Shop OBEX P1 Docs P2 Docs Learn Events
MatLab and MultiSim, anyone have opinions on this stuff? — Parallax Forums

MatLab and MultiSim, anyone have opinions on this stuff?

rwgast_logicdesignrwgast_logicdesign Posts: 1,464
edited 2012-09-16 21:29 in General Discussion
So I recently got a copy of NI Multisim which I guess looks like a nice spice simulator im gonna give it a try in in a bit, i know its used in colleges alot im just wondering if anyone has any opinions on about it, thinks its great its junk etc.

I also ended up with a copy of matlab. Now as far as I know its a math tool... im not sure what practical use it has over a ti-89. I hear them mention matlab alot on the amphour and other electronics podcasts what exactly does matlab have to do with EE, Im almost positive some companies use this as a way to develop for there chips, im just curious what is matlab and how does it relate to EE?? Everything im reading looks like its just a graphing calculator for your pc.

Comments

  • SRLMSRLM Posts: 5,045
    edited 2012-09-16 00:44
    Matlab is more than a fancy calculator. It's also a programming and simulation tool. If you read academic papers it seems about half of the researchers who program do so in Matlab.
  • varnonvarnon Posts: 184
    edited 2012-09-16 01:09
    A bunch of my colleges use matlab to control their devices and record data.
    I use the propeller to do better it at a fraction of the cost.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2012-09-16 02:25
    Scilab has most of the capability of MATLAB, but is open source:

    http://www.scilab.org/
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2012-09-16 02:27
    rwgast_logicdesign,

    I have no opinions on Multisim but I would like to point LTspice from Linear Technology.
    http://www.linear.com/designtools/software/#LTspice

    A really simple to use spice simulator / schematic editor. My use of spice can be catagorized as "hobby strength" but I found LTSpice easy to use. Even simulated some vacuum tube circuits with it. The killer feaature for me is that despite being a Windows program it runs flawlessly under Wine on Linux. There are some nice videos on how to use LTspice on YouTube.

    Being a commercial, closed source, proprietary MATLAB seems like exactly the thing academia should not be getting locked into. Especially academic papers should not be dependent on it. Have a look a FreeMAt or Scillab if you want to get into heavy matrix mangling.
  • varnonvarnon Posts: 184
    edited 2012-09-16 10:48
    Heater. wrote: »
    Being a commercial, closed source, proprietary MATLAB seems like exactly the thing academia should not be getting locked into. Especially academic papers should not be dependent on it.

    I totally agree. Unfortunately academics are very limited in their skill set right now and will pay many thousands of dollars to have someone else set up a lab. The software and hardware is all under commercial control. I can do it for a tenth of the cost and have the freedom to do whatever I want, not what is popular and profitable for the comercial companies. I've got a paper coming out about that sometime in the future. I'll be sure to post that when it has been published.

    It seems like in the 60s-80s academics did much more of this stuff themselves. Its really rare to find someone now that can do any of this. Its kind of a surprise because advances in technology have just made it so much easier that it was in previous years.
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2012-09-16 11:42
    varnon,

    I'd sure be interested to read your take on this issue, please do post here when it is published.
  • rwgast_logicdesignrwgast_logicdesign Posts: 1,464
    edited 2012-09-16 12:32
    @Heater ive acually been using LT Spice and another browser/cloud based sim called circuit lab. They work fairly well im sure multisim wont be much better.

    As far as math lab goes, I just saw a thing in the bs2 forum where some guy wants to use matlab to control his bs2, there was a few links explaining how to do this. So i guess what Im asking isnt so much about matlab liscensing etc etc. Its why should I be interested in using matlab or any open alternatives? Why is someone trying to control a bs2 with matlab, whats wrong with just using the stamp editor?? Why are companies using this overgrown calculator with a minimal c language to as a development environment for chips. Why is my friend at UC Fullerton paying top dollar at a private colleage being taught EE using matlab mostly?

    Is matlab and its open alternatives important? Is this something people doing hardware work need to learn? If all these kids coming out of school are using this as there main tool for everything (it seems like), will that impact the commercial industry? I mean if analog devices (i think, not sure if its them) are realsing or kits or whatever with matlab as there front end im wondering if this is like some kind of important technology one needs to learn?

    To me it sounds like a math program and physics simulation type of program that is extendable and people just keep making it do stuff it wasnt originally intended for and obviously matlab is gonna support that its good for them there gonna make money if i need it to program a chip or its all i was taught in school. So is this a fad or is this some serious software you should be learning if you hope to one day be viable in the embedded systems/EE job place.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2012-09-16 13:05
    Designing control systems and DSP are just two areas where packages like MATLAB and Scilab come in very useful, and can save a lot of time.
  • rwgast_logicdesignrwgast_logicdesign Posts: 1,464
    edited 2012-09-16 14:11
    Control systems, like motor control and drivers, i.e analog based industrial type of projects?
  • Mike GMike G Posts: 2,702
    edited 2012-09-16 20:15
    I find MatLab a powerful tool. Along with robust math constructs, MatLab can invoke dlls created in other languages like C++ and .NET.

    rwgast_logicdesign, I suggest experimenting with MatLab to learn more about its capabilities.
  • SRLMSRLM Posts: 5,045
    edited 2012-09-16 21:29
    rwgast_logicdesign wrote: »
    Control systems, like motor control and drivers, i.e analog based industrial type of projects?

    Control systems can be either analog or digital. The control systems that I have done are all digital, and I suspect that most non-trival designs these days are digital.
Sign In or Register to comment.