Differences between Data Acquisition Toolbox and Simulink Real-Time

Question

What are the key differences between Data Acquisition Toolbox, Instrument Control Toolbox, and Simulink Real-time?

Answer 1

The Data Acquisition Toolbox and Instrument Control Toolbox are types of “Test and Measurement” tools; whereas, Simulink Real-Time falls under the category of “Real-Time Simulation” with other tools like Simulink Desktop Real-Time.
Test and Measurement toolboxes use the MATLAB engine to interact with hardware devices. You can author MATLAB code and Simulink models that interface with various devices through the MATLAB engine which runs within a standard desktop operating system.
Real-Time Simulation toolboxes leverage a real-time operating system to interface with various hardware devices. You can author Simulink models with device driver blocks that can be deployed to the real-time operating system through code generation with MATLAB Coder & Simulink Coder. Once deployed, your Simulink model executes on a deterministic real-time operating system.
Both Test & Measurement and Real-Time Simulation tools can enable users to acquire, log, and analyze data from a variety of sensors, instruments, and hardware devices. They both enable you to connect MATLAB and Simulink algorithms to hardware, but due to their architecture, some applications are better suited to one set of tools over another.
Contact MathWorks to learn more about the differences between these products.
Refer to this answer for guidance on what applications are suitable for each product