First time user of MATLAB and ADVISOR

[Lim Chun Yuen]

Hi, this is my first time using MATLAB and ADVISOR. I have downloaded a file on http://sourceforge.net/projects/adv-vehicle-sim/ and read most of the content at http://adv-vehicle-sim.sourceforge.net/
However, due to limited knowledge, I really do not know how to open the ADVISOR software at all. Hope to have guidelines or step-by-step tutorials on how to operate the ADVISOR pls. Currently I am using MATLAB 2012a. Pls help me urgently. Thank you.

[Lim Chun Yuen]

On Friday, April 25, 2014 6:10:14 PM UTC+8, Lim Chun Yuen wrote:

Hi, this is my first time using MATLAB and ADVISOR. I have downloaded a file on http://sourceforge.net/projects/adv-vehicle-sim/ and read most of the content at http://adv-vehicle-sim.sourceforge.net/
However, due to limited knowledge, I really do not know how to open the ADVISOR software at all. Hope to have guidelines or step-by-step tutorials on how to operate the ADVISOR pls. Currently I am using MATLAB 2012a. Pls help me urgently. Thank you.

This is what I faced whenever I tried the Method 2 to open the file. Pls help!

[Michael P O'Keefe]

Lim Chun Yuen,

Welcome to ADVISOR and the ADVISOR community.

The easiest way to start ADVISOR is as follows:

* unzip the download file to the directory you'd like to use -- it looks like you're using C:\ADVISOR

* open matlab. Note you must have both Matlab and Simulink installed

* from Matlab change the directory to the top-level of the unzipped files from ADVISOR (from the command prompt this would be "cd C:\ADVISOR" but you can also change the directory using the menus)

* type 'advisor' at the matlab prompt and follow the instructions

Regards,

Michael

[Lim Chun Yuen]

Hi Michael,

Thanks for your reply and your attention. I did type the 'advisor' in the command window but nothing happens. However I found another way to access to it, by typing 'guide' on the command window then another window pop out. Then I browse on the .fig file then click on the run button and it worked. Now I found another problem. Whenever I click on the fuel cell at the Drivetrain Config., this window as attached keep popping out. Pls help.

[Michael P O'Keefe]

Hi Lim,

Guide is Matlab's GUI development tool -- I don't think you want that.

Check this post and perform steps 2 - 7 using the downloaded zip file:

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/adv-vehicle-sim/QLgx41a_Rdw/WPYozkrogkAJ

Michael

[Lim Chun Yuen]

Hi Michael,

Thanks for helping. Finally, I managed to open it. 

To be honest, I am doing an undergraduate project on fuel cell powered bicycle. However, it seems like I can't find the two-wheeled model in it. Do you have the model?

[Michael P O'Keefe]

Great!

In theory, you might be able to do something like a bicycle but you will need to use your own custom component data for fuel cell and motor since the data that comes with advisor was intended for cars and trucks. Fundamentally, the simulator works in the horizontal-vertical plane (in other words, looking at the forces acting upon a vehicle in profile) so the basic physics of a car are the same as that for a motorcycle or bicycle in that sense.

~Michael

[Lim Chun Yuen]

Regarding the component data for the fuel cell, can I customize it in the ADVISOR? How can I do so? 

[Michael P O'Keefe]

Yes, you can customize. For that, though, I'll have to refer you to the website for documentation (note: the entire documentation is also in the "documentation" folder). There are also several examples of more specific questions about customizing data files on this list. All of the data files are in the "data" folder of your ADVISOR download. It's easiest if you play around with those files while also reading the documentation and experimenting.

Michael

[Lim Chun Yuen]

Hi Michael, 

I am really confused. How do I start to customize the vehicle to bicycle? I tried to play around with the data file, well, they were all sort like programming based. Can I really modify from there? Sorry to cause you troubles as I am really really NEW to MATLAB. I do not know when to type on the command window or write down on the script. Any tutorials step-by-step available? Pls help and thanks for your time and patience. Appreciate it.

On Friday, April 25, 2014 6:10:14 PM UTC+8, Lim Chun Yuen wrote:

[Michael P O'Keefe]

Hi Lim,

To be honest, ADVISOR was designed to be very easy to use for people who want to just choose a pre-existing vehicle model and adjust it slightly and hit "run" and see the results. However, your objective goes far beyond the originally use case. Because of that, you're going to have to put in the work to learn Matlab, learn Simulink, and learn how ADVISOR works and that is a fairly large commitment. You can, of course, read all of the ADVISOR documentation in the documentation folder and look at some of the excellent technical reports on ADVISOR (search "ADVISOR vehicle" on the NREL publications site). Just realize that if you really want to get ADVISOR to do a decent job of predicting the energy usage of a bicycle, you're going to have to forge a lot of new ground on your own.

You might want to reassess what your goals are and whether you want to spend your time extensively modifying ADVISOR or whether you want to just learn the physics about simulating bicycles for energy use. There is another tool from NREL called FastSIM which is a vehicle model written in Microsoft EXCEL. If you're brand new to programming and simulation in general, that freely available spreadsheet might be easier to download and modify to get the basic physics of motion and adapt to a bicycle than ADVISOR. You also might just want to check out a vehicle dynamics book and learn to code your own solution in something like Matlab or Python without all of the complexity of ADVISOR. Just some thoughts for you to consider.

Michael

[Lim Chun Yuen]

Hi Michael, 

Thank you very much for valuable information. I have downloaded the FastSIM. Will be checking on it soon. However, one more question if I may. What is "vinf" code means?

[Michael P O'Keefe]

Lim,

vinf = vehicle information

It is a matlab structure that holds the current state of the ADVISOR simulator (what vehicle model to simulate, with what modification, over what drive cycle, etc.).

Regards,

Michael O'Keefe

http://imaginemade.com

[Lim Chun Yuen]

Hi Michael,

Thanks again for the knowledge. Will get back to you again once I face a problem. Thank you very much.

On Friday, April 25, 2014 6:10:14 PM UTC+8, Lim Chun Yuen wrote:

[Michael P O'Keefe]

No problem. Happy to help.

Please note that we will not be able to help you with FastSIM on this list. I'm not sure if NREL offers support or not.

~Michael

[Lim Chun Yuen]

Hi Michael,

Please help, what should I do? It seems I tried to open the file name, yet not working.

Any suggestions perhaps? Thanks.

[Michael P O'Keefe]

Not sure what you're trying to do but do you have the file on the Matlab path as the warning is indicating?

http://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/matlab_env/what-is-the-matlab-search-path.html

http://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/ref/path.html

Are you still pursuing ADVISOR? You may wish to run through some fundamental matlab and simulink tutorials before getting too far into anything with ADVISOR as any advanced work with ADVISOR presuppose a basic level of matlab familiarity. Tutorials can be found at the Mathworks site.

Michael