MATLAB: Will the Data Acquisition Toolbox work with Simulink

acquisitionblocksetdaqdataData Acquisition Toolboxreal timerealtimesimulinkworkshopxpc

I would like to know if the Data Acquisition Toolbox will work with Simulink.

Best Answer

Starting with Data Acquisition Toolbox 2.9 (R2006b), Simulink blocks to acquire live or measured data directly into your Simulink models are provided as part of the toolbox. Data Acquisition Toolbox block library consists of four Simulink blocks:
1. Analog Input block
2. Analog Output block
3. Digital Input block
4. Digital Output block
Additional information is provided on the Data Acquisition Toolbox product page at: http://www.mathworks.com/products/daq/
Note, Data Acquisition Toolbox was not designed to support real-time control. It is specifically designed to bring measured data into MATLAB and Simulink. Since the toolbox is built to operate inside a non real-time Microsoft Windows environment, it is not possible to achieve deterministic real-time operation.
If deterministic real-time control is not desired, it is possible to use Data Acquisition Toolbox for acquisition and control in Simulink. For deterministic real-time control in Simulink involving data acquisition, you need to use Real-Time Workshop and one of the real-time targets available, such as:
1. Real-Time Windows Target - http://www.mathworks.com/products/rtwt
This runs your model on the same machine as Simulink (task-sharing the processor between a real-time kernel and Windows).
2. xPC Target - http://www.mathworks.com/products/xpctarget
This requires a separate machine, which can range from an Intel 486 to a Pentium 4 or an Athlon based machine.
The target to be used depends on your application and hardware. In general, if speed is not an issue, use Real-Time Windows Target. Otherwise, use a second machine and xPC Target.
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