How to start using the Data Acquisition Toolbox?

I checked that the Data Acquisition Toolbox (DAT) exists in my matlab by using 'ver' and showing

MATLAB Version 7.10.0.499 (R2010a)
MATLAB License Number: XXXX57
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Version 5.1 (Build 2600: Service Pack 3)
Java VM Version: Java 1.6.0_12-b04 with Sun Microsystems Inc. Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM mixed mode
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MATLAB                                                Version 7.10       (R2010a)
Data Acquisition Toolbox                              Version 2.16       (R2010a)
Filter Design Toolbox                                 Version 4.7        (R2010a)
Optimization Toolbox                                  Version 5.0        (R2010a)
Signal Processing Toolbox                             Version 6.13       (R2010a)
Statistics Toolbox                                    Version 7.3        (R2010a)
Wavelet Toolbox                                       Version 4.5        (R2010a)

However, every functions of the Data Acquisition Toolbox does not work. For example, when I type 'daqhwinfo', the error message appear ??? Undefined function or variable 'daqhwinfo'.

I wondered if software is not well installed so the function does not exist. However, when I use ‘type daqhwinfo’, it does appear the code of the function ‘daqhwinfo’.

Similar situation also happens to other functions such as ‘analoginput’ and ‘daqregister.’

I have logged in to the windows as an administrator.

Is there anything wrong? Should I do something to activate my Data Acquisition Toolbox?

[Star Strider]

I suggest you type on the Command Line:

which daqhwinfo -all

That will tell you where it is so you can be sure it is in your MATLAB path.

[Jameson Chen]

Thanks for your comment. Following your suggestion, I used 'which daqhwinfo -all' to know where daqhwinfo is and add the directory to the path. However, the result is the same.

Answer 1

[Walter Roberson]

You would get those errors if you do not have a license for the toolbox.

[Jameson Chen]

How to know if I have the license of this toolbox or not? I only know our matlab is licensed.

[Matt Fig]

If there is no license for the toolbox, ver should not display it...

[Jameson Chen]

So now it is still confusing @@

[Walter Roberson]

There are a bunch of examples in the Answers forum of people who have everything installed and listed by ver, but only have a few things listed.

You can check what you have using license

[Jameson Chen]

I use license('inuse') there only appears matlab

So now I should ask my boss to buy the license. Thanks a lot for your answer.

[Matt Fig]

license('inuse') only returns those licenses you currently are using, not those you are able to use. Try this:

license('test','data_aq_toolbox')

If it says 1, then you have it and can check it out using the 'checkout' option. Please let us know how this gets resolved.

@Walter, I see. So it looks like ver could list it even though a license may not be available for checkout. Say a person was using a shared network license, and there was only one license for that particular toolbox but 3 for MATLAB itself. So he could use MATLAB, but not that toolbox if his co-worker had the license checked out. Is that the kind of thing you are thinking?

[Walter Roberson]

On stand-alone installations (very common), if people have the CD (not so common these days but it happens) then they tend to install everything in one go. Everything installed shows up in ver() even if no license is installed for it in the standalone version. Which is not very different technically from the network license case, in that FlexLM is what knows about where the license lives and MATLAB asks FlexLM for the license when it needs to actually run the code.

[Matt Fig]

O.k., I don't remember being asked if I wanted to install "everything" when I did it but I will take your word for it.

[Walter Roberson]

In any case, whatever the user asks to install is installed, before looking to see if there is a license for it. Whatever is installed shows up in ver(), not what is licensed.

[Lahari Reddy]

I have checked license for my DAQ using this license('test','data_aq_toolbox') and its giving me ans = 0. what should I do now?

[jack feinberg]

You misspelled it. Try this: license('test','data_acq_toolbox')

Answer 2

[Matt Fig]

What does this return:

daq.getVendors

[Jameson Chen]

Dear Matt, thanks for your answer. I tried the daq.getvendors but there still appears the error message: ??? Undefined function or variable 'daq'

[Matt Fig]

There should be no need to "activate" the DAQ toolbox if it is listed by ver. I would contact technical support from this point.

[Jameson Chen]

Walter said maybe my toolbox is not licensed. Is it possible that the toolbox is not licensed even it is listed by ver? How could I check if it is licensed or not?

Answer 3

[Gabriel Ortega Rosero]

Did you fix the problem? Happens the same with me, when I type "ver" appear that I have the data aquicisition toolbox, but I can´t use this in simulink. Help!