MATLAB Support Package for Arduino (aka ArduinoIO Package)

MATLAB library and Simulink blocks for communicating with an Arduino microcontroller board

Description

Arduino (www.arduino.cc) is a low-cost open-source electronics prototyping platform.

MATLAB Support Package for Arduino (also referred to as "ArduinoIO Package") allows you to communicate with an Arduino Uno or Duemilanove over a serial port. It consists of a MATLAB API on the host computer and a server program that runs on the Arduino. Together, they allow you to access Arduino analog I/O, digital I/O, and motor shield from the MATLAB command line.

The Support Package also includes Simulink blocks for communicating with the Arduino.

For more information about the Support Package, see:
 http://www.mathworks.com/academia/arduino-software/arduino-matlab.html

For Simulink blocks that support code generation, see:
 http://www.mathworks.com/academia/arduino-software/arduino-simulink.html

Sample usage:

 %-- connect to the board
 a = arduino('COM9')

 %-- specify pin mode
 a.pinMode(4,'input');
 a.pinMode(13,'output');

 %-- digital i/o
 a.digitalRead(4) % read pin 4
 a.digitalWrite(13,0) % write 0 to pin 13

 %-- analog i/o
 a.analogRead(5)
 a.analogWrite(9, 155) % write 155 to analog pin 9

 %-- motor shield
 a.motorRun(4, 'forward') % run motor forward
 a.servoWrite(1, 175); % move servo#1 to 175 deg position
 a.stepperStep(1, 'forward', 'double', 100); % move stepper motor

 %-- close session
 delete(a)

• MATLAB release: MATLAB 7.10 (2010a)

[Cameron]

 

[Ernesto]

I've been following the steps on the Readme file. I already added the arduino folders path successfully. Now I'm trying to run the a=arduino('port') in my case COM4 and I get the error:

??? Error: File: xx/xx/xx Line: 6 Column: 26
The expression to the left of the equals sign is not a valid target for an assignment.

Does anyone know what might be going wrong? I already also tried a=arduino('/dev/ttyUSB0') instead of COM4 but I got the same error.

[Tony Stark]

Your problem seems like the one I ran into as well. What I did was double check my COM port in device manager. Opened up matlab and clicked in the "Current Folder" pane, navigated to where I unzipped the "ArduinoIO" package, right clicked the folder and added it and its subdirectories othe path, then execute the "savepath" command.

If that doesnt work, force your COM port to be COM8 or COM5. Also run matlab as admin (SHIFT + Right Click "Run as Adminstrator")

[Roman]

I have installed all packages for Arduino support. In Matlab command line can successfully connect to Arduino and operate all its pins.

I want to use function msfun_arduino_analogread(block), link:
http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/32374-matlab-support-package-for-arduino-aka-arduinoio-package/content/simulink/msfun_arduino_analogread.m

But when add in Simulink block "Level-2 MATLAB S-Function" I have the following error (screen shot): http://habrastorage.org/storage1/fdff41a7/f8668eac/77eb249a/38eb67f6.png

Can I go another way to read data from Arduino in Simulink? I just want to use my Arduino as Analog Input in Simulink.

[Fardin]

I am having problem with loading the srv.pde file to Arduino Mega 2560.
When compiling, the error is on line 553:
        analogReference(INTERNAL);
and the error message is:
srv.cpp: In function 'void loop()':
srv:552: error: 'INTERNAL' was not declared in this scope

I have done all the steps before this step.
Please Help. And thanks in advance.

[JULIO DE LUNA]

I had the same problem, all we did was add a / * in
/ * Case 49:
         analogReference (INTERNAL);
         break;

then, I had no problems =)

[Michael]

This is a total hack, but for those of you who are getting 'Connection unsuccessful' error and are sure that the serial port is working fine (i.e. by checking it with a program like TeraTerm and typing in '99') then you can set chk to be 1 (or 2 or 3), depending on which pde you had uploaded into the Arduino.

% query script type
fwrite(a.aser,[57 57],'uchar');
chk=fscanf(a.aser,'%d');
chk = 1; % SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DO THIS!

[Sotiris]

Hello everyone, I am trying to Upload,"adiosrv.pde" on the arduino mega2560 but I get the following message:

"adiosrv.cpp: In function 'void loop()':
adiosrv:239: error: 'INTERNAL' was not declared in this scope"

Any suggestions??

Thank you in advance

[Alonso]

For the INTERNAL problem with the mega2560 I found this: http://arduino.cc/en/Reference/AnalogReference

INTERNAL: an built-in reference, equal to 1.1 volts on the ATmega168 or ATmega328 and 2.56 volts on the ATmega8 (not available on the Arduino Mega)
INTERNAL1V1: a built-in 1.1V reference (Arduino Mega only)
INTERNAL2V56: a built-in 2.56V reference (Arduino Mega only)

So just replace "INTERNAL" with "INTERNAL1V1" and it should work.

[Sun]

Hello
When I try to call block analogread, everytime I build will pop:

The corresponding 'msfun_arduino_analogread.tlc' file for the MATLAB S-function 'msfun_arduino_analogread' in block 'test1/Arduino Analog Read' must be located in the current working directory, the MATLAB S-function directory 'C:\Users\Julio\Documents\MATLAB\ArduinoIO\simulink', or the directory 'C:\Users\Julio\Documents\MATLAB\ArduinoIO\simulink\tlc_c'

and I ingnore it matlab just quit. Even the demo cannot work. Anyone has ideas?

Julio

[Gautam Vallabha]

Sun, the MATLAB Support Package does not support code generation. The included Simulink blocks communicate with the Arduino in Simulink "normal" (aka. simulation) mode only.

