[hemmerling] Electronic Design Automation ( EDA ) 2/5 - Schematics Capture, Schematics Simulation and PCB Design

Related page:

• Electronic Design Automation ( EDA ) 1/5 - Installation Engineering.
• Electronic Design Automation ( EDA ) 3/5 - Design for Application-Specific Integrated Circuits ( ASIC ) - Design of digital Chips.
• Electronic Design Automation ( EDA ) 4/5 - Design for Application-Specific Integrated Circuits ( ASIC ) - Design of analog Chips.
• Electronic Design Automation ( EDA ) 5/5 - Design for Application-Specific Integrated Circuits ( ASIC ) - A simple Frequency Divider.
• Electric Units & Electronics 1/3 - My Electronics, Electronics Workbench Equipment, Electronics Literature & Resources.
• Electric Units & Electronics 2/3 - Actors, Sensors, Embedded Systems Electronics and suitable Control Systems.
• Electric Units & Electronics 3/3 - Manufacturers, Distributors, Vendors & Datasheets.

• EIPC - “The EIPC is a network of Professionals of the Electronics Industry providing platforms”.
• Fachverband Elektronik-Design e.V. ( FED ) - “Fachverband für Design, Leiterplatten- und Elektronikfertigung”.

• productronica io München ( 2017-11-14 - 2017-11-17 ) - “Weltleitmesse Entwicklung Fertigung Elektronik”.
• Seminar “Texas Instruments Precision Labs”, 2015
  • Texas Instruments Precision Labs.
  • Texas Instruments "Amplifier Product SelGuide Software".
  • Texas Instruments "TINA-TI - SPICE-Based Analog Simulation Program".
  • Texas Instruments " TI Precision Labs – Op Amp Evaluation Module" - TI EVM used during the seminar..

• Texas Instruments Inc. "WEBENCH", Texas Instruments Inc. "WEBENCH".
  • Texas Instruments Inc. "WEBENCH Power Designer" with online SPICE simulator.
    • Texas Instruments Inc. "WEBENCH Electrical Simulator. On Line SPICE Simulation".
  • Texas Instruments Inc. "WEBENCH Designer Beta" - The tablet version of WEBENCH ( it may also be used in a standard computer browser, too ).
• Industry experts told me that there is an free offline version of TI WEBENCH, but I can´t find it for download...

• PSPICE 9.1 - the classical demo version, maximum of 50 elements including 10 transistors.
• PSPICE 10 - additionally limit: Just 2 subcircuits can be used .
• Cadence OrCAD Solutions.
  • Cadence OrCAD Capture and Capture CIS.
  • Cadence ActiveParts Portal.
  • Cadence OrCAD Downloads.
    • Once there was free circuit emulation software “PSPICE Schematics 10.3” and and “OrCAD 10.0 Demo” alternatively.
    • Now there is just “OrCAD 16.3 Demo DVD (Capture & PSpice only)”.
• EN.Wikipedia "Cadence Design Systems", DE.Wikipedia "Cadence Design Systems".

• Linear Technology - Design Simulation and Device Models.
  • “LTspice IV” by Mike Engelhardt.
• LT Wiki.
  • LT Wiki "SPICE and LTspice Courseware and Tutorials".
• CMOSedu.com.
  • CMOSedu.com "LTspice at CMOSedu.com".
• EN.Wikipedia "LTspice", DE.Wikipedia "LTspice".
• Expert Prof. Dr.-Ing. Karl-Hermann Cordes.
• Linear Technology "Cooking with LTspice. LTspice IV Germany Tour with Mike Engelhardt" ( ZIP ).
• Three edit modes:
  1. Expert ( click on the text ).
  2. Assist ( click on the symbol ).
  3. Super Expert - ( CTRL + click on the symbol )
• Reference designs:
  • The examples supplied by the software, in the folders “Examples” and “JIT”, are not reference design.
  • LTspice Demo Circuit Collection are reference designs.
• Generation of self-authoring code.
  • Self-authoring code uses the memory addresses known after dynamic memory allocation: It uses direct addressing ( which requires low number of CPU cycles ), instead of indirect addressing which is traditionally required to accesses dynamic allocated memory.
  • The Amp Hour Electronics Podcast "An Interview with Mike Engelhardt - SPICE Simulator Synteresis", 2014 - “What Mike described as self-autoring code is nowadays known as JIT-compilation and is used by the Java and .NET runtimes”.

