Circuit Simulation & Design Aids
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Circuit Simulation & Design Tools
MacSpice 3f5
Spice is maintained and augmented by Charles D. H. Williams of the University of Exeter’s School of Physics. DesignWorks has a design kit that supports MacSpice 3f5. AppleScript support. Macintosh OS X only.
Several examples and a Perl script to convert pSpice models to MacSpice:
http://www.macspice.com/eg/Advanced.html
Some more examples:
Quite Universal Circuit Simulator
Electronic simulator. No updates since 2017. Mac OSX builds. Macintosh OS X, UNIX, Linux, and Windows.
Solve Elec
Draw and analyze electrical circuits functioning in DC or AC.
sourceforge.net’s “Engineering tools on OSX” home page
Collection of useful software packages to perform engineering tasks, especially electrical engineering and chip design.
Electric VLSI Design System
A full open source Java based Electronic Design Automation system including IC layout, Schematic capture, and VHDL.
McCAD
Schematic capture, Simulation (analog & digital), Printed Circuit Board layout, Auto-routing. Macintosh OS X, Linux, and Windows.
Mr Filter
Designs active filters from specifications. Pre-Alpha release, no development since 2013. Requires scipy, numpy, matplotlib, gnucap and/or ngspice. Macintosh OS X, UNIX, maybe Windows.
TimingAnalyzer
Timing diagram analyzer generates timing diagrams directly from the GUI, VHDL, or Verilog simulations. Generate digital or analog timing diagrams directly from VCD files. Draw and edit timing diagrams for worst case analysis. Add pulses with one mouse click. Scriptable. Easily add clock synchronous pulses in any signal or bus. Easily add automatically incrementing and decrementing pulses. Macintosh OS X, Linux, and Windows.
http://www.timing-diagrams.com/
Google Group: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/timinganalyzer
Download: http://www.timing-diagrams.com/download.html
Script examples: http://www.timing-diagrams.com/script_examples.html
Training videos: http://www.timing-diagrams.com/screenshots_and_videos.html
Application notes including generating timing diagrams from VHDL & Verilog: http://www.timing-diagrams.com/app_notes.html
Scansion
A Free VCD viewer, higher abstraction transaction modeling events, tracing transactions as they flow through a system. This makes it the ideal companion for modeling in higher level simulations. Macintosh OS X only. (version 1.11 is now free)
emGine Environment - 3D Electromagnetic Field Simulator
The emGine Environment(TM) is a full-wave 3D electromagnetic field simulation environment solving Maxwell's equations in time-domain. No updates since 2014, uses Python 2.x. It is used for the modeling of high-frequency electromagnetic fields in microwave circuits, antennas, resonators, microwave filters, hollow waveguides, etc.
Source code is portable.
DC/AC Lab
Online circuit simulation. Limited to simple circuits. Works with any system with a web browser.
Power Stage Designer
Power Stage Designer™ Tool helps design the power stage of the most commonly used switch-mode power supplies. It is also a great learning tool for getting a deeper understanding of voltages and current flows inside converters. Supports 12 power supply topologies. Java for many platforms.
JavaScript Electronic Notebook
Support for Filters, Antennas, Inductor design and so on.
iCircuit
Schematic capture and simulation for both analog and digital analysis. There are over 30 elements from resistors to MOSFETs and digital gates. Macintosh OS X, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Windows’ Phone.
Bode & Nyquist
This application allows you to plot together both Bode and Nyquist diagrams of a transfer function. Macintosh OS X only.
See the App Store
Circuit Lab
Schematic capture and simulator. DC, AC, and transient analysis, File compatible with iPad and iPhone versions. Macintosh OS X, iPad, and iPhone.
See the App Store
WEBENCH by Texas Instruments (National Semiconductor)
Web-based design aids including; WEBENCH Power Designer, WEBENCH LED Designer, WEBENCH Sensor Designer, WEBENCH Active Filter Designer, WEBENCH Amplifier Designer, and EasyPLL. Works with any system with a web browser (some tools require FLASH).
http://www.ti.com/ww/en/analog/webench/index.shtml?DCMP=hpa_design_center&HQS=analogdesigncenter
Web Based Tools
CircuitLab
CircuitLab provides online, in-browser tools for schematic capture and circuit simulation. Works with any system with a web browser.
