I use both LTSpice and Simetrix free. Both do not make neat diagrams by default, requiring some experience in drawing logically and editing text label positions.
Simetrix free has limitations on circuit complexity and libraries, but the full version is too expensive for home use.
I find the Simetrix FFT hard to control to get useful frequency ranges and resolution
Simetrix free has limitations on circuit complexity and libraries, but the full version is too expensive for home use.
I find the Simetrix FFT hard to control to get useful frequency ranges and resolution
You can include your component models in the free version of Simetrix with greater ease than with any other SPICE program
Unfortunately, I learned Pspice many years ago, and it just shows how badly LTspice is at, for a basic example, drawing a wire. I've been using LTspice for years now, but did a demo of LTspice a few month ago and was reminded about how to run a wire when the person next to me was having big troubles trying to follow what I was doing - you can only go one (ordinal) direction at a time, then click, and from that point you can go another direction. You have to click at every point you want to change direction. I had forgot such little details, but once I told everyone about it, we were on to the next nonstandard thing about LTspice's GUI.
It can read a standard schematic file generated by another program, but switching between programs is just another pain. The strength of LTspice (in addition to it being free) is in decent simulation, and that's why people (like me) put up with the GUI.
It can read a standard schematic file generated by another program, but switching between programs is just another pain. The strength of LTspice (in addition to it being free) is in decent simulation, and that's why people (like me) put up with the GUI.
you can see DC operating point solution I, V by hovering over the schematic node/device pin following a sim
the Yahoo users group is the semi-official support community
this can be of use too Undocumented LTspice - LTwiki - Wiki for LTspice
the Yahoo users group is the semi-official support community
this can be of use too Undocumented LTspice - LTwiki - Wiki for LTspice
You can NAME any node with the little thing between the ground symbol and the resistor, and all nodes with the same name are tied together. I often use names such as +15V and -15V for the rails in opamp circuits. If it's a node with a varying or unknown voltage, I suppose you could add text with the node voltage after doing a sim.
I remember when I first tried LTSpice, I started out full of confidence, which lasted about 5 minutes.
Step 1: place a couple of components. So far, so good. Now I want to rotate one and move the other a bit to the side. Bloody hell! An hour+ of digging through the help file before I figured out how to do that.
Click and drag - forget it.
Click an object to select it - forget it.
Left click does nothing, double click does nothing. Wait a minute, is this even a GUI in the normal sense of the word?
OK, right clicking an object allows you to change some properties - now we're getting somewhere. But wait, that's only a limited subset of the properties. Aaaargh! Another hour+ with the help file to find out how to access all the properties.
After several days, I managed to get moderately proficient at drawing a circuit and running a sim, but it was still a painfully slow and awkward process.
Then I found SIMetrix and never looked back. About 20 minutes to reach the same level of proficiency, without having to consult the help - it just works, the way you'd expect any modern software to. Easy and intuitive.
I wouldn't go quite that far just yet, but I'll (begrudgingly) upgrade my opinion to "barely usable, if there wasn't an alternative".
You say that like it's a good thing. If the interface wasn't so non-standard, quirky and counter-intuitive, there'd be no need for a support community.
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All you have to remember with LT Spice is to use the grab hands (on the tool bar, right of center. Select it with you mouse, then go onto the page, depress and hold the left mouse button, drage and highlight what you want to drag (thats the small hand) or move (the big hand).
Once the part or circuit block is highlighted in this way you can rotate, mirror, drag, move etc - very easy - give it a whirl.
The Yahoo users group is 99.999% focused on models and solving some really complexe circuits and simulations - it really is very good. They have a big down load area and the comminity is by and large very helpful - there are some seriously good engineers over there (well, ok here too)
Remember, its free, and a commercial simulator for most people is just too expensive, or illegal
Once the part or circuit block is highlighted in this way you can rotate, mirror, drag, move etc - very easy - give it a whirl.
The Yahoo users group is 99.999% focused on models and solving some really complexe circuits and simulations - it really is very good. They have a big down load area and the comminity is by and large very helpful - there are some seriously good engineers over there (well, ok here too)
Remember, its free, and a commercial simulator for most people is just too expensive, or illegal
MicroCap
Cheers,
E.
edit: The student version of MC is free too.
Of course, I'm exaggerating (a little), but MC is very user friendly and fast, computational as well as handling (a minimum of mouse clicks while capturing a schematic, way better than LTSpice or Multisim).nonsense
Cheers,
E.
edit: The student version of MC is free too.
Yes I know, and that's a perfect example of what I'm talking about. With any other software, you just click on an icon to select it; you don't have to select a "select" tool first.
Anyway, I'm a broadminded sort of bloke. If you're into LTSpice, that's fine by me.
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"intuitive" is meaningless - all software relies on conventions that are learned somewhere
for instance I can't stand the "intuitive" iTunes SW - which makes the fee replacement Nano they sent me near useless since I can't RockBox it, can't "intuit" how to transfer my existing music collection in files and folders - what's a playlist? where are the controls? where's the UI documentation?
the LTspice designer has explained his choice of a verb-noun modal UI paradigm - strongly claims it is a reasoned choice that fits the use case, reduces mouse cliks
I find for the limited number LTspice GUI actions it works well
I don't even use keyboard "short-cuts" because of the time lost moving back and forth from mouse to keyboard
another LTspice intro - ppt
Google
for instance I can't stand the "intuitive" iTunes SW - which makes the fee replacement Nano they sent me near useless since I can't RockBox it, can't "intuit" how to transfer my existing music collection in files and folders - what's a playlist? where are the controls? where's the UI documentation?
the LTspice designer has explained his choice of a verb-noun modal UI paradigm - strongly claims it is a reasoned choice that fits the use case, reduces mouse cliks
I find for the limited number LTspice GUI actions it works well
I don't even use keyboard "short-cuts" because of the time lost moving back and forth from mouse to keyboard
another LTspice intro - ppt
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