Also, PSpice most demanding for me. For basic semiconductor models, yes. ngspice will also read HSPICE device libraries from semiconductor foundry PDKs for simulating integrated circuits. So, I don’t believe you’ll be able to easily port those (without significant redesigning) into another SPICE software that doesn’t implement the A-devices exactly like LTspice does. 4 The point with LTspice is that it does not run on Linux and that it is not integrated with KiCAD. It's mighty handy to be able to work on your circuit at home, and you can't do that if the PSpice license is at work. The only feature I wanted that PSpice supported that LTspice didn't is Monte Carlo analysis. 12 comments. ngspice is SPICE compatible. LTSPICE *.sub models today are encrypted binary files. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, http://ngspice.sourceforge.net/ngspice-eeschema.html. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. save. There’s obviously no backannotation, so you can’t probe anything and have to add in plots/traces manually. Dave Looking forward to your suggestions. Experienced SPICE designers have likely encountered the frustration of SPICE model syntax compatibility. Since KiCAD is precompiled on Ubuntu, does adding the ngbehavior=ps flag work if I add it to the .spiceinit/spice.rc file? While it is possible, in principle, to develop generic SPICE or PSpice macromodels, the resultant simulation speed would not be viable. This thread is archived. ngspice handles ibis file as well as mixed mode simulation (Verilog-AMS + Spice) if you install ADMSXml … I think this is the best way for doing simple DC operating point analysis (.op command) since it’s not supported in KiCad directly. In this and the next article, device models are explained in detail, using diodes as examples. I’m using the Windows KiCad version, and it’s very picky on having spaces in your path and it doesn’t respect quotes either. That makes it almost half a century old! Each program has it's quirks. For questions concerning LTSpice (and some questions about circuit simulation in general) the Yahoo LTSpice user’s group at LTSpice User’s Group is an excellent resource. PSIM allows users to run two SPICE engines, the native PSIM SPICE engine which is a NGSPICE/SPICE 3F variant or to run LTSPICE. What I infer from the web is that PSpice models are for the PSpice simulators while ngspice is based on Spice3. PSpice vs LTspice vs HSpice. Wishful thinking but can the LTSpice models also be used on NgSpice? Once you've got the netlist in LTspice, press Run. More>> Author. The SPICE projects are classified according to the different circuit categories. How should encrypted models be used in KiCAD? Fortunately, a true SPICE model file, or netlist file, is (like KiCAD’s files) human-readable. The LTspice SMPS macromodels are implemented in a combination of new proprietary native LTspice devices and/or a proprietary hardware description language. Pspice is merely a version of Spice for a personal computer, hence the insertion of the "P" in the name. You cannot use encrypted models. Simulate no-driver LED problems due to wire. This can result in better designs in the real world. Netlist orders in LTspice symbols are completely shuffled around compared to KiCad symbols. This page is an attempt to summarize known differences between modeling syntax in LTspice and SPICE3. Pspice and Hspice are commercial products that cost money (unless you torrent them); Ltspice is freeware. LTSPICE *.sub models today are encrypted binary files. The SPICE circuit simulation program originated in the early 1970’s. Xyce is an open source, SPICE-compatible, high-performance analog circuit simulator, capable of solving extremely large circuit problems by supporting large-scale parallel computing platforms. After a little study of the original SPICE syntax, most of the SPICE model files intended for a particular version of SPICE can be converted to other versions. Do all PSPice models work with ngspice? share. PSPICE is so-so. Nieuws. I can only get it to work using DOS style paths. All have shitty UIs - can't get away with that: people able to grok SPICE internals are generally incapable of grokking good UI design, You've omitted some of HSPICE's strongest advantages (assuming it's within budget), Powerful .ALTER mechanism that lets you run theme-and-variations groups of simulations with much greater flexibility than, for example, LTSPICE's ".STEP PARAM", Optimization! dchisholm February 17, 2019, 6:54am #5. As the LTSpice “Help” file says. Even though most of these have been answered above, I’ll take a stab at all of them at once for ease of reference. Please see my post Multiline directives with an example how to use this button. A subreddit for discussion of all things electrical and computer engineering. Check “SPICE Projects” and the category circuits you are interested in, You can refine your search using the filters “SPICE software”, “complexity” and Free or For Credits projects. It also supports serial execution on all common desktop platforms, and small-scale parallel runs on Unix-like systems. HSPICE applies the Levenberg-Marquardt nonlinear optimization algorithm. Although, it’s time consuming, you do come out with the added benefit of you understanding the part’s functions more thoroughly than you would have before. Numerous commercial versions of SPICE have been developed and released (and, in some cases, abandoned) over that time span. ngspice is the Open Source successor of … SPICE Projects SPICE Simulation projects simulated with all available SPICE platforms. For models which don’t use A-devices, you can try them out and see if you’re successful. (Here) is a blogpost that I've found useful in the past which says how. Even VDMOS is now supported by ngspice, which used to previously only been supported by LTspice. ngspice cannot read them. You can either copy the entire files found in \LIB\CMP or copy/paste the “.model” statements within those files for parts you want to split off into your own .LIB file. I have only used PSpice. If you know of any that should be included, please let me know. That may explain why he is running ngspice, since it is Linux native. Encryption is used to protect some perceived commercial advantage of a particular SPICE version. but free version of pspice is good too. HSPICE twists those knobs, runs a bunch of simulations, and returns the knob-settings that achieved your goal most optimally. Requesting clarifications so that I can get over this job of having to find very specific Spice Models. Yes. There are others like Synopsys's HSpice and LTSpice from Linear technologies which are really just different strains of the Spice system. INA128.sub contains the spice model file for INA128 (compatible to LTSPICE, PSPICE, ngspice-28). Potentiometer Model. It passes the netlist generated by KiCad and runs it within LTspice, using LTspice’s GUI. SPICE Device Models: Principle of Operation of Diodes My gut tells me that you have it backwards and you would be ensuring more errors. How can that be used? It is recommended to use Linux for NGSPICE. Yes, if you set the compatibility switch (set ngbehavior=ps) in the newer versions. SPICE models that exploit such alterations may, or may not, be compatible with SPICE versions published by other companies. report. I've used multisim back when it was called Electronics Workbench. best. Add to this, most vendors also seem good with creating PSpice models, rather than SPICE models creating even more confusion. The web is replete with PSpice models but Spice Models need more effort to search and include in the schematics. 