Hardware Description Languages
Waveform Editors and Viewers
GTKwave
GTKWave is a fully featured GTK+ based wave viewer. Macintosh OS X, Linux, and Windows.
http://gtkwave.sourceforge.net/
Mac OS X download:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/eng-osx/files/GTKwave/GTKwave-3.0.2-2006May16/
Homebrew formula: http://brewformulas.org/Gtkwave
LTspice
By Analog Devices. A nice, free Spice program with schematic capture front-end. Macintosh OS X and Windows.
Updated December of 2018.
https://www.analog.com/en/design-center/design-tools-and-calculators/ltspice-simulator.html
Groups.io: https://groups.io/g/LTspice
YouTube Videos: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ltspice&sm=3
Mac OS X setup video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AA4YBtqhwE
Good starter link: http://www.eecg.utoronto.ca/~johns/spice/LTSpice.html
Another Tutorial: http://denethor.wlu.ca/ltspice/
Yet another tutorial: http://www.simonbramble.co.uk/lt_spice/ltspice_lt_spice.htm
Several community examples: http://www.youspice.com/?s=ltspice
Many more good examples: https://www.electronicspoint.com/resources/authors/harald-kapp.22009/
A collection of undocumented information: http://ltwiki.org/?title=Undocumented_LTspice
An example of adding a 7805 to LtSpice:
http://electropub.wordpress.com/2013/03/10/how-to-simulate-a-7805-voltage-regulator-in-ltspice/
Wurth has a large collection of their parts in LTspice:
https://www.we-online.de/web/en/passive_components_custom_magnetics/toolbox_pbcm/midcom_lt_spice.php
I have a page of LTspice designs I share here.
Coilcraft has libraries of their inductors:
Power Supply Simulator
Simulate a ‘transformer, Bridge/full & half wave rectifier, capacitor’ power supply. Macintosh OS X and Windows.
EE Tool Kit
Collection of calculators and data. Macintosh OS X only, from the AppStore.
Design and Dimensioning of Active Filters
Active Sallen-Key or Multiple Feedback topology low-pass or high-pass filter. Works with any system with a web browser.
Resistor Noise
A good background and calculator for Resistor noise. Works with any system with a web browser.
Logicly
Easy to use digital logic simulator written in Java. Macintosh OS X, Linux, and Windows.
Logisim
Java based digital logic simulator. No updates since 2014. Macintosh OS X, Linux, and Windows.
JMCAD
JMCAD is an program for the modeling and simulation of complex dynamic systems. This includes the ability to construct and simulate block diagrams. The visual block diagram interface offers a simple method for constructing, modifying and maintaining complex system models. Macintosh OS X (pre Lion), Linux, and Windows.
CircuitCalculator
Trace Width Calculator, Wire Parameter Calculator, Resistor Calculator, RMS Value Calculator, General Purpose Calculator, and L-C Filter Equations.
Design and Dimensioning of Active Filters
Filter calculators.
Magnetics Design Software
Inductor Design, Common Mode Filter Inductor Design, Current Transformer Design, MagAmp Design. Works with any system with a web browser.
Power e Sim
Free online switch mode power supply SMPS, circuit and transformer design, calculation, simulation software. More than 100 circuits and topologies are available with real constructed transformers. Works with any system with a web browser.
JavaBreadBoard
Uses the socket bread motif for circuit design but each chip you place can be a standard TTL, VHDL model or a schematic design expressed as a .CHP file. Work is being done on EDIF import for FPGAs and CPLDs. To launch, simply double click the go.command file. Macintosh OS X, Linux, and Windows.
NGSPICE Online
This site allows you to run ngspice simulations from a web browser environment. Whether you are using a Windows, Linux, or Mac computer, a smart phone, or a tablet, you always should be able to run a SPICE simulation!
