Target I/O Interface

Model Overview

The Target I/O Interface is a tool to help visualize I/O connections in the Schematic and directly connects to the components which feed or receive data to/from the I/Os. 

Input/output

By default, the Target I/O Interface block contains 2 empty bundles: IN and OUT. When the parameters of the component change, the input data points will be mapped to a matching input pin in the IN bundle, while the output data points will fill the OUT bundle.

Parameters

The component form allows the user to select multiple I/Os which will appear in the bundles of the device. Selections can be cleared with the Broom icon in the bottom left. The filtering functionalities of this form are similar to the I/O Selector.

The I/O Interfaces menus can be opened with their related buttons located on the top right of the I/O Interface form. When changing the I/O configuration, this form will be refreshed with the updated data points.

While modifying a selection, the total count of selected I/Os is updated at the bottom of the page. Clicking on the count will automatically bring the selected nodes of the matching type to the top of the table, which can help when unselecting an undesired I/O, for example.

The I/O list can be displayed in two views using the display toggle button: Tree or Flat list. When using the tree view, it is possible to select/unselect a parent node of an I/O to select/unselect all associated children nodes.

It is also possible to choose the destination pin of each I/O. Please check the Customizing pins section for additional details.

Finally, the user can input an alias to each specific data point. The alias is then used to set the name of the pin. If no alias is given, HYPERSIM will automatically choose a unique pin name close to the original data point name.

Impact on the schematic, sensor configuration, and simulation

When clicking Ok/Apply in the parameter form, the Target I/O Interface block is updated in the schematic, with the name of the selected exchangers as well as the number of in/out pins displayed. 

The user can then connect other devices/components in the schematic to these pins. During the model analysis (e.g., when analyzing the network topology), the sensors of the devices connected to the Target I/O Interface will automatically be selected and assigned to the matching I/O described by the pin. Since the I/Os are automatically set, it is not possible to edit them via the component form. To remove the I/O connection, simply break the connection on the schematic.

Finally, since the sensor configuration is applied on the connected sensors, and the Target I/O Interface is a representation of the I/O Interface, the Target I/O Interface block does not truly exist as a network component with respect to the simulation. Therefore, it will not appear in the netlist. The performance of the simulation is the same whether the user takes advantage of the Target I/O Interface or manually connects each sensor to the I/O via the Sensor summary.

Notes :

• The sensor configuration made via the Target I/O Interface will not persist through the various sensor file formats. The information is saved within the schematic.
• If a data point is removed while updating the I/O configuration, the component will not be automatically updated. Instead, during the next circuit analysis, the connections to the sensors will be lost. This helps to copy-paste the component from one circuit to another without losing the pins because the I/O configuration has not been imported yet. To update the component, simply open the interface and press apply.
• Limitation: The transition from pin to bundle and back can sometimes trigger schematic errors, which will be shown in popups. To avoid these errors when setting up a bundle connection, select all signals that will form the bundle then make the connection. Avoid connecting 1 signal at a time to the bundle.

Customizing pins

By pressing the Define Pins button, a pin assignation menu will be shown. You can here add, delete or rename pins.

After applying the pin assignation, the I/Os can be reassigned to specific pins. Not all pins need to be used and the unused pins will not be shown on the schematic.

Depending on the pin assignation and the aliases given to each I/O, the component will have different pin/bundle naming:

• If the pin is assigned only once, the signal will be contained in a simple pin on the device. The pin name will be the same as the value in the pin column, regardless of the defined alias.
• If the pin is assigned multiple times, the pin will become a bundle. For each I/O, the matching pin in the bundle will be named by :
  • The alias, if defined
  • The datapoint name's full text, starting from the end. The name will be made as precise as the schematic allows it.

Using this method, the component will be easier to understand on the schematic.

Example

As a simple example, we are using a Signal Generator, controlling the amplitude and frequency, while receiving the output, displayed as a Flat List.

We then connect the model to the Target I/O Interface block. The exchanger name shows, as well as the number of connections. We can either create a breakout or connect directly to the other devices on the pin.  The unconnected pins will then be ignored.

When opening the sensor summary, we can see the following configuration. Each sensor is automatically connected. The connection cannot be edited, and a tooltip explains why it is not possible.