Brief introduction to CtrlLAB 3.0(c)
          ------------------------------------
  Thanks for using CtrlLAB, a MATLAB-based User interface for doing
        feedback control system analysis and design


Author: Professor Dingyu XUE
        School of Information Science and Engineering
        Northeastern University
        Shenyang 110006, P R China
        email: xue_dy@hotmail.com
        5 December, 1999


1. What is CtrlLAB?

    CtrlLAB is a group of MATLAB functions which provide graphical
interface to perform feedback system analysis and design tasks.

    The facilities provided by CtrlLAB are:
    a) model entering, including SIMULINK modeling
    b) model display
    c) system state space realisation
    d) model reduction using different algorithms
    e) system analysis in frequency, complex and time domain
    f) graphical display and figure editing and manipulation
    g) a matrix displayer and editor
    h) PID tuning and displaying facilities
    i) a great many controller design procedures are implemented

    The program is developed by Professor Dingyu Xue
    email:  xue_dy@hotmail.com

    CtrlLAB 3.0 are designed exclusively for use MATLAB version 5 
and over.  Some of the advanced facilities for MATLAB 5.2 has been 
reflected in CtrlLAB 3.0.The version, CtrlLAB 2.0, is designed for 
MATLAB 4.2, and the program structure is different. 

    There are two separate ui interfaces, the matrix processor and
the graphics toolkit, which can be run independent of CtrlLAB to suit
individual users interests.

2. How to install CtrlLAB?

    Install the program with the provided ctrllab.zip file to a 
directory using WinZip, or pkunzip software, then add the path using 
the path editing program.

3. How to run CtrlLAB?

    Type 'ctrllab' under the MATLAB prompt, and a graphical user 
interface with menus will be shown.  The user has to enter the plant 
model and other models, if any, first, and then the analysis tasks 
can be performed.

    To enter a model, the user can either press a relevant button in 
the block diagram, or to do so from the Model menu in the program.

    All the facilities provided in CtrlLAB can be accessed using the 
graphical user interface.

4. More about CtrlLAB

    Theoratic details of CtrlLAB can be found in the lecture notes 
and the contents of the note can be found in the attached Content.ps
file.  An apendix chapter on using CtrlLAB is given in the package
in Manual.ps.zip file.

    The lecture notes:
    Authors: Professor Dingyu Xue (Northeastern University, PR China), 
             Professor Derek Atherton (Sussex Univ, U.K.), 
    Title:   Feedback Control Systems: Analysis and Design using MATLAB
    Language: English

5. Portability to Other Machines

    CtrlLAB is written on PC and although it may run on other 
platforms such as SPARC, there may be bugs in the following
   1) The font names used here are for PC Windows (3.1 or 95, 98) and 
you may find some of them not supported on other platforms
   2) Some of the dialog boxes (for instance, uisetfont) are currently 
only available on Macs and PCs.
   3) Others.  Since the program is not fully tested on other platforms.

6. Other Toolboxes Used
   Apart from MATLAB itself, the Control Systems Toolbox and SIMULINK
are extensively used.  For robust control system design problems, the 
Robust Control Toolbox is used.
   The extra Font:  The brushsci.ttf font file should be installed to 
windows directory to make the layout pretty.

8. Copyright and Declaration of CtrlLAB

   CtrlLAB can be freely distributed in its current unmodified files.

   No event will the author and his Department be liable for any 
special, incidental, indirect, or consequential damages of any kind, 
or damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data, or profits. 

   For bugs, suggestions and comments about CtrlLAB, please send emails
to the author at xue_dy@hotmail.com.  It is the authors' intention to 
create a program which can implement the tools in Control as much as in 
MATLAB as possible, without requesting the user to enter a single MATLAB
command or invoke a single function by hand.