Calculus-Free PID (Almost) In A Spreadsheet

PID controllers are demystified through a Google Sheets simulation that lets you experiment with Proportional, Integral, and Derivative gains without writing code. The post walks through each term: P eliminates most error but leaves a steady-state offset, I accumulates error over time to eliminate that offset but can cause integral windup, and D reacts to the rate of error change to dampen overshoot. Practical pitfalls like derivative kick, integral windup, and noise amplification are explained with concrete spreadsheet examples. The key takeaway is that there is no universal set of gains — optimal tuning depends entirely on the specific plant being controlled.

Source: https://hackaday.com/2026/08/06/calculus-free-pid-almost-in-a-spreadsheet. 8 Sync News only summarizes and links out; content copyright belongs to the authors and original sources.