Acquire data out from a PC using MATLAB

Hello everyone

I have a simple question

Is it possible to acquire data from a PC with MATLAB?
i.e. send data out of a PC using MATLAB.

Is there any hardware aid this processes?

thank you in advance

what do you mean "data out of a PC"? Out of the speaker? The ethernet port?

barry said:

what do you mean "data out of a PC"? Out of the speaker? The ethernet port?

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I mean generate a signal and acquire it out of the PC

You're still not making much sense. Yes, you can get an analog-to-digital converter card, or a digital output card. And then read the data in with ANOTHER acquisition card. But why would you bother with this when you can just generate the data in a program?

Or do you just want to GENERATE an output from Matlab? Perhaps you are confusing the meaning of "acquire" and "generate"?

We need more information on what you are trying to do

barry said:

Or do you just want to GENERATE an output from Matlab? Perhaps you are confusing the meaning of "acquire" and "generate"?

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Yes, I think you are right, I think I confuse between generate and acquire

what I really want is to generate a signal in Matlab and send it out of the PC

and my question is that, is it possible to do that with Matlab, for example, send the generated signal in Matlab out through the USB port? and what external circuit I need to do that?

I don't believe ( but don't know for sure) if MATLAB has a generic USB interface, but if you're trying to talk to a specific instrument you can use the Instrument Toolbox. Or, you can buy an interface card that comes with Matlab support.

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I don't believe ( but don't know for sure) if MATLAB has a generic USB interface, but if you're trying to talk to a specific instrument you can use the Instrument Toolbox. Or, you can buy an interface card that comes with Matlab support.

Matlab does not have a generic USB interface, though it does utelize USB with the instrument control toolbox through the use of VISA or similar control protocol.

One very neat feature in Maltab is that you can generate signals with your PCs sound card, I am writing this on my cell phone so I can't post any link to anything that tells you how exactly, but if you haven't found any info about it by the time I get to my computer I can post some resource for this.
The signal would come out of the audio channels that usually are connected to speakers, but be careful about thinking about to what source you connect the audio output channel.
I am not certain but I would imagine that those output might be damage relatively easily, but I may be wrong.

You can also acquire signals through the PCs soundcard (mic).

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I recall having seen several instances of people building amplifier stages to buffer the PC soundcard input/output to be able to use those as general analog input/output channels.
Although those inputs/outputs are useful without added amplifier stages, but they suffer from some limitations that might become a problem. In terms of output amplitude and load capability, possibly other aspects as well.

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I might also add that I have my self searched for a USB interface in Matlab and I asken Mathworks who told me that there are non, this was maybe 2 years ago.
I would love to have a generic USB interface in Matlab but when I was talking with them it didn't seem as they really saw a point of it.

David_ said:

Matlab does not have a generic USB interface, though it does utilise USB with the instrument control toolbox through the use of VISA or similar control protocol.

One very neat feature in Matlab is that you can generate signals with your PCs sound card, I am writing this on my cell phone so I can't post any link to anything that tells you how exactly, but if you haven't found any info about it by the time I get to my computer I can post some resource for this.
The signal would come out of the audio channels that usually are connected to speakers, but be careful about thinking about to what source you connect the audio output channel.
I am not certain but I would imagine that that output might be damaged relatively easily, but I may be wrong.

You can also acquire signals through the PCs sound card (mic).
.

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Thank you for your useful reply
you answer many thinking in my mind, and I will be happy if you could post the resources you mentioned in the post

This link will present you with all that you need.
I didn't remember that it is, or appears to be restricted to the Windows operating system and your sound card must be be able to work with "the DirectSound driver". But just try the code example in the following link and if your sound card supports this you will find it in Maltab when searching for it.

Sound Card Support from Data Acquisition Toolbox