardware are included in the full documentation of the AIOSL, which is now publicly available on the newly updated GitHub repository.
7. The code shown in Figure 8 has been re-written by using the Latex Listing library in the revised paper. This makes it possible to increase quality and readability of the proposed algorithm.
8. The image quality of Figure 9 has been improved in the revised manuscript.
9. We have conducted a student survey. The usefulness of the proposed methodology for teaching motion control is confirmed by the collected students' feedback in terms of engagement. The students consider the theoretical lectures quite engaging, as shown in Figure 9. Particularly positive is the students' perception of the laboratory work, as shown in Figure 10. Equally well perceived by the students is the project work, as shown in Figure 11.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

The content of the revised manuscript is very complete, and the text description is clear and reasonable.