• The Berkeley Wireless Research Center, EECS Department of the University of California at Berkeley.
  • The accompanying website for the book "Jan M. Rabaey Digital Integrated Circuits. A Design Perspective".
    • Jan Rabaey "The Spice Page".
    • Jan Rabaey "Digital Integrated Circuits - Design Tool Corner" → SPICE, MAGIC, IRSIM.
  • The accompanying website for the book "Jan M. Rabaey, Anantha Chandrakasan, Borivoje Nikolic: Digital Integrated Circuits. Second Edition".

• Georgia Techs School of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology "XSPICE".

• University of Ljubljana, Slovenia "Spice OPUS".

• SourceForge "Ngspice", SourceForge "ngspice".
• gEDA - “a full GPL'd suite and toolkit of Electronic Design Automation tools”, which includes NGSPICE.
• The Gnucap homepage - “The Gnu Circuit Analysis Package”.
• EN.Wikipedia "Oregano (software)" - just for Linux, MacOS, not for Windows.
  • The discontinued developer website Archive.org "Oregano".
  • Brothersoft.com "Oregano 0.69.1" - Download of the latest release.

• The Shareware WinSpice - Affordable Circuit Simulation Software - Without schematics editor .
• The Shareware 5Spice Analysis Software - a schematic editor which uses WinSpice for its simulation engine.
• CMOSedu.com.
  • CMOSedu.com "WinSpice (Windows Simulation Program with IC Emphasis) at CMOSedu.com".

• Intusoft ICAP/4 - Limits of the demo version: Maximum of 20 elements. Subcircuit models with a maximum of 20 elements.

• Penzar Development TopSPICE - Limits of the demo version: Number of nodes 64; number of top level transistors and subcircuits 20; number of subcircuit transistors 15; total number of top level components 30; number of subcircuit definitions (macromodels) 5; maximum data memory usage 1 MByte.

• The free Analog Devices "NI Multisim Component Evaluator - ADI Edition",National Instruments "NI Multisim Component Evaluator- Analog Devices Edition".
• The commercial NI Multisim Professional Edition.
• ELEKTOR "Kostenlose SPICE-Simulationssoftware für Analog-ICs von ADI".

• Texas Instruments TINA-TI Simulator - “SPICE-Based Analog Simulation Program”.

• The commercial Beige Bag Software "B2 Spice" - 30 days evaluation version.

• HSPICE.
• SPECTRE.
• ELDO.
• SABER.

• IBIS Open Forum.
• SPICE vs. IBIS:
  • With SPICE, you always simulate the complete circuits.
  • With IBIS simulatoins, you just simulate some parts of a circuit: You do a signal analysis for the communication line between sender and receiver.
• EN.Wikipedia "Input/output Buffer Information Specification", DE.Wikipedia "Input/Output Buffer Information Specification".

• Mentor Graphics "HyperLynx" - “PCB Analysis and verification tool”.
• Mentor Graphics, Mentor Learning Center "HyperLynx".
• Mentor Graphics, PCB & IC Package Design "HyperLynx SI Virtual Lab".
• Experts told me, that “HyperLynx” is a 2D field solver for PCB.
• Experts told me, that the “next-best” Spice to “Hyperlynx” is “HSPICE”, if at all.

