In an attempt to study DSP (interest not immidiate use) I have bought "Digital Signal Processing 3rd edition" by Proakis and Manolakis and the self study guide also by Proakis. However it is assumed that I have MatLab available which I cannot quite afford :-(. I have found SciLab which (according to info on the net) should be able of doing most of what MatLab can, just differently. Now, I suppose I will have to convert the samples to SciLab format and thus I was wondering if there is any guide from which I can learn what is what in the two programs. Alternately, is there any good (beginners) DSP book or high quality website which uses SciLab for the samples? I do not seem to find anything on google.
Scilab and DSP
Started by ●November 21, 2007
Reply by ●November 21, 20072007-11-21
Andreas Vaerge <andreas03@hotmail.com> writes:> In an attempt to study DSP (interest not immidiate use) I have bought > "Digital Signal Processing 3rd edition" by Proakis and Manolakis and > the self study guide also by Proakis. However it is assumed that I > have MatLab available which I cannot quite afford :-(. I have found > SciLab which (according to info on the net) should be able of doing > most of what MatLab can, just differently. > Now, I suppose I will have to convert the samples to SciLab format > and thus I was wondering if there is any guide from which I can > learn what is what in the two programs. > Alternately, is there any good (beginners) DSP book or high quality > website which uses SciLab for the samples? I do not seem to find > anything on google.I don't mean to disrespect SciLab, but you might be better off using GNU Octave instead. It is at least mostly compatible with Matlab, although there are some significant differences. http://www.octave.org -- % Randy Yates % "The dreamer, the unwoken fool - %% Fuquay-Varina, NC % in dreams, no pain will kiss the brow..." %%% 919-577-9882 % %%%% <yates@ieee.org> % 'Eldorado Overture', *Eldorado*, ELO http://www.digitalsignallabs.com
Reply by ●November 21, 20072007-11-21
On 2007-11-21, Randy Yates <yates@ieee.org> wrote:> I don't mean to disrespect SciLab, but you might be better off > using GNU Octave instead. It is at least mostly compatible with > Matlab, although there are some significant differences. >Might be worth a try, it is not like the price of trying is going to ruin me ;-) (since it is GNU software).
Reply by ●November 21, 20072007-11-21
On 2007-11-21, Randy Yates <yates@ieee.org> wrote:> > I don't mean to disrespect SciLab, but you might be better off > using GNU Octave instead. It is at least mostly compatible with > Matlab, although there are some significant differences.I was going to suggest the same thing for the same reason. You'll also want 'octave-forge', which is a collection of function that will make it even more likely that a given Matlab example will run as-is. -- Ben Jackson AD7GD <ben@ben.com> http://www.ben.com/
Reply by ●November 21, 20072007-11-21
Ben Jackson <ben@ben.com> writes:> On 2007-11-21, Randy Yates <yates@ieee.org> wrote: >> >> I don't mean to disrespect SciLab, but you might be better off >> using GNU Octave instead. It is at least mostly compatible with >> Matlab, although there are some significant differences. > > I was going to suggest the same thing for the same reason. You'll also > want 'octave-forge', which is a collection of function that will make it > even more likely that a given Matlab example will run as-is.Hey Ben, I really enjoyed perusing your web site! Neat stuff! Do you use the gEDA tools to do circuit card layout? I wonder if they have an autorouter available. I've been considering Orcad but 1) I don't like to spend money and 2) it won't run under linux. -- % Randy Yates % "With time with what you've learned, %% Fuquay-Varina, NC % they'll kiss the ground you walk %%% 919-577-9882 % upon." %%%% <yates@ieee.org> % '21st Century Man', *Time*, ELO http://www.digitalsignallabs.com
Reply by ●November 21, 20072007-11-21
