How to add a functional block to the library¶

In the following tutorial, we will create a new functional block and script for a DC Block device and add it as a new item in the functional block library menu tree. As a final step we will create an icon for the DC Block device.

Note

A completed version of this design can be found within the folder “systemlab_design\systemlab_examples\electrical\dc_block"

Part 1: Create the new functional block (DC Block)

Launch a new application of SystemLab|Design by double left-clicking on the “SystemLab-Design.exe” executable file.
From the Menu bar, select File/Open project and go to the folder “systemlab_design\syslab_fb_library”.
Select the design project “Noise Source” (it will have a suffix “.slb”) and click on the Open button.
On the project design space, hover over the Noise Source functional block item, right-click mouse and select Delete functional block.
Within the same area of the project design space, right-click mouse and select Add functional block.
Double left-click on Functional_block_1 to open the Functional block properties.
Update the following data fields under the Functional block main settings:
1. Set the Functional block/name/ID to: “DC Block”
2. Set the Script module name to: “DC_Block”
3. Uncheck the Display fb name check box

Update the following data fields under the Functional block dimensions and colors:
1. Set the Dimensions/Width to: 30
2. Set the Dimensions/Height to: 30

Under the Ports Manager tab, add two new ports as follows:
1. Port name: ‘Input’, Cardinal point: West, Direction: In, Signal type: Electrical (remember to click Apply before proceeding to enter the data for the 2nd port).
2. Port name: ‘Output’, Cardinal point: East, Direction: Out, Signal type: Electrical
3. Select Apply, followed by Save, to finalize the port changes.

Select OK to close the Functional block settings dialog.
Anywhere on the design project space, right-click mouse and select Project amd layout settings.
Within the Project name data field change the text to “DC Block”.
Hover over the text that is labeled as “Electrical”, and double left-click to open the Text field properties dialog.
Within the Text field region change the text “Noise Source” to “DC Block” and select OK. [The design project space should appear as shown below.]

From the Tool bar, select the Save icon to save the new functional block to the syslab_fb_library.

Part 2: Create the associated fb_script for the DC Block

Open a session of SciTE by selecting Open Python code/script editor from the Menu bar.
From the SciTE dialog, select File/Open.
Go to the folder “systemlab_design/syslab_fb_scripts/electrical” and open the Python module called “Integrate_And_Dump.py”.

Starting from the “INPUT PARAMETERS” commented line all the way to the return function, replace the code in the “Integrate_And_Dump.py” module with the following code segment:

'''==INPUT PARAMETERS============================'''

'''==INPUT SIGNALS==============================='''
sig_type = 'Electrical'
carrier = 0
time = input_signal_data[0][4]
signal = input_signal_data[0][5]
noise_out = input_signal_data[0][6]

'''==CALCULATIONS================================'''
sig_avg = np.mean(np.real(signal))
sig_out = signal - sig_avg

'''==OUTPUT PARAMETERS LIST======================'''
script_parameters = []
script_parameters = parameters_input

'''==RESULTS====================================='''
script_results = []

'''==RETURN (Output Signals, Parameters, Results)============'''

return ([[2, sig_type, carrier, fs, time, sig_out, noise_out]],
        script_parameters, script_results)

Save the script module as “DC_Block”.

Part 3: Add the DC Block to the Functional block library menu tree

From the Menu bar select Edit/Functional block libray config file/Edit.

Go to line 67 of the script, and add “DC Block” to the list elec_math_operators as follows:

elec_math_operators = ['Branching Node (Electrical)', 'Adder', 'Subtractor', 'Multiplier',
               'Sign Inverter', 'Vertical Shift', 'Phase Shift (Electrical)', 'DC Block']

Save the script module and close the SciTE session.
From the Menu bar select Edit/Functional block libray config file/Reload. [This action will re-import the functional block library config file into SystemLab-Design and re-instantiate the functional block tree menu object.]
Go to the Functional block library (left panel of GUI) and hover over the triangle in front of the Mathematical operators group (under Electrical).
Left-click mouse to expand the menu [The DC Block item should be displayed at the bottom of the list].
Left-click select and hold over the DC Block component and starting moving your mouse towards the design scene for Project_1.
Release the mouse button anywhere over the design layout [The DC Block functional block should appear on the layout as shown below.]

