Loss of scopes in SLRT

Is anybody out there frustrated by the loss of target scopes in SLRT? I have come to rely on them. I know some workarounds exist, such as using App Designer, but I find it hard to beat the quick and easy nature of the scopes. That's what rapid prototyping is all about, after all.

[Christopher Bitikofer]

I also find this change to be less than great considering the SDI isn't really equal to the old scopes... That said I think improving host streamed real time signals is the right direction... I just wish the tools we got from mathworks were more equivilant/powerful

[James Brown]

Hi Christopher - You know, I used dSpace realtime tools two decades ago. They shipped an elegant, easy-to-use set of tools much like a blend of SLRT Explorer and app designer, but a couple of orders of magnitude better. With NO software support, I was able to build beautiful GUIs worthy of release to operators. Plus, the resulting GUI did not tie up a license, and could be distributed.

Answer 1

[Dimitri MANKOV]

Hi James,

You can use the normal "Scope" block from the standard Simulink library. As an alternative, you can stream signals to the Simulation Data Inspector (SDI). For more information, have a look here:

https://www.mathworks.com/help/slrealtime/signal-monitoring-and-tracing.html

[Jon Lobo]

Hi James and Dimitri,

You can also mark signals for logging in the model and view them in the Simulation Data Inspector.

https://www.mathworks.com/videos/using-external-mode-in-simulink-real-time-1599212902496.html

You can also use the Explorer to add/remove signals from streaming to Simulation Data Inspector at runtime.

https://www.mathworks.com/videos/simulink-real-time-explorer-1599736784381.html

[Christopher Bitikofer]

Something to be aware of that I recently discovered...

It seems like using a scope & setting a signal to be logged doesn't work... I think you only get one or the other... I spent A long time trying to figure out why I was getting no signal today...

[James Brown]

Thanks, Dimitri. But you have to admit that all these solutions are difficult and clunky. I have decided to stall on 2018b and cross my fingers that I'll be able to ride it out to retirement (about three years). I've heard many excuses, from "scopes are hard" to "it's a legal thing; we have trouble with the licenses." If that's Mathworks' approach to solving problems in the future, then I'm glad to be retiring. I wish I could tell my boss, "You know, that's really hard, so I don't think I'll do it." Sorry for the attitude, but I've been a Matlab user since 1984 as a student at the University of Arizona. This "let's abandon the customer" approach is new and I really hate it.

[Jon Lobo]

Hi James,

I have some suggestions and tips for quickly setting up streaming to host.

1. We would like to get your feedback on the usability aspects. If there is a way for us to make this easier or more intuitive for users, we would like to get your input to support your use-case.
2. AppDesigner is a way to create user interfaces in MATLAB and you can use the Instrument object to stream signals to graphical components in the app. Having said that, I would not look at this as a replacement for target scopes, but rather think of the Instrument object as a replacement for host scopes. Is this the primary method you are trying to use to view signal data or are you using the Simulation Data Inspector (SDI)?

I would also like to provide some more detail as to why we made the switch to supporting host side graphics.

Target scopes had many limitations including the ability to set line colors, label axes, or create custom axes such as logarithmic, x-y, or spectrum analyzer; limited number of scopes and signals displayed on scope; and limited resolution. To view data in buses (virtual or non-virtual) also required users to breakout the signals of interest with a bus selector block.

With the new workflow, all those richer forms of graphics and support for all signal types are supported out of the box with the Simulation Data Inspector. To set it up, you just need to highlight a signal in your model and use the quick button to mark it for logging (or right click and select "Log Selected Signals"). SDI also supports compact displays of signals with sparklines plot, that is also supported with Simulink Real-Time. You can even use the addsignal method from the Instrument object at run-time to stream additional signals to SDI.

Additionally, target graphics are a performance hit on the performance of the real-time application and being able to execute your algorithm in real-time is the goal. Meeting the real-time constraint is what makes rapid prototyping useful.

Having said all of that, we are very interested in learning more about what you are finding difficult about this setup.

-Jon