Paul Marossy Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 OK, so I downloaded the student version of CircuitMaker tonight. As far as drawing schematics is concerned, it's pretty user friendly. However, I can't seem to do any simulations with it. It appears as though I need a program called "xspice for Windows". I've heard of SPICE, but not of this program. Anyhow, how do I get a hold of this program, or do I need it? Does it cost anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 I got it in the CMS package I downloaded - check and see if you've got an executable named Wxspice.exe in the Cm60s directory - if you don't have it, let me know and we'll figure out a way to get you a copy (I'd just email it to ya, but it's over 1.4 Megs). BTW, you do know that you can't do any analog sims unless you have a signal generator on the input, some kind of load on the output and power to the circuit, right? It took me a while to figure that out, and their manual isn't exactly transparent. Try using the RUN command on one of the sample circuits - if that works, you've got everything you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomasteven Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 LK, want gmail? It has up to a 10 MB attachment limit, and I've got 6 invites for whoever wants em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted January 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 Thanks for the reply lovecraft, I figured out what I was doing wrong. I drew up a modified Black Cat OD-1 circuit last night and was trying to figure out how to do the analysis. The program is pretty intuitive for me, I found the sine wave to put on the input and it was pretty obvious that it needed a power supply. Now all I have to figure out is what the hell am I looking at?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biohazard Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 What is this software? What does it do etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 (edited) Bio, it's a schematic drawing/SPICE simulation package - in other words, you can draw out a schematic of a circuit and then simulate what it will do in the real world. Take a look: CircuitMaker Student Version Paul, if you ever figure out how to get CMOS inverters to work in linear mode, let me know - I've given up and gone back to the breadboard for those! Thomasteven, I appreciate the offer - my mail server will handle about 20Mb attachments, so it's no problem, but I just don't send large files to people who aren't expecting them. There's nothing worse than taking just a minute to check your mail, and then having to sit around while you download a huge attachment that you weren't expecting. Edited January 26, 2005 by lovekraft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted January 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 Paul, if you ever figure out how to get CMOS inverters to work in linear mode, let me know - I've given up and gone back to the breadboard for those! CMOS inverters, as in CD4069UBE? That doesn't surprise me, they're meant for digital applications even though they are used linearily in some stompboxes... Hey, quick question: Is there a way to get it to do a waveform like you would see on a real oscilloscope? It seems like all I can see is a 1/4 cycle, know what I mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 Yes, all you have to do is go to the Analysis Setup submenu under Simulation, uncheck the (lower left) Always set defaults... setting, click on the Transient/Fourier buttton, and change the start and stop time to what ever period you'd like (don't forget to check the Enabled setting in the upper left if it's not already selected). One caution - the more time you specify between start and stop, the longer the sim will take to run, so don't set stop time for several seconds unless you've got some soldering to do while you wait. I usually set the start-to-stop time for about 5 times the period of the test signal (5ms for 1KHz). The Fourier analysis is cool too, it'll tell you the harmonic content (by specific harmonic) and distortion level of your output signal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted January 26, 2005 Report Share Posted January 26, 2005 (edited) Double post Edited January 27, 2005 by lovekraft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted January 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 (edited) Thanks lovecraft. I printed out most of the manual so I will be giving that a lookover as well. EDIT: I forgot to mention that this is a very cool program for a free program! Edited January 27, 2005 by Paul Marossy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biohazard Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 Oh right it sounds cool. What is that SPICE thing though lol. What kind of circuits can you simulate with it? Anything you want? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted January 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 Oh right it sounds cool. What is that SPICE thing though SPICE stands for Simulation Program with Intergrated Circuit Emphasis. What kind of circuits can you simulate with it? Anything you want? Basically anything you want expect the student version limits you to 50 parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted January 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 lovecraft- Have you ever compared the simulation from this program to a real ciruit on a breadboard? If so, how close is it? Just wonderin'... BTW, I am having fun plugging in all kinds of circuits and seeing what is going on in them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyG Posted January 28, 2005 Report Share Posted January 28, 2005 CMS is a great little program isnt it. i mainlly used it for playing about with biasing in transistors to help me understand that and the frequency spectrum analysis thang. saves a helluvalot of time working out filter equations when you can just change values willy nilly and see a full read out of the response. i love being lazy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Vai Posted January 28, 