Running a control system on Arduino using Simulink

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I'm working on performing hardware-in-the-loop testing of an Artificial Pancreas System. I have designed a control system loop for it on Simulink and am planning to use the Arduino support package to deploy it onto the board using automatic code generation. The system controller will be on one board which will be running in external mode and the system plant will be on the other running in stand-alone mode. I aim to use a board that is small in size as I would like to use it for future animal testing as well where the board will be fastened onto a rat. Additionally, I would like to avoid using a PCB or other hard-coded controller board while doing animal testing as I would like the flexibility of rewritable code.

I have the following questions regarding this:

  1. Keeping these things in mind, I chose the Arduino Nano but later realised that it does not have an onboard DAC. I have been thinking of setting up an external DAC module that will send a discrete signal generated by the controller to the plant as an analog signal. Would this work given that there is no DAC module for the Nano on Simulink and I would just be creating a logic that sends out discrete data to a digital output pin that will be connected to the DAC and further to the plant's analog input?

I realise that there are modules for Due boards, but those would be too big for my application.

  1. Is there any way I could create a DAC logic on Simulink and deploy that onto the Arduino board, instead of using an external DAC? Would this work despite the lack of an Analog Out pin on the Nano?

  2. Would using an Arduino MKR1000 board be a better approach since there is a DAC module available for that on Simulink as well?

  3. For the purposes of animal testing, how feasible would it be to use say a bigger board like the Due and use a wireless module with it to send the control signal and well as receive feedback?

I'd also like to point out that this is a university research project that I am working on and animal testing will be conducted by trained professionals.