Controlling the PCGU1000 from Matlab

Instruments PC Generators
1

Hi,

I would like to know if controlling the PCGU1000 from Matlab is possible, and if yes how. I am blocked when trying to load FGULINK.dll with the loadlibrary function because it asks for a header file that I cannot find in my Velleman installation directory. There was an interesting post at viewtopic.php?f=11&t=3170 where a similar problem was encountered, but unfortunately the talks diverted and no solution was provided.

Can such a header file be created, thus rendering the control of the PCGU1000 from Matlab possible? By searching the forum, I couldn’t see any post on the topic, surprisingly.

Thank’s in advance

2

I think the C++ header file should look like this:

[code]#ifdef __cplusplus
extern “C” {
#endif

#define FUNCTION __declspec(dllimport)

FUNCTION __stdcall SetGen(int func, float freq, float ampl, float offset);
FUNCTION __stdcall SetSweep(float freq1, float freq2, float ampl, float offset, float time, int form);
FUNCTION __stdcall SetLibWave(float freq, float ampl, float offset, int filter, char *pointer);
FUNCTION __stdcall StartGen();
FUNCTION __stdcall StopGen();
FUNCTION __stdcall OpenGen();
FUNCTION __stdcall CloseGen();
FUNCTION bool __stdcall GenReady();
FUNCTION int __stdcall GenStatus();
FUNCTION __stdcall ShowGen(bool status);
FUNCTION __stdcall AttOn(bool att);
FUNCTION __stdcall LogSweep(bool log);

#ifdef __cplusplus
}
#endif[/code]

int = 32 bit integer

3

Hi, thank’s for your quick response. I have gone through some experiments myself last night and succeeded to communicate with my PCGu1000. My header was, to say, identical to what you posted. However, I had only put into work the OpenGen, CloseGen and StartGen functions. The SetGen caused me trouble because I couldn’t declare a single precision variable type (Single) in the .h . I will try it with the float tonight as you suggest and come back on the results. I also think that the variable names can be omitted in the header, i.e. “SetGen(int,float,float,…)” instead of “SetGen(int func,float freq,float ampl)”.

4

In the meantime, I made a working C++ demo program in Borland C++Builder.

[quote]I also think that the variable names can be omitted in the header, i.e. “SetGen(int,float,float,…)” instead of “SetGen(int func,float freq,float ampl)”.[/quote]Indeed, works fine with this header file too:
fgulink.h

[code]#ifdef __cplusplus
extern “C” {
#endif

#define FUNCTION __declspec(dllimport)

FUNCTION __stdcall SetGen(int, float, float, float);
FUNCTION __stdcall SetSweep(float, float, float, float, float, int);
FUNCTION __stdcall SetLibWave(float, float, float, int, char*);
FUNCTION __stdcall StartGen();
FUNCTION __stdcall StopGen();
FUNCTION __stdcall OpenGen();
FUNCTION __stdcall CloseGen();
FUNCTION bool __stdcall GenReady();
FUNCTION int __stdcall GenStatus();
FUNCTION __stdcall ShowGen(bool);
FUNCTION __stdcall AttOn(bool);
FUNCTION __stdcall LogSweep(bool);

#ifdef __cplusplus
}
#endif[/code]
Here the code of the whole program:[size=85][code]
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------

#include <vcl.h>
#pragma hdrstop
#include “fgulink.h”
#include “Unit1.h”
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
#pragma package(smart_init)
#pragma resource “*.dfm”
TForm1 Form1;
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
__fastcall TForm1::TForm1(TComponent Owner)
: TForm(Owner)
{
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------

void __fastcall TForm1::Button6Click(TObject *Sender)
{
OpenGen();
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------

void __fastcall TForm1::Button7Click(TObject *Sender)
{
CloseGen();
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
void __fastcall TForm1::Button4Click(TObject *Sender)
{
SetGen(1, 1000, 5, 0);
StartGen();
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
void __fastcall TForm1::Button8Click(TObject *Sender)
{
SetGen(2, 1500, 5, 0);
StartGen();
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
void __fastcall TForm1::Button5Click(TObject *Sender)
{
SetGen(3, 1000, 5, 0);
StartGen();
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
void __fastcall TForm1::Button11Click(TObject *Sender)
{
char s[20] = “ramp_dn.lib”;
SetLibWave(1000, 5, 2.5, 1, s);
StartGen();
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
void __fastcall TForm1::Button9Click(TObject *Sender)
{
LogSweep(true);
SetSweep(10, 2000000, 5, 0, 50, 1);
StartGen();
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
void __fastcall TForm1::Button2Click(TObject *Sender)
{
LogSweep(false);
SetSweep(1000, 10000, 5, 0, 10, 2);
StartGen();
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
void __fastcall TForm1::Button3Click(TObject *Sender)
{
StopGen();
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
void __fastcall TForm1::CheckBox1Click(TObject *Sender)
{
AttOn(CheckBox1->Checked);
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
void __fastcall TForm1::CheckBox2Click(TObject *Sender)
{
ShowGen(!CheckBox2->Checked);
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
void __fastcall TForm1::Timer1Timer(TObject *Sender)
{
if(GenReady())
{
Label2->Caption = “Generator Ready!”;
}
else
{
Label2->Caption = “Generator Not Ready”;
}
Label3->Caption = "Status: "+IntToStr(GenStatus());
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
void __fastcall TForm1::FormClose(TObject *Sender, TCloseAction &Action)
{
CloseGen();
}
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------[/code][/size]

5

Thank you very much for this info. I believe it will be of valuable interest for many users.

6

Should I add only a small correction to your code VEL255, functions that return no values should be declared with the “void” statement at the beginning. The final code would look like this :

[code]#ifdef __cplusplus
extern “C” {
#endif

#define FUNCTION __declspec(dllimport)

FUNCTION void __stdcall SetGen(int, float, float, float);
FUNCTION void __stdcall SetSweep(float, float, float, float, float, int);
FUNCTION void __stdcall SetLibWave(float, float, float, int, char*);
FUNCTION void __stdcall StartGen();
FUNCTION void __stdcall StopGen();
FUNCTION void __stdcall OpenGen();
FUNCTION void __stdcall CloseGen();
FUNCTION bool __stdcall GenReady();
FUNCTION int __stdcall GenStatus();
FUNCTION void __stdcall ShowGen(bool);
FUNCTION void __stdcall AttOn(bool);
FUNCTION void __stdcall LogSweep(bool);

#ifdef __cplusplus
}
#endif[/code]

There the Matlab compiler no more issues warnings. I will test the functionning of the generator tonight from a simple .m file and come back on the results.

7

Thank you for this info.
My C++ test program works fine with this modified header file too.
It seems to be better to use the “void” declaration for compatibility reasons.

In this thread there is described a similar problem and a similar solution of the problem with other compiler:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3787

[quote]…change all the
FUNCTION __stdcall
to
FUNCTION void __stdcall[/quote]

8

Yes, right. I remember having read this thread. I just want here to confirm that the PCGU1000 is fully operational from Matlab using this last header version. It ran with Matlab R2009b under Win XP SP3 32 bits.

9

I’m sure the ISO C standard requires that every function has its return type declared explicitly