Circuit design/simulation software

[mr peanut]

I'm a hack hobby guy and not an EE or technician. I am also retired (aka poor). I recently used an old version of the Electronics Workbench (now National Instruments) circuit design and simulation software. It was great for me. I got to learn without actually frying real components.

This package had a lot of features like four channel oscilloscopes, frequency counters, FT analyzers, piece-wise voltages sources, etc. It also allowed for creation of new spice components from scratch or from vendor models. But the version I like is around $500 Canadian. If the wife goes for that price I'll choke on my poutine.

Anyway, if I do get the go ahead (but vacuum the house and clean the bathroom for the rest of your life), I'd like to get the best bang for my buck. I have tried many freebies like (5spice, qucs, Simplis Intro) and I was totally unimpressed.

Can anyone make a recommendation (other than get a life)?

 

[MrAl]

Hi Peanut,

Did you try Linear Tech's Switcher Cad II yet? They might be up to III by now.
Pretty nice for free! Go to Linear Tech's site to get it totally free.

 

[Mikebits]

Hi Peanut,

Did you try Linear Tech's Switcher Cad II yet? They might be up to III by now.
Pretty nice for free! Go to Linear Tech's site to get it totally free.

Been awhile since I have used any spice based sw. Is it still text entry or is it GUI? Does switcher Cad allow for model imports?

I use to use a program called Microcap, I thought it was pretty good, not sure if it is still around.

 

[MrAl]

Hi Mike,

It has a GUI. I think most of them do these days.
Switcher Cad provides a window for waveform outputs too, and has a library of
components. It's also pretty simple to use.
MicroCap also has GUI, but the student version is limited to a small number of
components or nodes, last time i checked.

 

[mr peanut]

yes

Hi Peanut,

Did you try Linear Tech's Switcher Cad II yet? They might be up to III by now.
Pretty nice for free! Go to Linear Tech's site to get it totally free.

Yes, I tried Cad III. I was looking for something a bit more sporty. I doubt there is anything free. There is an open source program called Spice+ but there is no demo and (unusual for open source) it requires a non-trivial donation of $35.

 

[Rumieus]

Pirate post deleted moderator.

 

[Mikebits]

Hi Mike,

It has a GUI. I think most of them do these days.
Switcher Cad provides a window for waveform outputs too, and has a library of
components. It's also pretty simple to use.
MicroCap also has GUI, but the student version is limited to a small number of
components or nodes, last time i checked.

Thanks, I think I might try a DL.

 

[philba]

Uh, is that National Instruments Multisim? I'm pretty sure that's a for sale product. Is the DL/Torrent a copy of the 30 day free trial version?

 

[Mikebits]

Uh, is that National Instruments Multisim? I'm pretty sure that's a for sale product. Is the DL/Torrent a copy of the 30 day free trial version?

I imagine it is like a Warez site. Pirate copy.

 

[mr peanut]

seems risky

Pirate post deleted moderator.

Free full version.

I'm a worry wart.

Cited from Wikipedia:
However, some of the torrent download links (predominantly those with obscure names) lead to fake download sites which may be high-risk to the user's computer

Also, if it is pirate software, I would worry about ethical and legal implications.

 

[zulfi_log]

zulfi project

I'm a hack hobby guy and not an EE or technician. I am also retired (aka poor). I recently used an old version of the Electronics Workbench (now National Instruments) circuit design and simulation software. It was great for me. I got to learn without actually frying real components.

This package had a lot of features like four channel oscilloscopes, frequency counters, FT analyzers, piece-wise voltages sources, etc. It also allowed for creation of new spice components from scratch or from vendor models. But the version I like is around $500 Canadian. If the wife goes for that price I'll choke on my poutine.

Anyway, if I do get the go ahead (but vacuum the house and clean the bathroom for the rest of your life), I'd like to get the best bang for my buck. I have tried many freebies like (5spice, qucs, Simplis Intro) and I was totally unimpressed.