Has anyone worked through the SimScape OnRamp exercises?

I am a Home version R2021a user and have acquired the Simulink and SimScape toolboxes. I was

able to get all the Simulink OnRamp training exercises to run. However, When I try to work through the

SimScape "OnRamp" training exercises, funny things happen, like when I follow the instructions explicitly

to set up a simple RC circuit, and click the "run" button, it doesn't work as advertised and generates error messages.

I am wondering if anyone has actually worked through all the SimScape OnRamp exercises successfully?

[Cris LaPierre]

Yes, I have successfully completed Simscape Onramp. Direction of your connections matter in Simscape. Pay careful attention to the instructions, and look at the assessment criteria for a hint of what ports should be connected to each other.

[Lianna Cubias]

@Cris LaPierre I am having trouble with 7.1- Task 5 on the simscape onramp tutorial. The output signal does not match the criteria and I've followed the tutorial instructions to a T. Do you have any advice on anything the instructions would be missing or not specify for some odd reason? My model meets all the criteria up until that part of the tasks.

[Cris LaPierre]

There are a couple ways you can correctly configure the model. Unfortunately, Onramp can only assess one of them. I'd have to see what you've done. Look at the assessment criteria for a hint of what ports should be connected to each other.

If you can't see what is wrong (likely a block reversed), use the 'See Solution' link under the task.

[Ken Bannister]

Cris: Thanks for your help. Everything you said is a tremendous help. This is my pass in many years at putting together networks of elements and picking off outputs. After I posted my message I kept working on the subject problem and discovered I had incorrectly connected some of the elements. It worked OK and my output signals were IAW the expected results after I made the corrections. Learning is painful sometimes, and one (hopefully) learns from one's mistakes ! KAB

[Syed Ali Hasany]

This is in reference to Simscape Onramp 2.2RC circuit Task 6 where you only had to set the capacitor initial voltage to 5V. I was encountering the same problem and upon setting the resistor intial voltage to 5V aswell the error magically resolved. So, yes the instructions are sometimes incomplete.

[Ken Bannister]

Thanks. I guess they may not always have time to do "sanity checks" on their manuals, or perhaps some cutting and pasting from earlier editions is done to save time and $$. I remember as a freshman engineer, long ago, struggling to understand how to hook up analogue computer hardware!

[Ken Bannister]

A further comment - I am believer in cranking out answers to lots of exercises. A book I recently acquired: "Linear Control Systems with MATLAB Applications," by B. S. Manke, ISBN 978-81-7409-310.3, has lots of sample problems with wiring diagrams, algebraic solutions, and numerical and graphical results. No doubt there are hundreds, if not thousands, of books that pertain to this subject, with and without MATLAB applications, but if it's MATLAB you want to learn how to use, this book is a big help.

Answer 1

[Ken Bannister]

Thanks, Chris. After a good night's sleep I took another careful look and discovered I misread the

instructions on how to assign an initial voltage to my capacitor. Now it works.