MIMIC

MIMIC, known in capitalized form only, is a former simulation computer language

developed 1964 by H. E. Petersen, F. J. Sansom and L. M. Warshawsky of Systems
Engineering Group within the Air Force Materiel Command at the Wright-Patterson AFB in
Dayton, Ohio, USA.[1] It is an expression-oriented continuous block simulation language, but
capable of incorporating blocks of FORTRAN-like algebra.
MIMIC is a further development from MIDAS (Modified Integration Digital Analog
Simulator), which represented analog computer design. Written completely in FORTRAN but
one routine in COMPASS, and ran on Control Data supercomputers, MIMIC is capable of
solving much larger simulation models.
With MIMIC, ordinary differential equations describing mathematical models in several
scientific disciplines as in engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, economics and as well as
in social sciences can easily be solved by numerical integration and the results of the analysis
are listed or drawn in diagrams. It also enables the analysis of nonlinear dynamic conditions.
The MIMIC software package, written as FORTRAN overlay programs, executes input
statements of the mathematical model in six consecutive passes. Simulation programs written
in MIMIC are compiled rather than interpreted. The core of the simulation package is a
variable step numerical integrator of fourth-order Runge-Kutta method. Many useful
functions related to electrical circuit elements exist besides some mathematical functions
found in most scientific programming languages. There is no need to sort the statements in
order of dependencies of the variables, since MIMIC does it internally.
Parts of the software organized in overlays are:
• MIMIN (input)– reads in user simulation program and data,
• MIMCO (compiler) – compiles the user program and creates an in-core array of
instructions,
• MIMSO (sort)– sorts the instructions array after dependencies of variables,
• MIMAS (assembler) – converts the BCD instructions into machine-oriented code,
• MIMEX (execute)– executes the user program by integrating,
• MIMOUT (output)– puts out the data as a list or diagram of data.
Mimic:
The Mimic module is the software equivalent to a hard-wired control panel offering
comprehensive operator interfacing to your process control requirements.
The Mimic has 50 screens, each of which can be set up as a pictorial depiction of a section of
the factory, to display objects showing process variables and the operating status of the plant
equipment. Now we add command buttons and switches to control set points and operate
your equipment.
You can start to see the potential of the Mimic Package when communicating to PLCs with
screen update times configurable up to half a second (now that is fast!). This must be the
most effective way to interface and control your process.