Automatic control is present in most industrial applications and engineering. The automatic control practice with the physical implementation of the controller is a major issue to be covered in undergraduate/graduate engineering course, and those issues dealing with subjects such as automation, control, electromechanics, mechatronics, manufacturing, and robotics which should be included in their curricula. The contribution of this work is the development of an open core of a three-time controller under FPGA technology applied in a standard control course, allowing students to have a real-time control implementation with technological independence and high level of integration. The combination of both, theory and practice is important. Thus, this course's proposal develops the theoretical bases in practical form. The opportunity to control a servomotor demands students with area proficiency, which is reflected in a project development. ß2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com;