For blocks that support code generation, see http://www.mathworks.com/academia/arduino-software/arduino-simulink.html

[Giampiero Campa]

UPDATE: in the new version (3.2) the problem due to the fact that INTERNAL is not declared for the MEGA has been solved (basically now there is a macro that defines INTERNAL as equal to INTERNAL1V1 when compiling for the MEGA).

Please consider downloading the last version if you often switch between the UNO and MEGA boards.

[alexander]

using a.stepperStep() has a maximum number of steps of 255 and causes unexpexted results with for loops. How can i avoid this and get the number of steps i want.

[Abdullah]

why ı can connect servo just pin 9 and 10. I have 4 more pwm pin.. ? anyone can edit the files and blocks to add 6 servos to the arduino.

[Classroom Resources Team]

Alex, thanks for the feedback, i'll think about it.

Abdullah, it's because the servo methods were made to support the adafruit motor shield, which only supports servo connected to pins 9 and 10. I will remove this limitation sometime this summer. However if you look at the code it should not be too hard to modify it to extend it to 6 servos.

[Andrey Zagvazdin]

Hello! I MatLAB 7.12 (R2011a) 64-bit. OS Windows 7
Fee clone Arduino, Russian assembly Freeduino (http://freeduino.ru/arduino/index.html), a complete analog Ardruino Uno / Duemilanove w/ATmega328.
My actions:
1 - Connection "Arduino" to MatLAB
* Set ArduinoIO (http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/32374);
* Unpack the package into C: \ arduinoIO;
* >> Cd c: \ arduinoIO
* >> Install_arduino
* >> Savepath
* Flashed "Arduino" core srv.pde (https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit-Motor-Shield-library/zipball/master);
* >> A = arduino ('COM4');
At this point, everything is OK! From the window MatLAB, board responds and takes command.

2 - Connection "Arduino" to SIMULINK
* Downloading the package Simulink Support Package for Arduino (http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/30277);
* "Simulink Support Package for Arduino" unpacked to C: \ arduino_simulink
* Downloading Wednesday Arduino IDE (arduino-1.0) and extract it to c: \ ArduinoTarget
* >> Cd c: \ arduino_simulink
* >> Addpath (fullfile (pwd, 'arduino'), fullfile (pwd, 'blocks'), fullfile (pwd, 'demos'))
* >> Savepath
* >> Sl_refresh_customizations
* Plug-in board "Arduino" to your computer.
* Indicates the path to the environment Arduino IDE >> arduino.Prefs.setArduinoPath ('c: \ ArduinoTarget')

That's all up to this point NORMALLY PUT.

* Determine the current platform team
>> Arduino.Prefs.setBoard ('atmega328') or >> arduino.Prefs.setMcu ('atmega328')
Throws an error
>> Arduino.Prefs.setBoard ('atmega328')
?? Reference to non-existent element of a cell
array.
Error in ==> Prefs> Prefs.parseBoardsFile at 227
                lhs = parsedLines {i} {1} {1}%
                can be of the form xx.yy.zz
Error in ==> Prefs> Prefs.setBoard at 66
            boards =
            arduino.Prefs.parseBoardsFile (boardsFile);
>> Arduino.Prefs.setMcu ('atmega328')
?? Error using ==> Prefs> Prefs.setMcu at 129
This function is deprecated. Use
arduino.Prefs.setBoard instead, e.g.
  arduino.Prefs.setBoard ('uno')

TRIED TO IGNORE THIS OPTION AND KEEP SETTING, BUT IN MODELING, DEMANDS categorically specify the model.

[José Antonio Segura]

Hello.

I'm actually using and Arduino Mega 2560 and API_Matlab. But I have a problem, I cant's access to all PWM outputs, because the library just recognize as PWM the digital pins 3 5 7 9 10 and 11, that are the PWM pins of Arduino Uno Board.

Did you know how can I access to all PWM pins of Arduino Mega 2560?

[Gautam Vallabha]

Jose: The readme.txt file included with the support package has instructions for how to modify the code to work with Arduino Mega (search for "ARDUINO MEGA" in the readme.txt).

[Classroom Resources Team]

General guidelines

* Please use this FileExchange page for general comments and ratings on the support package

* If you have questions about using this support package, post your question at http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers (with tag "arduino", and product "matlab")

[Abhineet Mishra]

Hello
First of all I must thank you for providing us with such a nice interface between MATLAB and Arduino.
Actually I was wondering if you have any function like Arduino's 'MAP' function which can actually map analoginput data into a specific range.
Thanks in Advance

[Gautam Vallabha]

Abhineet, please post your question at http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers, as noted above. I will be happy to answer it there.

[Nancy]

Can I control a servo motor from Matlab without using a motor shield
I tried to use this code:
 
a=arduino('COM3');
a.pinMode(10, 'OUTPUT');
a.analogWrite(10, x); % where x= from 0 up to 255

but it did not work
can anyone help me??

[Muhammad Adeel khan]

hello
i am trying to control the motion of a motor by using simulink blocks(of arduino matlab support package).i need an encoder(position) input as feed back in my control model.
can any one help me how can i read encoder value in my control model?

[Jean-Marc ALLENBACH]

I successfuly used Arduino with R2011a

I tried the same in the classroom with R2007b
No problem with install_arduino, but with
arduino('COM5') I received an error message:
??? Error: File: arduino.m Line: 6 Column: 35
Undefined function or variable 'private'.

Error in ==> StartArd at 10
a=arduino('COM5')
Is it possible to solve the problem on this version R2007b of Matlab or have I to take time to install R2012a on all classrooms?

[Jean-Marc ALLENBACH]

I successfully used Arduino I/O with MATLAB R2009b. Only some Port COM problems due to XP platform: return to default port number after a deconnexion of Arduino board.