SPICE????????

[Brian Marshall]

ok, so i keep hearing about this spice stuff.  how much does this software cost, ane where can i get it.... also, is it useful??

can anyone iluminate me here?

[niftydog]

Spice is more like a "standard" set of modeling parameters for electronic components.  It's available as a part of many related programs.  I have used Protel which is a PCB design program that incorporates Spice simulation.

There are many programs out there that will do Spice simulations.  Some are free, some cost a little, and some, like Protel, cost an arm, a leg and your first born.

It is sometimes useful, but it can't really be relied on to produce accurate results.  Breadboarding simple circuits is the way to go, or do complex circuits a block at a time.

Check out MicroCap, Multisim, Protel, Intusoft, AIM-Spice etc...

[spongebob]

I think the very first Spice simulator was a command line tool, and you needed a lot of experience to use it effectively, but today most programs have a graphical frontend for circuit design and analysis.

Commercial Spice simulators tend to be very expensive, so maybe try something free first: LTSpice

http://www.linear.com/software/

There is a reason this software is free: The selection of included opamps is limited to the ones produced by Linear Technologies, but if you google around you will find ways to overcome that limitation! :wink:

At first it will seem a bit tedious to draw a schematic, but just use the keyboard shortcuts (R = resistor, F3 = draw wire, etc.) instead of the menu and things will be a lot easier.

[Jason Stout]

Warning: Duality exists, can be extremely helpful, Will cause headaches!

http://www.orcad.com/downloads/demo/default.asp