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This is extraordinarily cool [message #1492] Sun, 24 April 2005 08:53 Go to next message
wunhuanglo is currently offline  wunhuanglo
Messages: 912
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (2nd Degree)
This a link to the free student version of CircuitMaker. I guess it's graphical Spice.

I have essentially no idea of what I'm doing, but with a little fumbling I made a first-order 2-way crossover with a 2.82V p-p sine wave input and variable frequency.

When you get it "right" you get an oscilloscope window, and you can move a voltage probe around the circuit to see amplitudes. Varying the frequency you can see the effect of larger caps or smaller inductors etc...

You can learn a lot with this thing.


Re: This is extraordinarily cool [message #1493 is a reply to message #1492] Sun, 24 April 2005 12:43 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Damir is currently offline  Damir
Messages: 1005
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (2nd Degree)
Although PSpice ("OrCad"-for example) is almost "standard", I like "Circuit Maker" (3f4/3f5 "spice engine") better and used it every day in the last few years. Although not without its imperfections (transformer models, some "too simple" models, etc.) it`s easy to use and understand. It has some tube models, and other can be found on the net ("Duncan amp pages" - models, links, explanations, list of other free "Spice" programs...).
Great tool for learning - you have virtual multimeter, oscilloscope, bode plot (frequency AC analysis), Fourier-analysis, etc., and you can see "what`s goin` on" in every part of the circuit. Of course, your analysis is that good like the models, but I found that even the simplest triode models, based on the expression:
Ia=K(ยต*Ugk+Uak)^1,5 are "good enough" for DC and some AC "results". Of course, you can`t expect accurate results for distortion analysis ("optimistic" results, because of "more ideal" Ua/Ia/Ug "lines").
All in all, great - and free program...

Re: This is extraordinarily cool [message #1502 is a reply to message #1492] Thu, 28 April 2005 22:38 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Mike.e is currently offline  Mike.e
Messages: 471
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (1st Degree)
yeah i dont enjoy typing nodes and commands into SPICE so Ive left it unused on my pc!

Re: This is extraordinarily cool [message #1503 is a reply to message #1502] Fri, 29 April 2005 05:42 Go to previous message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18791
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

You should try PSice, the companion of OrCad. You draw a schematic using a CAD program, and it can be used to layout a circuit board and model the circuit with Spice.


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