Block Reference

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Complete reference documentation for all MPLAB Blockset peripheral and system blocks.

Block Categories

⚡ PWM

High-performance pulse-width modulation for motor control and signal generation.

• PWM Blocks - Comprehensive PWM configuration for all device families

Popular Blocks:

• PWM HS FEP - dsPIC33A high-resolution PWM with fine edge positioning
• PWM High-Speed - dsPIC33C/CH/CK advanced PWM
• MCPWM - Motor Control PWM for PIC32MK

⏱️ Timers

Timer configuration and resource management for periodic tasks and profiling.

• Timer Blocks - Timer configuration, PIL profiling

Key Features:

• Named timer resources for sharing across peripherals
• Automatic prescaler calculation
• Performance profiling for PIL testing

📏 Input Capture / Output Compare

Event timing and waveform generation with hardware accuracy.

• Input Capture / Output Compare Blocks - Event measurement, pulse generation

Key Features:

• Zero-latency event capture
• Autonomous output generation
• Frequency and pulse width measurement

📊 ADC

High-speed analog-to-digital conversion for precision measurement.

• ADC Blocks - High-speed SAR ADC, multi-channel sampling, trigger configuration

Key Features:

• Simultaneous multi-channel sampling
• PWM synchronization for motor control
• DMA-based high-throughput acquisition

📉 Analog I/O

Analog signal processing and voltage generation.

• Analog I/O Blocks - DAC, comparators, op-amps, PGA

Key Features:

• High-speed comparators for fault protection
• Programmable gain amplifiers for sensor interfacing
• DAC for waveform generation

📡 Communication

Serial communication interfaces for data exchange and networking.

• UART Blocks - Config, Tx, Rx, Tx-MATLAB (picgui), Break/Autobaud
• CAN Blocks - CAN Config, Tx, Rx with filtering
• SPI Master/Slave - High-speed synchronous serial
• I2C Master/Slave - Multi-master I2C bus communication

🔢 Digital I/O

GPIO configuration and control for inputs and outputs.

• Digital Input - Read buttons, sensors with pull-up/down
• Digital Output - Control LEDs, relays with feedback
• Digital Output Write - High-speed LAT writes
• Digital Output Read - Verify output states

🔄 Encoders & Counters

Position and speed measurement for motor control applications.

• QEI - Quadrature Encoder Interface for dsPIC
• PDEC - Position Decoder for SAM devices
• QDEC - Quadrature Decoder for SAM
• Change Notification - GPIO interrupt-on-change

⚙️ System Configuration

Core configuration blocks required in every model.

• Master Block - Required - Chip selection, clock, fuses
• Interrupt - ISR configuration for triggered subsystems
• Compiler Options - Optimization, DFP, linker settings
• Scheduler Options - Rate monotonic scheduler config
• Idle Task - Background task for power saving
• MCU Load - CPU utilization monitoring
• MCU Overload - Deadline miss detection
• Tasks State - Task execution monitoring

🛠️ Utility Blocks

Helper blocks for development, debugging, and visualization.

• C Function Call - Call custom C code from Simulink
• Port Info - GPIO pin assignment visualization
• Timer Info - Timer resource allocation display
• MSI - Master-Secondary Interface (dsPIC33CH dual-core)
• Documentation Block - Quick access to help resources

Quick Reference by Use Case

Motor Control Application

Essential blocks:

1. MCHP_Master - Select dsPIC33 device
2. PWM HS FEP / PWM High-Speed - Generate motor drive signals
3. ADC - Sample phase currents and bus voltage
4. QEI - Read encoder position and speed
5. UART - Debug output or parameter tuning

Power Supply Control

Essential blocks:

1. MCHP_Master - Select target device
2. PWM - Control converter switching
3. ADC - Measure output voltage/current
4. Digital Input - Detect fault conditions
5. UART / CAN - Communication interface

Sensor Data Acquisition

Essential blocks:

1. MCHP_Master - Configure target and clock
2. ADC / I2C / SPI - Read sensor data
3. UART Tx-MATLAB - Stream data to picgui
4. Digital Output - Status LEDs
5. Timer - Periodic sampling

Block Naming Convention

All blocks use MCHP_ prefix during development:

• MCHP_PWM_HS_FEP - PWM High-Speed with Fine Edge Positioning
• MCHP_ADC - Analog-to-Digital Converter
• MCHP_UART_Config - UART Configuration

Note: The product name is “MPLAB Blockset” but block names retain the MCHP_ prefix for compatibility.

Device Family Support

Each block documentation specifies supported device families:

• Architecture ID 1: dsPIC30F
• Architecture ID 2: dsPIC33F, PIC24F
• Architecture ID 3: dsPIC33E
• Architecture ID 4: dsPIC33C (CH/CK/CDV)
• Architecture ID 5: SAM E7x/S7x (ARM Cortex-M7)
• Architecture ID 6: SAM E5x/D5x (ARM Cortex-M4)
• Architecture ID 7: SAM C2x/D2x (ARM Cortex-M0+)
• Architecture ID 8: dsPIC33A (32-bit DSC with FPU)

Documentation Structure

Each block page typically includes:

• Block Description - Purpose and functionality
• Supported Device Families - Compatible chips and architectures
• Block Inputs/Outputs - Port configuration
• Configuration Parameters - GUI options and settings
• Usage Examples - Step-by-step tutorials
• Implementation Details - Register configuration, code generation
• Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions
• See Also - Related blocks and resources

Navigation

• Getting Started - Installation and tutorials
• User Guide - Development workflow
• Examples - Working demonstrations

Need help finding a specific block? Use your browser’s search (Ctrl+F) or browse the categories above.