• ADIsimPower - “The fastest and most accurate DC-DC Power Management design tool!”.
• Analog Devices.
  • ADI DiffAmpCalulator - “ADIs Differential Amplifier Calculator”.
  • ADI VisualAnalog - “VisualAnalog”, “ADC Analyzer”, “Online ADC Analysis”.
• ANSYS.
  • The commercial ANSYS Simplorer.
    • The free ANSYS Simplorer 7 SV ( formerly: Ansoft Simplorer SV ) for Windows - Circuit simulation.
  • The commercial ANSYS Maxwell.
    • The free ANSYS Maxwell SV for Windows - Analysis of electric and magnetic fields.
  • The commercial ANSYS Ansoft Designer.
    • The free ANSYS Designer SV for Windows - Circuit modeling.
    • The national association for AMATEUR RADIO "ARRL Radio Designer" → “ARRL Radio Designer News and Articles”, “ARRL Radio Designer Tips”.
• The commercial AWR Corporation "APLAC".
  • AWR University Program.
    • AWR Graduate Gift Initiative → A license is granted for a certain HostID / MAC Address / Physical Address.
  • Free legacy APLAC Student Editions.
    • software.informer "APLAC Student 8.10".
    • RF Globalnet "APLAC 8.00 Student Version".
    • Wireles Design Online "APLAC 8.00 Student Version".
  • Helsinki University of Technology, Department of Radio Science and Engineering.
  • EN.Wikipedia "Applied Wave Research" ( AWR ), DE.Wikipedia "APLAC", FI.Wikipedia "APLAC".
  • Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc. "Design Tools" - free online and downloadable EDA tools.
    • The free online EDA tool Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc. "Power Supply WebDesigner".
• The OpenSource EDA tool Fritzing for Windows and Linux.
  • Fritzing "Comparison" with OpenSource Suites.
• The OpenSource Logisim, SourceForge "Logisim", SourceForge "Logisim" for Java - “A graphical tool for designing and simulating logic circuits”.
• The platform Texas Instruments WEBENCH® Design Center ( formerly: National Semiconductor WEBench ) with free online services and free downloads.
• The free online tool STMicroelectronics "eDesign Studio" - “The new, easy power management design tool”, “Power Supply, Photovoltaic, LED Driver, Battery charger”.
• UltraCAD Design, Inc. "UltraCAD Design, Inc.'s Calculators & Tools" - free tools for calculations about electronic design.
  • UltraCAD Design, Inc. "Fourier Simulation Tool" for Windows.
  • UltraCAD Design, Inc. Resource Pages - Douglas Brooks "Signal Integrity Issues and Printed Circuit Board Design".

• The commercial but affordable schematics editor ABACOM-Ingenieurgesellschaft GbR "sPlan" for Windows. No simulation !
• The commercial but affordable PCB design and circuit simulator software Proteus.
  • Focus on Arduino & RaspberryPie.
  • There is a crippled free demo version “You cannot save your work”.
  • EN.Wikipedia "Proteus Design Suite", DE.Wikipedia "Proteus (Software)".

• Roy W. Goody.
  • Book Roy W. Goody: "OrCad PSpice for Windows, Volume 1: DC and AC Circuits".
  • Book Roy W. Goody: "Orcad PSPICE for Windows Volume II: Devices, Circuits, and Operational Amplifiers".
  • Book Roy W. Goody: "OrCAD PSpice for Windows: Volume III: Digital and Data Communications".
• Book Robert Heinemann: "PSPICE - Einführung in die Elektroniksimulation".
  • Accompanying website Robert Heinemanns PSPICE-Seiten.
• Recommendable books about design of SPICE models.
  • Book Paolo Antognetti, Giuseppe Massobrio: "Semiconductor Device Modeling With Spice".
  • Book Daniel P. Foty: "Mosfet Modeling with Spice: Principles and Practice".