On Nov 21, 3:50 pm, Andreas Vaerge <andrea...@hotmail.com> wrote:> In an attempt to study DSP (interest not immidiate use) I have bought > "Digital Signal Processing 3rd edition" by Proakis and Manolakis and > the self study guide also by Proakis. However it is assumed that I > have MatLab available which I cannot quite afford :-(. I have found > SciLab which (according to info on the net) should be able of doing > most of what MatLab can, just differently. > Now, I suppose I will have to convert the samples to SciLab format > and thus I was wondering if there is any guide from which I can > learn what is what in the two programs. > Alternately, is there any good (beginners) DSP book or high quality > website which uses SciLab for the samples? I do not seem to find > anything on google.The help file for Scilab come with a section on "Matlab to Scilab conversion tips" and Scilab includes a Matlab to Scilab translator. The translator is not bullet proof. There are also some Web Sites that provide help with conversion. See Matlab/Scilab equivalent functions at http://www.scilab.org/product/dic-mat-sci/M2SCI_doc.htm and Matlab to Scilab conversion tips at http://www.vislab.uq.edu.au/users/manuals/scilab/mtlb/whatis.htm Howard
Reply by ●November 22, 20072007-11-22
On Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:59:02 -0500, Randy Yates wrote:> Andreas Vaerge <andreas03@hotmail.com> writes: > >> In an attempt to study DSP (interest not immidiate use) I have bought >> "Digital Signal Processing 3rd edition" by Proakis and Manolakis and >> the self study guide also by Proakis. However it is assumed that I >> have MatLab available which I cannot quite afford :-(. I have found >> SciLab which (according to info on the net) should be able of doing >> most of what MatLab can, just differently. >> Now, I suppose I will have to convert the samples to SciLab format >> and thus I was wondering if there is any guide from which I can >> learn what is what in the two programs. >> Alternately, is there any good (beginners) DSP book or high quality >> website which uses SciLab for the samples? I do not seem to find >> anything on google. > > I don't mean to disrespect SciLab, but you might be better off > using GNU Octave instead. It is at least mostly compatible with > Matlab, although there are some significant differences. > > http://www.octave.orgI strongly advocate using Scilab once you know your stuff, but if the book is centered around MATLAB you would probably do well to use Octave, unless you're really willing to sign up to figuring out the differences. If you do, you'll be an expert coming out the other side. -- Tim Wescott Control systems and communications consulting http://www.wescottdesign.com Need to learn how to apply control theory in your embedded system? "Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" by Tim Wescott Elsevier/Newnes, http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html
Reply by ●November 22, 20072007-11-22
Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com> writes:> On Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:59:02 -0500, Randy Yates wrote: > >> Andreas Vaerge <andreas03@hotmail.com> writes: >> >>> In an attempt to study DSP (interest not immidiate use) I have bought >>> "Digital Signal Processing 3rd edition" by Proakis and Manolakis and >>> the self study guide also by Proakis. However it is assumed that I >>> have MatLab available which I cannot quite afford :-(. I have found >>> SciLab which (according to info on the net) should be able of doing >>> most of what MatLab can, just differently. >>> Now, I suppose I will have to convert the samples to SciLab format >>> and thus I was wondering if there is any guide from which I can >>> learn what is what in the two programs. >>> Alternately, is there any good (beginners) DSP book or high quality >>> website which uses SciLab for the samples? I do not seem to find >>> anything on google. >> >> I don't mean to disrespect SciLab, but you might be better off >> using GNU Octave instead. It is at least mostly compatible with >> Matlab, although there are some significant differences. >> >> http://www.octave.org > > I strongly advocate using Scilab once you know your stuff, but if the book > is centered around MATLAB you would probably do well to use Octave, unless > you're really willing to sign up to figuring out the differences. If you > do, you'll be an expert coming out the other side.Tim, what advantages do you see SciLab having over Matlab/Octave? I'm curious - it looked like a really nice package, but I've never done anything with it. -- % Randy Yates % "Watching all the days go by... %% Fuquay-Varina, NC % Who are you and who am I?" %%% 919-577-9882 % 'Mission (A World Record)', %%%% <yates@ieee.org> % *A New World Record*, ELO http://www.digitalsignallabs.com
Reply by ●November 22, 20072007-11-22
