Chapter 6

Software for Electronics

Introduction

• This chapter covers the following topics:• Software for electricity and electronics• Multisim• Circuit Wizard• Productivity software for electronics

Software for Electricity and Electronics

• Electronic circuit simulation software :• Models circuit performance• Vital resource to check proper operation• Uses mathematical algorithms to duplicate

circuit operation• Advantageous when breadboarding not

practical or too costly

Software for Electricity and Electronics (cont’d.)

• Berkeley SPICE– Most well-known analog simulator– Industry standard technology

• Best-known digital simulators– Based on Verilog hardware description

language

Software for Electricity and Electronics (cont’d.)

• Mixed-mode simulators– Can simulate both analog and event-driven

digital• Autorouting

– Technique for saving time and money in PCB design

– Results not always satisfactory

Software for Electricity and Electronics (cont’d.)

• Autoplace:• Automatic placement of components on a

PCB• Confirms parts will fit on the board• Autoroute can confirm the component

placement can be routed

Software for Electricity and Electronics (cont’d.)

• Input/output buffer information specification (IBIS) model

• Used in place of SPICE for high-speed circuits

• Provide product information to potential customers:– Without revealing intellectual property

Multisim• National Instruments Multisim :• Electronic schematic capture and

simulation program• Part of a suite of design programs• Uses Berkeley SPICE• Can import and export to board layout

software Ultiboard• Widely used in education and industry

Figure 6-1 Screen shot of Multisim 11 with virtual oscilloscope present.© 2014 Cengage Learning.

Multisim (cont’d.)

• Virtual instruments available in Multisim• Analog and digital multimeters• Bode plotter• Logic analyzer• Oscilloscope• Signal generator• Wattmeter

Multisim (cont’d.)

• Multisim provides tools to analyze circuit behavior

• National Instruments LabVIEW– Measurement software– Graphical programming environment for

creating instrumentation

Circuit Wizard• New Wave Concepts’ Circuit Wizard• Integrated software• Combines schematic circuit design,

simulation, PCB design, and CAD/CAM manufacture

• Provides tools necessary to produce project

• Includes on-screen testing

Figure 6-2 Screen shot of Circuit Wizard shown with graph.© 2014 Cengage Learning.

Circuit Wizard (cont’d.)

• Select components from a library– Over 1500 simulated components available– Ideal and real-world models for each

• Connect using intelligent wiring tool• Press play button to start simulation• Simulation engine based on Berkeley

SPICE

Figure 6-3 Some of the virtual instruments available in Circuit Wizard.© 2014 Cengage Learning.

Circuit Wizard (cont’d.)• Circuit Wizard PCB fabrication features :• PCB components• Designing PCBs• Automatic routing• PCB style views• SPICE PCB simulation• PCB virtual instruments• Links with other CAD packages

Circuit Wizard (cont’d.)

• Circuit Wizard PCB fabrication features (cont’d.) :

• Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) support

• Bill of materials spreadsheet creation

Productivity Software For Electronics

• Word processing• Presentation• Publishing• Spreadsheet• Many free productivity programs available

on the Internet– Be cautious of viruses

Productivity Software For Electronics (cont’d.)

• Word processing software• Used to enter and edit text, graphics, clip

art, and photos• Examples: Microsoft’s Word and Apple’s

Notes

Productivity Software For Electronics (cont’d.)

• Productivity software• Includes editor and method for displaying

slide shows• Examples: Microsoft’s PowerPoint and

Apple’s Keynote

Productivity Software For Electronics (cont’d.)

• Desktop publishing software types– Word processor– Page layout– Graphic images– Web design

• Design elements– Alignment, contrast, proximity, and repetition

Productivity Software For Electronics (cont’d.)

• Web design– Uses Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)

• Graphical HTML editors– Examples: Microsoft FrontPage and Adobe

Dreamweaver

Productivity Software For Electronics (cont’d.)

• Spreadsheet :• Input and manipulate numerical data• Data placed into cells in a grid• Cells can hold numbers, formulas, or text• Multiple worksheets can exist in a

spreadsheet file