How to tune a Honeywell PID
Honeywell inverts both directions relative to a gain-and-repeats-per-minute system. Proportional band: a smaller number is more proportional action. Reset in minutes per repeat: a smaller number is faster integral action. An engineer who raises both numbers to 'increase' the tune has just made the loop weaker and slower.
This page is what to type after the loop has already passed the manual test. It is not a substitute for reading the faceplate units — newer Experion configurations are not all band-and-minutes.
Confirm the convention on this block
Traditional TDC and many Experion loops are proportional band and minutes per repeat. Some migrated controllers are not. Read the units. If you see gain, do not apply band instincts. If you see seconds, do not apply a minutes number.
Which way to move the number
To make proportional action stronger, lower the band (or raise the gain, if that is what the block shows). To make integral action faster, lower the reset time. To add derivative on a temperature loop, put rate on PV, not on error, or a setpoint change will kick.
Change one field. Wait until the response has finished. Honeywell loops that 'never settle' were often changed twice before the first change had arrived.
Band of 200% is not a mistake
A band above 100% is a gain below one, which is normal on flow. People see 200% and cut it in half because it 'looks too wide'. That doubles the gain. On a noisy flow loop the valve then chatters. If the loop is holding, leave the band alone.
Questions that come up
Does Experion always use proportional band?
No. It is the traditional convention and still common. Read the faceplate. PIDSnap phrases every instruction in the convention you confirm, which is the only safe way to move a number on this system.
How do I convert a gain from a calculator into band?
Band in percent is 100 divided by the gain. A Kc of 0.5 is a band of 200%. Use the converter rather than doing it in your head at the console.
Related
Last reviewed 2026-09-10.