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Newsletters - MATLAB digest
Past Issues
June 1999
Volume 7, number 2
The MATLAB® Digest is The MathWorks electronic news bulletin for MathWorks Account members. The MATLAB Digest can be sent directly to you. To subscribe, become a MathWorks Account Member.
How to Build a Clock or Controlling an Oscillation in a Nonlinear System Using MATLAB, Simulink®, and the Control System Toolbox
by Richard Gran and Carla Schwartz
MATLAB, Simulink, and the Control System Toolbox provide a substantial collection of analysis and design methods for control systems In this article, we perform frequency domain analysis on a nonlinear model of a mechanical pendulum clock. A Simulink model that creates a describing function for an arbitrary nonlinear system is developed and is applied to the design of the clock escapement. We use the describing function of the escapement to find the angle for the escapement gear (interpreted as a control gain) that causes the oscillation of the pendulum to fit within the clock case. The escapement is designed to provide sufficient energy to the pendulum so that wear on the bearings does not cause the clock to stop. 
read more
Integrating Custom C-Code using Stateflow® 2.0
by Vijay Raghavan
Have you ever needed to incorporate custom C-code into Stateflow diagrams to take advantage of legacy code that augments the simulation capabilities of Simulink and Stateflow? Have you ever needed to define and include custom global variables that can be shared by both Stateflow generated code and your custom code? This article introduces you to the new features of Stateflow 2.0 for custom C-code integration. One of the key advantages to using Simulink and Stateflow is the tremendous ease with which you can integrate custom C-code into your simulations. We begin by describing the organization of generated code from Stateflow 2.0 and then explain how custom-code is incorporated into Stateflow generated code. read more
Using Callback Routines in Your Simulink Models
Have you ever wanted to know how to use Simulink model callback routines to change the parameters of your model? Technical Support has published a detailed technical note describing how to use callback routines which includes examples of using the PreloadFcn, OpenFcn, CloseFcn, and StartFcn callback routines with your Simulink model. Technical Note 1818: How Can I Use Model Callback Routines to Change the Parameters of My Simulink Model?
Using Java Classes and Objects in MATLAB
Have you ever wanted to know how you can use your own Java classes and objects in MATLAB? In MATLAB 5.3 (Release 11), you can instantiate and manipulate Java classes within MATLAB. To find out more about using Java with MATLAB, please see our Technical Support solution 23128: Can I use Java objects in MATLAB? Can I use my own Java classes in MATLAB?
MATLAB Programming Contest: Mars Surveyor Mission
Submit your M-code function to the MATLAB contest, and it will be automatically tested, scored, and ranked against other entries. The contest opens on Monday, June 7 and will close on Friday, June 18, 1999 EDT.
The challenge:You work for NASA, on the project team that's designing the successor to the Mars Surveyor mission. This is the first of a series of missions designed to complete a detailed survey of the planet's surface. Your team will be landing a set of five robotic surface rovers to survey a region of the planet's surface. Your job is write an algorithm to direct these rovers. |
For more information on how to enter and to view the current entries and rankings, visit:
/contest/
Data Acquisition Toolbox is Now Available
The new Data Acquisition Toolbox provides a full set of functions for controlling and communicating with a variety of off-the-shelf, PC-compatible hardware. It allows users to easily customize their acquisitions, access the built-in features of external hardware devices, and incorporate the powerful analysis and visualization features of MATLAB into their designs. Version 1.0 of the toolbox supports sound card devices as well as acquisition hardware from National Instruments Corporation and Hewlett-Packard Company.
In order to find out more about the Data Acquistion Toolbox and supported hardware devices, visit: read more
OpenGL patch for MATLAB 5.3
The MATLAB 5.3 OpenGL patch is now available for download.
If your system has a graphics hardware that supports OpenGL, you can set the 'Renderer' property of your figure to 'opengl' to improve drawing performance. This patch will enable MATLAB to automatically select OpenGL as the graphics renderer if supported hardware is detected when MATLAB is launched.
You can download the OpenGL patch at:
/support/downloads.html
The MathWorks Web Store
If you work in the United States or Canada, you can now purchase MathWorks products via our Web site. This is especially convenient for ordering additional toolboxes and upgrading to the latest version.
For more information visit:
/store/
Visit /support for assistance with your technical support questions.
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