SPICE SIMULATION

[samlo]

Hi, everybody, i am newbie in audio field. i want to know , which is the best, latest
spice simulation software for audio projects ? How accurate it is ? i am expecting
reply from experts and simulator users. kindly reply.

[sawreyrw]

LTspice from Linear Technology is one of the best and it is free. The accuracy of you simulation results is only limited by the accuracy of your models and how accurate your schematic is (did you include relevant parasitic components?).

[Bob Cordell]

Originally Posted by samlo

Hi, everybody, i am newbie in audio field. i want to know , which is the best, latest
spice simulation software for audio projects ? How accurate it is ? i am expecting
reply from experts and simulator users. kindly reply.

Hi samlo,

LTspice is really excellent and the one most used by everyone here. It is one of the very best simulators and it is free.

In my book "Designing Audio Power Amplifiers" I have two full chapters devoted to the use of SPICE for amplifier design. The first chapter is an audio-centric tutorial on the use of LTspice, the second is on how to generate and tweak spice models for transistors.

On my web site, at CordellAudio.com - Home, you will find ready-to-run SPICE simulation files of circuits from my book. There are also easy instructions for downloading and installing LTspice on your computer. Finally, I have quite a few good transistor and other semiconductor models on my site and more are coming.

Cheers,
Bob

[dchisholm]

To underscore what "sawreyrw" and "Bob Cordell" just said . . . "SPICE" (in all of its manifestations) is fundamentally a program for formulating and solving the partial differential equations that arise in electronic circuits. The integrity of the solution will never exceed the accuracy of the original formulas (device models) from which it was derived. As many of us have observed over the years, there are some very incomplete, inaccurate, and just plain wrong SPICE models floating around. In my role as an instructor, every couple of months you will hear me say something like, "No, it doesn't matter how much you paid for that simulation software, or the personal confuser it runs on . . . in spite of what the program says, a uA741 opamp can NOT put out enough current to jump-start a locomotive.".

Having said that . . . the no-charge LTSpice program beats the pants off commercial circuit simulation software selling for thousands of dollars per copy. Download it at < http://ltspice.linear.com/software/LTspiceIV.exe >. Keep in mind that LTSpice doesn't claim to be anything more than a circuit simulator. It will not teach you circuit design or network analysis. The schematic diagrams it produces are straightforward and readable, but not up to the standards of many corporate Configuration Management systems. LTSpice will not help you keep track of parts lists, drawing changes, or lay out your printed wiring boards.

The major shortcoming of LTSpice is a lack of comprehensive documentation and user support documents - so your next step is to join the LTSpice users' Yahoo group at < LTspice : LTspice/SwitcherCAD III >. In the "Files" and "Links" sections you will find numerous tutorials and examples.

Dale

[Tekko]

I love LTspice, does everything you want it to do and is very easy to use.

Multisim is ok but the wires never ever go where you want so you spend half the time rerouting them to make the circuit look neat and readable, and it has this toy game kinda feeling to it.

[samlo]

Hi, all, thanks for ur ressponses. last week i got TINA_TI 9 software,but i am newbee in
audio field so i dont know how to use it perfectly. is anybody familiar with this software?
wher i can get tutorials about T T9?

[samlo]

Originally Posted by sawreyrw

LTspice from Linear Technology is one of the best and it is free. The accuracy of you simulation results is only limited by the accuracy of your models and how accurate your schematic is (did you include relevant parasitic components?).

Hi sawreyrw, thanks. i am using LTspice from last week but i want
detailed tutorial because i am a newbee. do u know any link on net ?
also, i didnt understand ur last bracketed sentence

[zsaudio]

Hi Samlo,

Bob Cordell's book is highly recommended even if You are a beginner in Lt Spice's world. English is not my native language, but this book was easy to read and understand for me.
If You have mor questions you can ask at LTspice : LTspice/SwitcherCAD III
very helpful community.

Best Regards,
zsaudio

[Ouroboros]

I also use TINA Version 9, and find it to be the easiest to use of the various SPICE simulation programs I have tried. It does not give you the fine control of the simulation that LT spice does, and of course, you have to pay for it, (the free version available from TI semiconductors is almost useless) but is is very easy to use for someone who has not used SPICE before.
It is possible to do everything with TINA that you can do with LT spice, but the user interface shields you from most of the spice syntax, so you don't have to worry about things like the proper syntax for the .TRAN command (and others).

The TINA web site has a lot of tutorial information, but of course you need to get a feel for what is and is not possible. (This is true for whatever flavour of spice you use). Don't try to connect two voltage sources in parallel for example!

Nearly all the current SPICE simulators use the same basic SPICE computation engine (although I think LT spice is the odd one out here). The big differences between all the programs is the friendliness of the user interface. For all its power, LT spice falls down in a BIG way on the UI!

[samlo]

HI Bob Cordell, thanks for ur reply. Sir, i visited ur site and downloaded model file.
actually, i am using LTspice and Tina8 (Texas instruments) but bjt models are not sufficient
for audio projects. mostly, i need 2SA, 2SC series like A970,922, c2240 and other
driver trans. where can i get these models files? kindly reply.