2005 Report Share Posted January 28, 2005 LK, want gmail? It has up to a 10 MB attachment limit, and I've got 6 invites for whoever wants em. ← I'll take one, if it's not too much trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted January 28, 2005 Report Share Posted January 28, 2005 Have you ever compared the simulation from this program to a real ciruit on a breadboard? If so, how close is it? Well, it's pretty close on DC levels and bipolar biasing, best I can tell - my"scope" is a shareware program, so it's hard to tell about clipping onset levels, and of course the JFET models work for some, but since JFETs are all over the place anyway, I just either "select" mine or do the ROG trimmer bias thing. The AC response looks good, but again, shareware spectrum analyzer, so I'm never sure which one (or both) is accurate. I've gotta get off my butt and update my library - the most common opamp model is the 741/1458, and I never use those, and the only common JFETs are the 2N5457 and the 2N5484. The triode tube models must be fairly good - the waveforms look like the 'scope photos in my tube amp books, so it must be fairly close. I've got to find models for the TL0xx series opamps, and my new faves, the TLC2252/2262, but it's on that long list of stuff that I probably won't live long enough to complete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted January 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2005 (edited) I still have to figure out the spectrum analysis part, but I am digging the oscilloscope thing. Edited January 28, 2005 by Paul Marossy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biohazard Posted January 28, 2005 Report Share Posted January 28, 2005 Ok, sounds cool. Is it good to help idiots like me learn about electronics a little more and understand what is going on in circuits, especially music effects cuircuits etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyG Posted January 28, 2005 Report Share Posted January 28, 2005 paul, spectrum analysis is fairlly easy. in the analysis setup thingamymenu thang, just check the box next to AC. go into that set of options and set the frequency range you want it to analyse (20 to 20k i go for but i have no idea how high and low it can go). then just chuck in a bunch of check points and according to the manual put it on decade for sweep. once you have that sorted, run the circuit like normal and there'll be another window appears. click on that to bring it into focus and then probe whatever point you want to in the circuit. you have to have a signal generator connected to the circuit to do it i think. you can also have multiple points in the curcuit checked so you can see how the response changes. highlly highlly useful since nobody actually likes the maths of filters lol biohazard, one of the best ways to get used to using it and also to learn is to just build a simple mini booster style thing. play with the biasing and other resistor values and see what it does to the clipping/gain/etc then you can start adding more stuff and playing with bigger circuits. alot of the stuff i build i design with this then go to breadboarding. cuts ouit alot of the "WHY THE *%£^ WON'T THIS WORK" stage lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted January 29, 2005 Report Share Posted January 29, 2005 alot of the stuff i build i design with this then go to breadboarding. cuts ouit alot of the "WHY THE *%£^ WON'T THIS WORK" stage lol That's my approach - it's not a perfect tool, but it'll get you close enough to start 'boarding! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biohazard Posted January 29, 2005 Report Share Posted January 29, 2005 Cool, i'll try and give it a go some time in the next week or two when my school work amount gets a little less. What simple booster circuit should I copy out and start experimenting with? So, are you saying, start off with a simple booster, once ive manipulated it and understand it, I may be able to move onto a small distortion circuit and realise what is happening? Then this continues and continues until I find myself designing my own circuits? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted January 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2005 Any of you guys make your own devices? I need to create a J201, AC128 and maybe a few others... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyG Posted January 29, 2005 Report Share Posted January 29, 2005 biohazard. if you were loking for small boosters to start out with then id go with one bipolar, one mosfet and one jfet circuit. so the LPB1, Fetzer Valve and the AMZ mosfet boost would be good places to start. they're small circuits and theres enough theory behind them to learn without being so much you get swamped (in truth theres loads of theory but the majority wont matter for the moment lol) once you know how those circuits work and (just as importantlly) have got to grips with CMS then you can start making bigger things. i currentlly have an entire schematic for the tube amp that i bought off BigD and am gonna get around to sorting out (soon...ish lol) Paul, i had a look at making devices but it went WAAAAYYY over my head. i couldnt even find summat as simple as the variable for hfe or simple leakage current. it really had me stumped. theres probablly a bit in the manual but i didnt read that far lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted January 29, 2005 Report Share Posted January 29, 2005 Duncan Munro has (among a great many other cool things - I'm so not worthy!! ) a bunch of SPICE models on his website, including some tube/valve models: SPICE Models from duncanamps.com Lots more info on SPICE and links to other models there also! Now if one of you other geniuses can figure out how to install these, and then explain it to me very slowly, using small words so I can follow it, I'll be set!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted January 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 Hmm... I'll have to check out Munro's website and see what I can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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