To test if the new functional block is working as expected, we will add a Sine Generator to the project design space. Select the arrow next to the Waveform generators group to expand the menu and drag and drop a Sine Generator onto the design layout.
Connect the output port of the Sine Generator to the input port of the DC Block as follows:

Double left-click on Sine Generator to open the Functional block properties.
Under Input Parameters, set the Bias parameter value to “2” and select OK to save the changes and close the dialog.
On the Tool bar, select the Settings button to open the Project settings dialog and set the Simulation time data field to “1.00E-09”.
On the Tool bar, select the Start button to initiate the simulator.
Double left-click over the DC Block input port to open its Electrical signal data analyzer dialog. Open also the signal data viewer for the DC Block output port.

The amplitude bias of the input sinusoidal waveform should have been removed by the DC Block (as shown in Fig 2 below).

Fig 1: DC Block input signal¶

Fig 2: DC Block output signal¶

Part 4: Create and add an icon for the DC Block

Open a session of SciTE by selecting Edit/Open code/script editor from the Menu bar.
From the SciTE dialog, select File/Open.
Navigate to the folder “systemlab_design/syslab_fb_icons” and open the Python module called fb_icon_driver.py.
Save the file as “fb_icon_dc_block.py” (Note: It’s important to include the suffix “.py” so that the editor will save the file as a Python compatible file)

Within the code for “fb_icon_dc_block.py”, delete the entire code for the def run (x,y) method and replace with the following lines of code:

def run (x, y):
    icon_1 = QtWidgets.QGraphicsPathItem()
    icon_path_1 = QtGui.QPainterPath()
    p1 = QtCore.QPointF(x, y+15)
    p2 = QtCore.QPointF(x+12, y+15)
    icon_path_1.addPolygon(QtGui.QPolygonF([p1, p2]))
    icon_1.setPath(icon_path_1)
    icon_1.setPen(QtGui.QPen(QtGui.QBrush(QtCore.Qt.blue), 0.75))

    icon_2 = QtWidgets.QGraphicsPathItem()
    icon_path_2 = QtGui.QPainterPath()
    p1 = QtCore.QPointF(x+12.5, y+5)
    p2 = QtCore.QPointF(x+12.5, y+25)
    icon_path_2.addPolygon(QtGui.QPolygonF([p1, p2]))
    icon_2.setPath(icon_path_2)
    icon_2.setPen(QtGui.QPen(QtGui.QBrush(QtCore.Qt.blue), 0.75))

    icon_3 = QtWidgets.QGraphicsPathItem()
    icon_path_3 = QtGui.QPainterPath()
    p1 = QtCore.QPointF(x+17.5, y+5)
    p2 = QtCore.QPointF(x+17.5, y+25)
    icon_path_3.addPolygon(QtGui.QPolygonF([p1, p2]))
    icon_3.setPath(icon_path_3)
    icon_3.setPen(QtGui.QPen(QtGui.QBrush(QtCore.Qt.blue), 0.75))

    icon_4 = QtWidgets.QGraphicsPathItem()
    icon_path_4 = QtGui.QPainterPath()
    p1 = QtCore.QPointF(x+17.5, y+15)
    p2 = QtCore.QPointF(x+30, y+15)
    icon_path_4.addPolygon(QtGui.QPolygonF([p1, p2]))
    icon_4.setPath(icon_path_4)
    icon_4.setPen(QtGui.QPen(QtGui.QBrush(QtCore.Qt.blue), 0.75))

    icon_paths = [icon_1, icon_2, icon_3, icon_4]
    return icon_paths

On the Tool bar, click the Save icon to save the changes.
Double left-click on DC Block to open the Functional block properties.
Under Icon settings add the following text to the File name data field: “fb_icon_dc_block” .
Make sure that the Display icon check box is checked and select OK to save the changes and close the properties dialog. [The DC Block functional should now include an icon as shown below] .

This completes the tutorial on how to add a functional block to the library!