11 december 2020 Multisim, LTSpice, TINA, pSpice, are but a few of the free programs. The problem I am facing is that I don't know what command I should use to simulate the netlist in LTspice using Python so I can plot the output voltages and currents. With certain command-line parameters, you can also have it output the RAW data to a text file for analysis later. The exceptions are the encrypted files provided by some publishers. We will use LTspice IV to determine the phasor voltage Vo in the circuit shown in Figure 1. Default Ngspice build is shipped without it. Custom Ngspice build solves the following issues: Windows GUI of Ngspice is disabled. I never used HSpice. LTSpice can do Monte Carlo analysis. While LTSpice has decent performance and a superb result viewer, its lack of encrypted model support sometimes makes it worth resorting to PSpice to … Can I take an LTSpice model from the LTSpice libraries and rename it (from .sub to .lib) and use it as a Spice model for a vendor provided component? (link). Moreover, in contrast to LTSpice, ngspice is open-source, meaning that students can see the code, play with it, and modify it if they want. Is it possible to have PSpice display the results of the calculations so that I can easily enter in the final values once the design is complete? This might be a feature or capability added to the original SPICE program, or it might be some discovery or insight into modeling a device.In any case, encrypted files can only be used by the SPICE version they were intended for. More>> FAQ. Sort by. Simulate electronic circuit using Python and the Ngspice / Xyce simulators Again in the Generate Netlist window, there is a simulation command. I believe, for example, that LTSpice can read and process model files that use the PSPICE extensions. And it runs faster. If you can open a SPICE model file with a standard text editor (such as "Notepad++) then it can probably be used directly, or readily converted, for any SPICE-based simulator. I am close to trying but any info before hand would be wonderful. ltspice vs pspice. You may apply PSPICE or LTSPICE device model parameters and netlists for simulating discrete circuits. That way, I can ensure fewer errors in the PCB design. I did get the LT1083.lib to work in KiCad by using it as a model for an LM7805 symbol, as shown below. You may apply PSPICE or LTSPICE device model parameters and netlists for simulating discrete circuits. These model files are not usable with other SPICE simulators. Data is entered into the Wizard as a series of data points obtained from the source Gummel plot. Sometimes no conversion is necessary. I never noticed it until you mentioned it. I’ve used it to launch LTspice using KiCad. That way, I can ensure fewer errors in the PCB design. Can they be deciphered by the simulator (or the plugin)? Open Mobile Menu. The uses of a potentiometer are many - trim the gain of an amplifier to a precise value, subtract a large offset from a sensor, or adjust the tone control in an audio system. LTSpice can produce netlists that are supposedly compatible with several commercial circuit simulators. LTSPICE OR NGSPICE. Circuit Simulator. I don’t really understand how ngspice’s XSPICE plays into this, so someone please correct me if I’m wrong. max bandwidth, min delay, min(power*delay), min(layout_area*T_clk_to-Q)), and let it rip. In the previous article it was explained that models used in SPICE simulations can be device models or subcircuit models. ngspice-30 has to be used and a compitibility switch set (see http://ngspice.sourceforge.net/ngspice-eeschema.html). About the developer of CppSim. Emitter Current versus Base-Collector voltage (IE vs. VBC). ngspice cannot read them. An answer to some of your questions (sombody else may care for the others). Screenshots simulation images: Don’t assume that an LTSpice model is encrypted just because it has the " *.sub" file extension! ngspice builds on many operating systems. hide. ngspice will also read HSPICE device libraries from semiconductor foundry PDKs for simulating integrated circuits. If the netlist filename has an extension of .cir, .net, or .sp, then LTspice already thinks it is a netlist file. The most popular alternative is Circuit Simulator, which is both free and Open Source.If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked 32 alternatives to LTspice so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. It allows Qucs-S to obtain logs from Ngspice. Linear Technology, for example, publishes encrypted models for simulating their switching regulators with LTSpice. Not sure. By the time the V gs has reached 8 volts, the transistor has pulled it drain down to nearly zero volts. It is the result of combining existing SPICE features with some extra analyses, modeling methods and device simulation features. (I believe the first PUBLIC release was in 1972 or '73.) For example, in the circuit below I want to calculate the values of C1b and R2b based on the values of f_p2, f_z2, and R1b. Figure 16. After all, if you’re going to buy a significant quantity, they want to provide an easier design path for you. How should encrypted models be used in KiCAD? For other situations such as TI only providing a TINA model, I have spent the time to develop my own behavioral models for certain parts that I use frequently (the THS video amplifier series in particular). I won’t go into all the ways computing has changed over those five decades, but it’s a tribute to the program’s original authors that it remains a viable piece of software today. Spice Simulation to Support System Level Modeling in CppSim/VppSim. Open Source LTspice Alternatives. Added CMPP preprocessor and C headers set mandatory for development of CodeModel libraries. The Base-Emitter voltage (VBE) is held at zero volts. From the LTSpice “Help” file: LTspice can, however, run PSpice semiconductor and behavioral models and is generally a much higher performance simulator, so you might move your PSpice simulations to LTspice. 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