• Damhave Systems "Electronics Optimizer" - Free electronics design tool for advanced optimization and design of electronic circuits - with Optimizer, Monte Carlo and Worst Case Analysis, written in Java.
• eCircuit Center - SPICE tutorials.
• Janson-Seminare für die professionelle Elektronikentwicklung.
  • Janson-Seminare für die professionelle Elektronikentwicklung "Link-Liste, Videos, Tipps und Tricks zur Schaltungssimulation mit PSpice und Capture" - Using “Capture”, instead of using “Schematics”.
• mikrocontroller.net "Schaltungssimulation".
• Spread Spectrum Scene: "SPICE Resources".
• Jan Van der Spiegel "SPICE - A Brief Overview".

• “Protel Easytrax”.
  • Altium Wiki "Easy trax" - Free download of “Protel Easytrax (DOS) Freeware version 2.06” for MSDOS.
  • Spike Tsasmali, Lupine Systems, Ltd..
    • Lupine Systems, Ltd. "Making Printed Circuits".
      • Lupine Systems, Ltd. "Protel EasyTrax. Installation and Useage Guide".
  • EN.Wikipedia "Altium Designer", DE.Wikipedia "Altium Designer".
• DesignSpark - “The gateway to online resources and design support for engineers”. Free CAD & PCB tools.
  • The free DesignSpark PCB.
• EAGLE.
  • CadSoft "EAGLE Light Edition" - free tool for designing printed circuit boards (PCBs).
  • Element 14 "EAGLE Freemium edition".
  • Software Informer "EAGLE" - Software archive with download offer for legacy software editions.
  • “EAGLE 6.6.0” is the latest edition which runs on Windows computers with PentiumIII CPU. Newer versions, e.g. “EAGLE 7.4.0” require a PentiumIV CPU. On Windows computers with PentiumIII CPUs , the installation crashes by an APPCRASH.
  • “EAGLE 7.4.0” asks on Win7 / Win8.1,.. to create the directory “C:\Users\<user>\Documents\eagle” if it doesn´t exist, to store data of user projects.
  • The online PCB board manufacting shop Würth Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG "WEdirekt Leiterplatten-Shop" - "Jungle" - “EAGLE Nutzer aufgepasst: mit EAGLE erstellte Leiterplatten lassen sich einfach über den 'PCB Quote'-Button bei WEdirekt anfragen und bestellen”, “Sie sind mit Ihrem Layout zufrieden? Klicken Sie auf ” ( den grünen Button ) ”'PCB-Quote' in EAGLE”. The “PCB Quote” button is visible if the “Board” window is opened. You are tken to these websites:
    • element14 "element14 PCB Prototyping".
    • element14 "element14 PCB Fabrication & Manufacturing".
      • Eurocircuits GmbH "PCB Orders Configurator".
      • Würth Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG "WEdirekt - PCB Orders Configurator".
  • heise Download "Eagle 7.4.0" - “Mit Version 6 seiner Leiterplatten-Designsoftware Eagle hat der Hersteller CadSoft XML als grundlegendes Datenformat eingeführt, was das Bearbeiten von Projektdateien durch Skripte einfacher macht und die Grundlage für zukünftige Erweiterungen schafft”.
  • CadSoft Blog "EAGLE-LTspice IV Interface", 2012-11-19.
• The free schematic and PCB design software ExpressPCB for Windows.
• Pad2Pad - Custom PCBs Online - Commercial PCB service, with free PCB design software for Windows.
• Ing.-Büro FRIEDRICH "Target 3001!" - free edition ( “Target 3001! discover” ) and commercial editions.
  • Book Richard Zierl "Platinenentwicklung mit TARGET 3001!".

