Control Loops Outside the Lab

Control Loops Outside the Lab

A series on feedback and control: delay, thresholds, windup, and damping. Each idea comes with interactive simulations, drawn from software systems, physics, and everyday life.

  1. 01

    Delayed Feedback and Overcorrection

    Why a reasonable correction can destabilize a slow system, and what showers, queues, and retries have in common.

    Jun 10, 2026 路 4 min read control systemsbackend engineeringdata engineering
  2. 02

    Keeping a Threshold from Flapping

    Separate entry and exit thresholds, add persistence where it helps, and measure the delay as well as the reduction in transitions.

    Jun 15, 2026 路 3 min read observabilitycontrol systemsalerting
  3. 03

    Integrator Windup and Actuator Limits

    Why accumulated error delays recovery after saturation, and how conditional integration and back-calculation change the response.

    Jun 20, 2026 路 4 min read PIDcontrol systemsautoscaling
  4. 04

    Choosing the Damping of a Spring

    Position error pulls toward the target; velocity feedback controls the approach. A practical model for cameras, animation, and mechanical motion.

    Jun 25, 2026 路 4 min read control systemsphysicsgame development