Ahn(2020), Circuit Simulation and EDA Tools

 

(선정 작업)

연구용: TINA, Micro-Cap, LTspice, NI Multisim, Qucs, Altium Designer 평가판 비교

- 평가기준: 사용편리성 (생산성), 출력 그래프 품질, 계산속도, Library 부품

학생용: Free, personal 용으로 탐색하여 결정

 

1. Links

Wiki, List of free electronics circuit simulators    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_free_electronics_circuit_simulators

Wiki, Comparison of EDA software

     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_EDA_software#Free_software

Wiki, List of EDA companies

     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_EDA_companies

Reviews:

     https://electrotrick.wordpress.com/2017/12/23/top-4-eda-circuit-simulators/

     https://www.edn.com/spice-simulation-tina-ti-ltspice-pspice-and-more/

     https://www.circuitstoday.com/circuit-design-and-simulation-softwares

     https://microcontrollerslab.com/circuit-simulation-software-free/

     https://alternativeto.net/ ; Crowdsourced software recommendation

     https://juahnpop.tistory.com/118

 

2. Categories

Analog

Digital

Mixed-signal

EDA: schematic capture, simulation, PCB layout, etc.

 

3. Major Tools, Alpabetical Listing

[Altium Designer: commercial, EDA

Intro, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altium_Designer

Altium Designer 19 (2018)

     https://www.altium.com/altium-designer/

$3000

 

[GNU-CAP (circuit analysis package): free, analog

Intro, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Circuit_Analysis_Package

Repository

     http://www.gnucap.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=gnucap:start

     https://github.com/gnucap

     https://www.gnu.org/software/gnucap/gnucap.html

 

[Ngspice: free, open-source, mixed-signal

Repository, https://github.com/imr/ngspice

Intro, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngspice

List-based circuit construction

 

[NI MultiSim: commercial, EDA

Originally by Electronics Workbench (a Canadian company)

Intro, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NI_Multisim

NI Multisim 14.2 (2019)

     https://www.ni.com/ko-kr/shop/electronic-test-instrumentation/application-software-for-electronic-test-and-instrumentation-category/what-is-multisim.html

Power Pro $4591, Full $ 3100, Base $1733, Education $628

Graph quality not good

 

[Micro-Cap: free, mixed-signal, Spice-based

Simple, easy to use, massibe library, virtual instruments, spice netlist, 3D view, PCB layout, results instantly on the same window

Intro, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro-Cap

Micro-Cap 12.0.2.3 (2019):

Web, https://web.archive.org/web/20200111223839/http://www.spectrum-soft.com/index.shtm

Web, http://www.spectrum-soft.com/index.shtm

 

Under development since 1982, liabrary of 23,000 parts, multipage schematic editor. One nice touch is that you can view a simulation and interactively change component values and watch the results update right away.

 

Output graph quality verty good

Lots of Youtube tutorials

 

설명: 설명: 설명: https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/micro1.jpg

 

[LTSpice: free, analog, Spice-based

LTSpice v17.0.0.10 (2020):

Intro, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTspice

LTWiki, http://ltwiki.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

Web, https://www.analog.com/en/design-center/design-tools-and-calculators/ltspice-simulator.html

Output graph quality not good

 

[OrCAD: commercial, EDA

OrCAD v17.4: $2300

Intro, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OrCAD

Web, https://www.orcad.com/resources/orcad-downloads

Output graph quality bad

 

[PartSim

AC, DC, transient, parametric

Web-based, 다양한 예제, Digi-Key part number BOM 생성 가능

 

[EveryCircuit

Web-based, UI 가장 쉬움. 다양한 예제, $15

 

[PLECS: commercial, system-level simulation of electrical circuits, power electronics

Intro, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PLECS

Web, https://www.plexim.com/products/plecs

 

[Qucs: free, open source, mixed-signal, DC to RF

Intro, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quite_Universal_Circuit_Simulator

Repository

     https://github.com/Qucs/qucs 

     http://qucs.sourceforge.net/download.html ; 프로그램 다운로드

     http://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/ ; lots of qucs docoments, Mike Brinson

     http://qucs.sourceforge.net/  

Graph quality good

해석속도 빠름, Verilog 이용한 디지털 해석, RF 해석, ibis 모델 기반 signal integrity

 

[Qucs-S: free, open source, mixed-signal, Spice-based

Intro, https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Qucs

Repository

     https://ra3xdh.github.io/

     https://qucs-s-help.readthedocs.io/en/latest/#

     https://github.com/ra3xdh/qucs_s

 

[Qucs Studio

http://dd6um.darc.de/QucsStudio/

http://qucsstudio.de/

 

[SapWin: free, symbolic circuit simulator written in C++

Intro, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SapWin

SapWin 4.0 beta (2015)

SapecNG

Web, http://www.prodid.it/Sapwin4/

 