EE Quick Calc
Handy calculator with several built-in functions. Available on the App Store. Macintosh OS X only.
muRata tools for Capacitors, Inductors, and Thermistors
http://www.murata.com/products/design_support/simsurfing/index.html
Javascript Calculators
Design Productivity, Electronic Component Calculations, IC Design Calculators, Format Conversion Calculators, FFT, and Factorials.
http://www.idea2ic.com/PlayWithJavascript/PlayWithJavascript.html
GeckoCIRCUITS
Very Fast Circuit Simulator Optimized for Power Electronics. Free, GNU Public License. Java.
Virtual Time-Domain Reflectometry
A simple applet to solve time-domain step-response at the source end of a transmission-line which is loaded at the other end.
NGSpice
Ngspice is a mixed-level/mixed-signal circuit simulator. Its code is based on three open source software packages: Spice3f5, Cider1b1 and Xspice. Ngspice is part of gEDA project, a full GPL'd suite of Electronic Design Automation tools. Ngspice is also partnered with Kicad. Macintosh OS X, UNIX, Linux, and Windows.
http://ngspice.sourceforge.net/presentation.html
Download:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/ngspice/files/ng-spice-rework/26/
Links to NgSpice tutorials: http://ngspice.sourceforge.net/tutorials.html
Kicad
Kicad is an open source (GPL) software for the creation of electronic schematic diagrams and printed circuit board artwork. Includes a set of design calculators for circuits and PCB. Macintosh OS X, UNIX, Linux, and Windows.
http://www.kicad-pcb.org/display/KICAD/KiCad+EDA+Software+Suite
Macintosh OS X binaries:
http://www.brokentoaster.com/kicad/
First time user video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRXEc7pB0o0
Bode/Nyquist Plot Java Applet
View either a Bode or Nyquist plot from numerator and denominator you enter for one or more polynomials. You can set the start frequency, choose units for the horizontal axis.
Hades
A framework for interactive simulation. The software consists of a graphical editor, the discrete-event based simulator, libraries of simulation components, a design and library browser, waveform viewer, and scripting shell. Java.
http://tams-www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/applets/hades/webdemos/index.html
Impulse
A plugin for Eclipse. It allows to analyze digital signals , transactions, logs and analog signals. Java.
Hearst Electronic Products Calculators
This site includes many calculators for design problems including three Capacitor Life Calculators.
http://www.electronicproducts.com/Engineering_Calculators_and_Tools.aspx
Capacitor Life Calculators
Calculators for Aluminum, Film, and Ceramic capacitors.
http://www.illinoiscapacitor.com/tech-center/life-calculators.aspx
TclSpice
TclSpice is an improved version of Berkeley Spice designed to be used with the Tcl/Tk scripting language. The project is open-source (BSD license) and based upon the NG-Spice source code base with many improvements. Macintosh OS X, Linux, and Windows.
Nmag
Nmag is a micromagnetic simulation package. No updates since 2012. Based on finite elements (suitable for non-cuboidal structures), Its problem descriptions are in Python offering a high degree of flexibility. Features arbitrary crystal anisotropy, (pseudo) periodic boundary conditions ("macro geometry approach"), and spin torque transfer (Zhang-Li model for uniform current density). Must build from source. Macintosh OS X and Linux.
LC Filter Design web site
This is an interactive design package for designing analog (i.e. hardware) filters made of inductors and capacitors (Ls and Cs). All platforms.
Square Loop Inductance Calculator
By Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Single layer Planar spiral coil inductor calculator
PCB Square, Hexagonal, Octagonal, Circular inductor geometries.
Attenuator, Thermal, Image Rejection, and Cascade Analysis
Calculators from Custom MMIC. Attenuator, Thermal, Image Rejection, and Cascade Analysis.