• CAD-UL ElectronicServices GmbH "Ariadne EDA-System" for Windows.
• ALTIUM.
  • ALTIUM Designer.
  • Archive.org "Hoschar AG"
    • “HOSCHAR EDA ist nun Altium Europe GmbH: Der EDA-Geschäftsbereich der HOSCHAR AG gehört seit 17. Juli 2002 zum weltweit operierenden EDA-Hersteller Altium (früher unter dem Namen Protel bekannt) und führt seit dem die Geschäfte der Altium Europe GmbH”.
    • If you were just in need for electronics design and simulation software, notice that in the 1990th and early 2000s Hoschar Systemelektronik GmbH was willing to send you a free demo CD with tons of demo versions of such tools, including PC-SPICE. For non-professional operations, many of those demo versions were sufficient.
  • Altium Designer 14 is a still single-threaded 32-bit Windows application.
  • For proper 3D graphics operation, graphics cards with “Shader Model 3” support are necessary.
    • Intel i3 / i5 / i7 CPUs with “HD4000” graphics are suitable.
    • “Shader Model 3” was even implemented in some legacy AGP graphics cards like “Nvidia 6800”. See 3D Graphics Frameworks!
  • Altium Designer coomponents:
    • Platform.
    • Schematics design.
    • FPGA design ( with focus to support the prototyping hardware board Altium Nanoboard 3000. )
    • PCB design.
  • User interface:
    • “ö” ( German keyboard ) = ”~” ( US Keyboard ) = Shows all shortcut options.
    • F1 = Help.
      • Altium Designer 13 and earlier: Microsoft Win32 Offline help.
      • Altium Designer 14: Online Altium tecdocs.
    • Tab = Setup / configuration of the function just in use.
• Bartels AutoEngineer for Windows and Linux - “A famous EDA/CAE/CAD/CAM software system for schematic capture, printed ciruit board design and IC/ASIC design”.
  • Editions:
    • The commercial “Bartels AutoEngineer” for Windows or Linux, with affordable entry edition.
    • The free, fully functional “BAE Schematic Editor” for Windows or Linux. “The software configuration (BAE Demo or BAE Schematics) can be selected during or after installation”.
  • mikrocontroller.net "BAE-Tutorial".
• Mentor Graphics.
  • Mentor Graphics PCB Design "Xpedition".
• Pulsonix.
  • EN.Wikipedia "Pulsonix".

• ABACOM "Lochmaster" for Windows - “A developers tool for strip board projects”.
  • YouTube "Lochmaster 4.0 [Tutorial]".

• ANSYS, Inc. "ANSYS SIwave".
• ANSYS, Inc. "Introduction to ANSYS SIwave".
• YouTube "ANSYS SIwave".

• EN.Wikipedia "EDIF", DE.Wikipedia "Electronic Design Interchange Format".
• EN.Wikipedia "Gerber format", DE.Wikipedia "Gerber-Format".
• EN.Wikipedia "ODB++".

• The online PCB board manufacting shop Würth Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG "WEdirekt Leiterplatten-Shop" - Online shop to order PCB boards individually designed by the customers, with focus on single units and small quantities.

• The German EDA multi-vendor distributor FlowCAD.
• EN.Wikipedia "Electronic design automation", DE.Wikipedia "Electronic Design Automation".

• Duncan's Amp Pages - Forum - Subforum “SPICE”.
• Ing.-Büro FRIEDRICH "Target 3001!" - Forum - No forum, but external links to relevant third-party forums.
• Pulsonix User Forum - “Need a site login? If you believe you have a current maintenance contract but have not yet been given a username and password, please contact us with your full details and we will provide you with your account information” .
• Yahoo Groups "PCB Design Eagle CadSoft:- User Group".
• Yahoo Groups "LTspice IV", Yahoo Groups "LTspiceDocs".

• OpenDirectory "Top: Business: Electronics and Electrical".
• OpenDirectory "Top: Science: Technology: Electronics".
• OpenDirectory "Top: Science: Technology: Electronics: CAD".
• OpenDirectory "Top: World: Deutsch: Wirtschaft: Elektrotechnik und Elektronik".
• OpenDirectory "Top: World: Deutsch: Wissenschaft: Ingenieurwissenschaften: Elektronik".
• Yahoo! Directory "B2B: CAD/CAM Software: IC Design".
• Yahoo! Directory "Business and Economy: Business to Business: Electronics".
• Yahoo! Directory "Science: Computer Science: Electronic Computer Aided Design (ECAD)".
• Yahoo! Directory "Science: Engineering: Electrical Engineering".