Simulink connection without drawing lines?

Hello,

Is there a way to connect two nodes in a Simulink diagram without drawing the lines (such as using ports or something like that)? I'm trying to simulate a relatively complex electric circuit in Simulink and if I try to draw all the lines, there's going to be a lot of lines overlapping each other. The circuit would be much cleaner to view if I could connect through ports at a few places instead.

Thank you,

Kevin

[Matthew Kapp]

Use Goto and From: http://www.mathworks.com/help/simulink/slref/goto.html?searchHighlight=goto&s_tid=doc_srchtitle

Answer 1

[Walter Roberson]

Would it perhaps make sense to design pieces as "subsystems" ? If I understand correctly, subsystems can be represented as having input and output ports, so your lines would at worse go to the edge of the subsystem, without having to have each external line be drawn to each internal location that needs it.

[Kevin Bachovchin]

I know you can use subsystems with mathematical operations, but is there a way to use subsystems in combination with circuit block elements? If so, how do I that?

For example, I tried connecting the "in" port block with a "DC voltage source" block, but Simulink won't let me connect the two. Is there some alternative way to do that?

[Walter Roberson]

It is not immediately obvious that you cannot do that; http://www.mathworks.com/help/simulink/ug/creating-subsystems.html

What happens if you create an existing circuit with a DC voltage input, select the parts after that in the circuit, and put them in a subsystem?

Are you using basic Simulink or are you using SimElectronics?

[Kevin Bachovchin]

Thanks that worked. When I selected part of the circuit and put it into a subsystem it made the ports as hexagon "connection ports" blocks, which can connect to circuit elements, rather than oval shaped "in" and "out" blocks, which I was trying before. To answer your question, I'm using the circuit element under Simscape/FoundationLibrary/Electrical.

One additional question I have is: When I click on the voltage source block, there is a parameter called “voltage”. Is there a way to set that voltage equal to a signal port input to the subsystem? (ie, the voltage source value is determined from a different controller subsystem)

Answer 2

[Matthew Kapp]

Use Goto and From: http://www.mathworks.com/help/simulink/slref/goto.html?searchHighlight=goto&s_tid=doc_srchtitle

Answer 3

[Pranav Pillai]

You can use in and out too if you are using a subsystem