Spice Simulators
Other Simulators
Some good sources of Spice Information
Background: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPICE
Introduction: https://canvas.ucdavis.edu/courses/195740/files/folder/Lecture%20Notes
Spice basics: http://www.ecircuitcenter.com/Basics.htm
Spice background: http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1272359
Berkeley: http://bwrcs.eecs.berkeley.edu/Classes/IcBook/SPICE/
Aboutspice.com: http://aboutspice.com/
Magnetic Field Calculators
Several magnetic field calculators.
http://www.dextermag.com/resource-center/magnetic-field-calculators
Flyback Transformer Design Spread Sheet
ON Semiconductor has a simple spread sheet for Flyback transformer design. Macintosh OS X and Windows.
http://www.onsemi.com/pub/Collateral/FLYBACK%20TRANSFORMER%20DESIGN%20TOOL.XLS
DSPExplorer
A complete environment for exploring DSP algorithms. Macintosh OS X, Linux, and Windows.
dBm to Volts Conversion Calculator
trafo
Trafo is a simple and practical utility designed to calculate all the necessary information to build an E-I transformer. Command line, Macintosh OS X can be built, and Windows. Windows binary runs under Crossover.
Xyce
Xyce is an open source, SPICE-compatible, high-performance analog circuit simulator, capable of solving extremely large circuit problems by supporting large-scale parallel computing platforms. Macintosh OS X (cluster and desktop), Linux (cluster and desktop), and Windows (desktop only).
QuartzCrystal
Electrical behavior of crystals and Pierce Crystal Oscillators. Java applet for all platforms.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/quartzcrystal/?source=directory
Electronics Design Reliability Calculators
Capacitor Flex Cracking, Solder Joint Fatigue, Plated Through Hole (PTH) Fatigue, Component Vibration Fatigue, Intermetallic Growth Due to Thermal Aging, Thermal Cycling to Service Life Correlation, and Unit Conversion.
Electronics Calculator
SPILite
A waveform viewer, S parameter viewer, and a IBIS viewer.Built-in NGSpice simulatorwith Ibis2Spice conversion. Macintosh OS X, Linux, and Windows.
http://www.spisim.com/products/spilite-free-si-snp-ibis-tool/
Isim by Intersil
Web-based interactive power management and op amp design tool. Works with any system with a web browser.
Forced Convection Heat Sink Thermal Resistance
Heat sink calculator.
http://www.novelconceptsinc.com/calculators-forced-convection-heat-sink-thermal-resistance.cgi
Thermal Resistance Tool for Bonded Fins
Heat sink calculator.
Heat Sink Convection with Fins Calculator
Heat sink calculator.
http://www.engineersedge.com/calculators/heat_sink_convection_with_fins_calculator_10048.htm
Heat sink calculator
Heat sink calculator.
https://www.engineersedge.com/calculators/heat_sink_convection_with_fins_calculator_10048.htm
Flat Wire Inductance Calculator
Calculate the inductance of wire with a rectangular cross section.
http://chemandy.com/calculators/flat-wire-inductor-calculator.htm
Inductance Calculator
Calculate the inductance of round and flat wire with different shaped cores.
https://technick.net/public/code/cp_dpage.php?aiocp_dp=util_inductance_calculator
See my Schematic/Design Capture page for hardware description languages for design and simulation.
All About Circuits Engineering Calculators
Many calculators.
M2Spice
M2Spice is a standalone open-sourced software that can convert the geometry of a planar magnetic device into SPICE simulation netlists. Macintosh OS X and Windows.
LoCAD
Schematic capture and simulation of digital circuits. Macintosh OS X only.
Download from the App Store.
Pulse Calculator
Calculate the energy in a pulse.
Innoslate
Requirements management, Modeling, and Simulation.
SimScale
Free for Education and Hobby projects. Thermal analysis. Web based
ON Semiconductor WebDesigner+
Power supply design tool.
wavedrom
WaveDrom is a online or downloadable digital timing diagram (waveform) rendering engine. Free. Macintosh OS X, Linux, and Windows.
Thermal Wizard Enclosure Cooling Calculator
https://lairdthermal.com/thermal-wizard/thermal-wizard-enclosure-calculator
Thermistor Calculator
https://www.thinksrs.com/downloads/programs/Therm%20Calc/NTCCalibrator/NTCcalculator.htm
Icarus Verilog
Verilog simulation and synthesis tool. It operates as a compiler, compiling source code written in Verilog (IEEE-1364) into some target format. For batch simulation, the compiler can generate an intermediate form of code. Macintosh OS X, UNIX, Linux, and Windows.
Installing:
https://iverilog.fandom.com/wiki/Installation_Guide
Project: