New MPLAB Device Blocks for Simulink
19 February 2014
Design Automation
Microchip announced Version 3.30 of its MPLAB Device Blocks for Simulink, which makes it easy to develop complex designs using Microchip’s dsPIC30 and dsPIC33 digital signal controllers (DSCs). This software provides a set of user interfaces to MathWorks’ Simulink graphical environment for simulation and model-based design, where code for the application is generated, compiled and loaded onto a target dsPIC DSC in a single step.
Updates to this version include multi-rate and interrupt-capable device blocks, as well as a free edition for up to seven I/O ports that eliminates the compile wait time found on prior free editions. Existing users can upgrade to the new PRO edition for free.
The need for energy efficiency is driving complex motor control designs that utilise sensorless control technology and closed-loop algorithms. These sophisticated signal processing applications require both high-level maths abstraction and low-level programming knowledge.
The ability to easily design complex algorithms using tools such as Simulink, instead of hand coding, speeds time to market. Microchip’s MPLAB Device Blocks for Simulink enable designers to go back and forth from simulation to real hardware test quickly, without the burden of low-level programming tasks.
Microchip’s Device Blocks provide complete, model-based control of most dsPIC DSC on-chip peripherals for greater flexibility and higher utilisation, including digital I/Os, ADCs, PWMs, change notifications, output compares, input captures, quadrature encoder interfaces, interrupts and resets, as well as communication interfaces such as I²C, SPI and UARTs. Additionally, designers can monitor, tune and log their algorithms and applications in real time, via a GUI.
The Device Blocks are also simple to set up and one configuration can be used across all dsPIC DSCs, which enables easy in-process design changes and seamless migration. Target configuration blocks include Master Block, Simulink Reset Config, Compiler Option and Data Sheet.
The Device Blocks’ facility to invoke dsPIC3X dedicated functions written in C, via a C function call block, allows designers to write less code by utilising many of Microchip’s numerous application, algorithm and operation libraries directly from a Simulink model.
For more information contact Shane Padayachee, Avnet Kopp, +27 (0)11 319 8600, [email protected], www.avnet.co.za
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