Digital Clock

R2026b

Output simulation time at specified sampling interval

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Digital Clock block

To add a block to a model, double-click the canvas and start typing the block name. Then, select the block from the list.

Libraries:
Simulink / Sources

Description

The Digital Clock block outputs the simulation time only at the specified sampling interval. At other times, the block holds the output at the previous value. To control the precision of this block, use the Sample time parameter in the block dialog box.

Use this block rather than the Clock block, which outputs continuous time, when you need the current simulation time within a discrete system.

Examples

View Sample Time Using the Digital Clock Block

This example shows how to view the simulation sample time at a specified sampling interval using the Digital Clock block. In this model, the Scope shows the output of a Digital Clock block with the Sample time set to 0.2.

In this configuration, the Digital Clock block outputs the simulation time every 0.2 seconds. Otherwise, the block holds the output at the previous value.

Ports

Output

Port_1 — Sample time

scalar

Sample time, in seconds, at the specified sampling interval. At other times, the block holds the output at the previous value.

Data Types: double

Parameters

Sample time — Sampling interval

1 (default) | scalar | vector

Specify the sampling interval in seconds. You can specify the sampling interval in one of two ways:

• As the period, specified as a real-valued scalar with data type double.

• As the period and offset, specified as a real-valued vector of length 2 with data type double. The period and offset must be finite and non-negative, and the offset value must be less than the period.

For more information, see Specifying Sample Time.

Tip

Do not specify a continuous sample time, either 0 or [0,0]. Also, avoid specifying -1 (inheriting the sample time) because this block is a source.

Programmatic Use

Block Parameter: SampleTime

Type: character vector

Values: scalar | vector

Default: '1'

Block Characteristics

Data Types	double
Direct Feedthrough	no
Multidimensional Signals	no
Variable-Size Signals	no
Zero-Crossing Detection	no

Programmatic Use: Add Block

To add the block programmatically, use the add_block function with one of these library block paths as the source.

"simulink/Sources/Digital Clock"

Example: add_block("simulink/Sources/Digital Clock","myModel/myBlock",MakeNameUnique="on")

Extended Capabilities

C/C++ Code Generation

Generate C and C++ code using Simulink® Coder™.

Not recommended for production code. Relates to resource limits and restrictions on speed and memory often found in embedded systems. Generated code can contain dynamic allocation and freeing of memory, recursion, additional memory overhead, and widely-varying execution times. While the code is functionally valid and generally acceptable in resource-rich environments, smaller embedded targets often cannot support such code. Usually, blocks evolve toward being suitable for production code. Thus, blocks suitable for production code remain suitable.

Version History

Introduced before R2006a