[TINA: commercial, mixed-signal, Spice-based

Intro, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TINA_(program)#Versions
TINA v12 (2018): commerical, mixed-signal, $1200

     https://www.tina.com/

     Output graph quality acceptible

TINAcloud: online TINA, free online

     https://www.tina.com/tinacloud/

TINA-TI: freeware, special version of TINA licensed to Texas Instruments

     https://www.ti.com/tool/TINA-TI

     Output graph quality 보통, 다양한 해석, 가상오실로스코프, 함수발생기, Spice 모델, 블록 다이어그램 마법사

Infineon Designer: free online, special version of TINAcloud licensed to Infineon Technologies

     https://www.infineon.com/cms/en/tools/landing/ifxdesigner.html

     Not much contents on Youtube

 

TINA Pro v12, TINA Design Suite: commercial, powerful circuit simulation package for analyzing, designing, and real time testing of analog, digital, VHDL, MCU, SMPS, RF, communication, optoelectronic and mixed electronic circuits and their PCB layouts, can import standard spice models), better than (LTSpice has more components, but GUI is not better)

설명: 설명: 설명: http://www.designwareinc.com/img/T4U_AC.GIF

 

TinaCloud: Best online circuit simulator, not free

설명: 설명: 설명: Tina Cloud online circuit simulator

 

[Xpedition Enterprise: commercial, EDA, multi-board

System-level, connectivity, team design, schematic design, model library management, EMC compliance and signal integrity (EM analysis with BEM), power integrity, PCB layout, advanced PCB routing, concurrent engineering, 3D PCB layout, ECAD-MCAD co-design, design rule checking, thermal analysis, vibration analysis, design for manufacturing and assembly, EDM data management

Web, https://www.mentor.com/pcb/xpedition/

$70,000

Orginally Mentor Graphcis, now a bSiemens company

Enterprise-grade EDA software companies: Top 6

     Synopsys, Cadence, Mentor Graphics, Silvaco, Atium

PADS Professional: PCB Design

 

 5. Minor Tools Listing

 

5Spice: free, business closed, Youtube tutorial, easy to use, simple, output graph good

 

AIM-Spice v5.6: $190, text-based circuit input

AllTech Communications:

Autodesk Circuits: free, web-based, MCU + electronics, PCB layout

Audodesk EAGLE: EDA

AutoTRAX DEX: commercial, pcb design, schematic capture, automatic 3D model generation

 

B2.Spice A/D: commercial

BOOR: free, open-source digital logic simulation

 

CircuitMaker

Circuit Diagram

CircuitLab: free, personal, web-based, circuit simulation

설명: 설명: 설명: CircuitLab online circuit simulator

 

CircuitLogix: spice-based, $295

CircuitPlusPlus: free, simulation

Circuits js1 (Circuit Simulator): free, web-based, current animation

Circuit Simulator

Circuit Solver Web: circuit simulation, android circuit simulation

Circuit Tree: free personal, basic free, others not free, schematic capture, PCB layout

Circuit Wizard: spice-baded simulator

 

DesignSpark PCB: free, schematic, PCB layout

DipTrace

DoCircits

 

EasyEDA: free, web-based, schematic capture, Ngspice-based, PCB layout, PCB manufacturing

설명: 설명: 설명: easyeda online circuit simulator

ECStudio

eSim: free

EveryCircuit

 

gEDA Project: free, schematic capture, simulation, prototyping, ngSpice, gnuCAP

GnuCap

iCircuit: commercial

KiCad

Ktechlab: free, IDE, MCU and electronics, circuit simulation, program development, simulation of MCU+circuits

LibrePCB: EDA under development

Livwire: circuit simulation

LogicCircuit: free, educational, digital logic simulation

Lushprojects: free, web-based, current animation

 

MacSpice

McCAD 3SPICE

Ngspice: free, open source

NL5: commercial, mixed-signal, simulator, ideal and piecewise-linear components

 

OmniGlyph: commercial

Oregano

 

ParSim: Free, online

설명: 설명: 설명: PartSim online Circuit Simulator

 

PCB Artist: free personal

PCBWeb

PCB Wizard: commercial

PECS

Proteus: Basic and advanced versions

Proteus: commercial, PCB design, circuit simulation, visual designer

PSIM: power electronics

 

QUCS: free, circuit simulation including RF, output graphic quality good

Qucs-S: free, spice

QucsStudio

Qucsis

QuickCopper: free, Android

 

Schematics: free personal, web-based, personal circuit saving directory, many chip manufacturers' reference designs, advanced users

Simetrix: spice-based simulator

SimScale

SimulIDE: free, electronics + MCU

Solve Elec

SpiceOpus v2.25: free, based on SPCE 3f4, XSPICE

     http://fides.fe.uni-lj.si/spice/license.html

Sprint-Layout

 

TinyCAD: free

TopSpice 8.30c: Hspice + Spice, $800, 30k components

 

Upverter: schematic capture, PCB layout

 

VBB4Arduino: discontinued

VUTRAX

 

XSPICE: Georgia Tech. developed

Xyce:  free open source, mixed-signal, Sandia National Lab

     Extremely large circuit, large-scale parallel computing platforms

     Web, https://xyce.sandia.gov/