Matlab plot multiple columns of data from arduino

Projects Interfacing w/ Software on the Computer
1

On matlab i have incoming serial data from the Arduino. The arduino reads data from one sensor and prints it onto the serial monitor and MATLAB plots a graph with it. When i print data from 2 sensors (separated by a tab) matlab doesnt plot a graph. How am i supposed to parse them and plot them both on the graph in real time?

arduino code:

#include <ColorLCDShield.h>
#include <math.h>
#include <float.h>
char data;
int counter = 0;
const double ARDUINO_VOLTAGE = 5.0;
int tempPin= A3;
int voltPin = A2;
void setup()
{
Serial.begin(9600);
}
void loop()
{
int temp= analogRead(tempPin);
int voltage = analogRead(voltPin);
Serial.print(temp);
Serial.print("\t");
Serial.println(voltage);
delay(500);
}

so data is shown like this on the serial monitor:

temp voltage
temp voltage
temp voltage
.......
matlab code (only plots the temperature and not the voltage)

delete(instrfindall);
clear all; clc; close all;

% Initialize serial port
s = serial('COM5','BaudRate',9600);   
set(s,'BaudRate', 9600);
set(s,'DataBits', 8);
set(s,'StopBits', 1);

fopen(s);
s.ReadAsyncMode = 'continuous';


% variables
numberOfData = 500;
data = zeros(1, numberOfData);
i = 1;


% Main graph figure
figure(1);
hold on;
grid on;


title('Incoming Data from External Device');
xlabel('Time');
ylabel('temp');


% Start asynchronous reading
readasync(s);
while(i<=numberOfData)  
      % Get the data from the serial object
      data(i,:) = fscanf(s, '%f %f', 2);
      voltage = data(i,1);
      temperature = data(i,1);


      % Plot the data
     plot(i, temperature, '*r', i, voltage, '--g');
      % Draw and flush
      drawnow;
      %Increment the counter
      i=i+1;
end
% Give the external device some time…
pause(3000);
return;
catch
% Some of these crash the program – it depends. The serial port is left
% open, which is not good.                                              
stopasync(s);
fclose(s); % bad
delete(s);
clear s;
fprintf(1, 'Sorry, you"re going to have to close out of Matlab to close the serial port\n');
return
end
2

duplicate post deleted.

3

When i print data from 2 sensors (separated by a tab) matlab doesnt plot a graph. How am i supposed to parse them and plot them both on the graph in real time?

Since your problem is not with the Arduino sending data, but with matlob consuming data, I suggest that you ask at the matlab forum.

4

You are overwriting the 'voltage data' with the 'Temperature data' and here is the problem:

voltage = data(i,1);
temperature = data(i,1); <-------ERROR

The best way to do that is not to overwrite, and second, place the temperature data in another 'row', like this:

voltage = data(i,1);
temperature = data(i,2);

...just that. I hope this information be useful for all of the viewers of this topic too.

5

think you need to wait in matlab until a whole line has come in e.g. wait until a \n arrives.

Serial communication is like a dropping faucet, data drops in 1 byte at a time with some time in between. It cannot fill a bucket at once.