On Thu, 22 Nov 2007 02:02:25 -0500, Randy Yates wrote:> Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com> writes: > >> On Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:59:02 -0500, Randy Yates wrote: >> >>> Andreas Vaerge <andreas03@hotmail.com> writes: >>> >>>> In an attempt to study DSP (interest not immidiate use) I have bought >>>> "Digital Signal Processing 3rd edition" by Proakis and Manolakis and >>>> the self study guide also by Proakis. However it is assumed that I >>>> have MatLab available which I cannot quite afford :-(. I have found >>>> SciLab which (according to info on the net) should be able of doing >>>> most of what MatLab can, just differently. >>>> Now, I suppose I will have to convert the samples to SciLab format >>>> and thus I was wondering if there is any guide from which I can >>>> learn what is what in the two programs. >>>> Alternately, is there any good (beginners) DSP book or high quality >>>> website which uses SciLab for the samples? I do not seem to find >>>> anything on google. >>> >>> I don't mean to disrespect SciLab, but you might be better off >>> using GNU Octave instead. It is at least mostly compatible with >>> Matlab, although there are some significant differences. >>> >>> http://www.octave.org >> >> I strongly advocate using Scilab once you know your stuff, but if the book >> is centered around MATLAB you would probably do well to use Octave, unless >> you're really willing to sign up to figuring out the differences. If you >> do, you'll be an expert coming out the other side. > > Tim, what advantages do you see SciLab having over Matlab/Octave? I'm > curious - it looked like a really nice package, but I've never done > anything with it.If you've got someone who'd rather buy you some software than a very nice car, MATLAB is the way to go. When I looked at Octave several years ago there was no one maintaining it, and it wasn't as polished as Scilab. Installation was difficult and fragile, and conflicted with my Cygwin installation (I understand that this has been fixed recently). Mostly what I like about Scilab is that the scripting language has some really nice object-oriented features, and that the whole package was written by folks doing control systems. So it comes out of the box with an extensive suite of control systems oriented features, including the fact that both transfer functions and state-space system representations are built-in types. So in Scilab I can write a transfer function as easy as H = %z / (%z - 1), and I can the do Bode plots, or multiply it by another transfer function, or "multiply" it (actually cascade systems) by a state-space system model. All this makes it very easy to do what I want to do with the package. ----- Tim Wescott Control systems and communications consulting http://www.wescottdesign.com Need to learn how to apply control theory in your embedded system? "Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" by Tim Wescott Elsevier/Newnes, http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html
Reply by ●November 22, 20072007-11-22
Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com> writes:> [...] > If you've got someone who'd rather buy you some software than a very nice > car, MATLAB is the way to go.I hear ya'.> When I looked at Octave several years ago there was no one maintaining > it, and it wasn't as polished as Scilab. Installation was difficult > and fragile, and conflicted with my Cygwin installation (I understand > that this has been fixed recently).I agree. I had a nightmare of a time trying to upgrade to a recent, non-RPM version. In fact, I never was successful. It is the most convoluted install I think I've ever come across. But if you don't mind being a few versions behind, the packaged version is a cinch to install.> Mostly what I like about Scilab is that the scripting language has some > really nice object-oriented features, and that the whole package was > written by folks doing control systems. So it comes out of the box with > an extensive suite of control systems oriented features, including the > fact that both transfer functions and state-space system representations > are built-in types. > > So in Scilab I can write a transfer function as easy as > > H = %z / (%z - 1), > > and I can the do Bode plots, or multiply it by another transfer function, > or "multiply" it (actually cascade systems) by a state-space system model. > All this makes it very easy to do what I want to do with the package.Thanks for your thoughts, Tim. -- % Randy Yates % "Midnight, on the water... %% Fuquay-Varina, NC % I saw... the ocean's daughter." %%% 919-577-9882 % 'Can't Get It Out Of My Head' %%%% <yates@ieee.org> % *El Dorado*, Electric Light Orchestra http://www.digitalsignallabs.com
