MATLAB: What are the differences between Simulink Real-Time and xPC Target real-time kernel

Question

Hello MathWorks Community,

I am trying to implement hardware-in-the-loop simulation using a desktop PC + (NI DAQ card or Raspberry Pi) instead of using Speedgoat. I understand there will be limitations with this solution, but I am looking at a sampling rate of 100Hz, so I figure it shouldn't be a huge issue. However, I am not sure if xPC target is still in use or has it been replaced by Simulink Real-Time?

I found an old thread from 2011 comparing Real-Time Windows Target with xPC-Target https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/99054-what-are-the-differences-between-real-time-windows-target-and-xpc-target?s_tid=answers_rc1-1_p1_Topic

So, can some one clarify what is still in use in 2019?

Thanks,

Answer 1

After some reading, I found out that Simulink Real-Time and xPC Target are the same thing. I also found out about Simulink Desktop Real-Time, which allows you to run a model on a desktop computer in real-time and doesn't require the Speedgoat hardware. It works with many supported DAQ cards such as from Quanser, NI, etc. A complete list of supported devices can be found here : https://www.mathworks.com/hardware-support/simulink-desktop-real-time.html. However, it seems that Simulink Desktop Real-Time doesn't support Arduino or Raspberry Pi yet.

With Simulink Desktop Real-time, the limitation is that it supports sampling rates upto 1kHz and upto 20kHz (when using Simulink Coder). With Speedgoat and Simulink Real-Time (aka xPC-Target) you can get sampling rates upto 50kHz.