From help-octave-request at bevo dot che dot wisc dot edu  Thu Oct 23 10:45:54 1997
Subject: Re: [SUGGESTIONS] for OCST (perhaps I'm wrong)
From: "A. Scottedward Hodel" <A dot S dot Hodel at Eng dot Auburn dot EDU>
To: help-octave at bevo dot che dot wisc dot edu
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 10:45:25 -0500

[name deleted]
> 
>         Hi
> 
>         I'm a guy who had to work with MatLab and preferred free
> software, so I started to surf with Octave. I also had to use the
> control package; initially I used Matlab's, until I found trouble, and
> then someone recommended me to use the OCST snapshots (which I didn't
> know, BTW :).
> 
>         Ok, as it says this is work in progress, I'm reporting some
> slight differences I've noticed; if you already know them, sorry for
> being repetitive :)
> 
>         ss2zp() admits an IU argument at MatLab's package. Not a guru,
>                 so no idea on what it means, though it could be Input
>                 Unit, or In Utero or ...
> 
>         impulse() at Matlab also admits another set of arguments,
>                   being the system's state variables, the IU (still
>                   don't know what it it) and a time vector. Perhaps
>                   the form you offer and the one I need are easily
>                   calculated one from another, but not for the
>                   rookie. Then it'd just be a compatibility issue.
> 
>         Haven't notice anyone else by the moment, but if you wish,
> I'll have to use Octave during the whole quarter, so I can dedicate to
> report tons of stuff related to compatibility with the control package
> (I'm supposed to be using MatLab).
> 
>         Keep up the *good* work!

My guess of the Matlab IU input is for an input number.  This feature is
not available in the Octave ss2zp command, but can be obtained using
the sysprune function to prune off undesired inputs/outputs.  I started 
the redraft of the OCST (the current snapshots) with no regard for Matlab
compatibility; the Matlab 4.x toolbox was too prone to user error because 
the different representation formats (zp,ss,tf) had different nubmers and
shapes of its arguments.  The revised OCST uses a single variable - a 
data structure - to represent a dynamic system, regardless of the internal 
representation.  (see 

 at INPROCEEDINGS{hodtenetal96,
        AUTHOR             = {A. S. Hodel and R. B. Tenison and D. A. Clem and J. E. Ingram},
        ADDRESS            = {Dearborn, Mich.},
        BOOKTITLE          = {Proceedings of the 1996 {IEEE} International Symposium on Computer-Aided Control System Design},
        MONTH              = {Sept. 15-18},
        PAGES              = {386--391},
        PUBLISHER          = {{IEEE} Control Systems Society},
        TITLE              = {The Octave Control Systems Toolbox: A ${\rm MATLAB^{tm}}$-like {CACSD} Environment},
        YEAR               = {1996}
}
The Matlab 5 revised controls toolbox has also taken this approach in many 
of its functions.  Unlike the OCST, the data structure is either strictly
continuous or strictly discrete.  OCST allows for sampled data systems, although
I'm now questioning the wisdom of having allowed this feature (it's a pain to
keep track of and most functions, e.g., bode, don't permit you to make use of
it).

I am now in the process of translating some of the OCST into .oct files for
greater speed.  Snapshots are available at ftp://ftp.eng.auburn.edu/pub/hodel.
(Work is being performed in my "spare" time, so it's progressing slowly.)

A S Hodel Dept. of Elect Eng, 200 Broun Hall Auburn Univ, AL 36849 (334)8441854 
FAX:-1809       http://www.eng.auburn.edu/users/scotte    scotte at eng dot auburn dot edu