Spice newbee - need book suggestion

I should have pointed out that I was a circuit designer for nearly 20 years BEFORE I ever laid my hands on a simulator, so I had no problems dropping right into simulator mode.

If you are novice to circuit design, might I suggest a year or so of math-only designing, THEN add simulators to your repertoire.

...Jim Thompson

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|  James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
|  Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |

I'm a spice newbee. Going to use gschem (in the gEDA suite) to generate netlist and LTSpice for the simulation. I really need a book about Spice, not to superficial but rather in depth with illustrative examples. I've a MSc in Applied physics and Electrical engineering, spec applied mathematics.

/Thanks in advance

Anton

Thanks for your reply. I've done circuit design for several years now...

/Anton

Exactly.

Quite frankly, I'm absolutely staggered. We have a dude with an *MSc in Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering*, and he is having trouble running a modern Spice simulation tool? A task that should take around 5 minutes if one actually has the electronic background. Sure, a raw amateur without V=IR can be expected to have an initial learning curve, but if someone has an MSc as described, and needs anything more then the standard spice manual

he should give it up and take up Law instead.

Kevin Aylward snipped-for-privacy@anasoft.co.uk

SuperSpice, a very affordable Mixed-Mode Windows Simulator with Schematic Capture, Waveform Display, FFT's and Filter Design.

Thank you for your reply. The UI is not a wonder of user friendlines. To refer to a manual with just the commands listed is not userfriendly. Its like listing all the commands with no breadtext for a new computer language. This might be acceptable for some but not for others. Actually I was looking for som nice book with som background and illustrative examples, niecly written and thereby actually more readable giving a reading pleasure. I find your answer your answer interesting. Maybe this is how the company Anasoft treats its customers as well?

Again, thank you for your answer.

Anton

Thank you for your reply. Actually, I don't _need_ a book I just want one, that's quite a difference. I've never stated that I _need_ one in order to learn to use Spice. To refer to a manual with just the commands listed is, in my opion, not userfriendly. Its like listing all the commands with no breadtext for a new computer language. This might be acceptable for some but not for others. Actually I was looking for som nice book with som background and illustrative examples, niecely written and thereby actually more readable and giving a reading pleasure. I find your answer your answer quite interesting. Maybe this is how the company Anasoft treats its customers as well?

Again, thank you for your answer.

Anton

Oh?

Quote:

"I really need a book about Spice, not to superficial but rather in depth with illustrative examples."

See above.

I am speaking as an individual.

The truth hurts mate. Don't blame the messenger.

What your asking is equivalent to a writer asking how to use MS word to type his story.

This is how it is, sure, the Spice program itself is a very complicated bit of stuff. 100k lines of complex code, requiring extensive research and ability to understand it. However, *using* spice is piss easy if you know the *basics* of electronic engineering. Its set up such that you only need to know a bare minimum to get it to run. Look, you say you have an MSc in Physics/EE. I find this incredible. *Any* competent individual with a BS degree in an EE related subject should be able to effectively use Spice, as a tool, within minutes. The only reason why this should not be the case, imo, if the individual is better suited to less electronically related professions.

You may well disagree, but this is a NG, designed for peoples opinions. I am giving mine. If you cant get by with

then I suggest you give up electronics. Seriously.

Kevin Aylward snipped-for-privacy@anasoft.co.uk

SuperSpice, a very affordable Mixed-Mode Windows Simulator with Schematic Capture, Waveform Display, FFT's and Filter Design.

Not exactly what you asked for, but you may find:

and the exercises starting with

useful.

In more detail there are two books that have free online editions:

Charles.

Thank you! Gives an starting point to learning Spice. Much appreciated.

/Anton

Here's a some others:

Computer-Aided Circuit Analysis Using Pspice

Inside Spice

semiconductor device modeling with spice

The first is a basic into, similar to Tuinenga.

The 2nd talks a lot about how things can go wrong.

The 3rd talks about the standard models.

The PSpice reference is quite handy. LTspice is pretty compatible with PSpice syntax. A copy of version 9.x can be found at:

Mark

Thanks!

Much appriciated. I've orded some books from the library.

/Anton

That solves one thing, importance of the documentation of PSpice - ie when using LTSpice.

/Anton

Thanks!

Much appriciated. I'll get some books from the library.

/Anton

One who diminishes others often has an ego problem.

Sure, if that evaluation isn't based on objective facts.

Often, those that can't accept objective facts, have an ego problem.

Kevin Aylward snipped-for-privacy@anasoft.co.uk

SuperSpice, a very affordable Mixed-Mode Windows Simulator with Schematic Capture, Waveform Display, FFT's and Filter Design.

Kevin the great wrote "... he should give it up and take up Law instead." Now, that's hardly objective, hardly helpful, and is simply rude behavior patently intended to diminish the perceived worth of another.

Nope it wasn't. Of course it was objective and was not personal in any way. The issue here is that *any* negative comments are usually taken by people as personal. Lets suppose someone *is* completely clueless about something. How do you really propose to point that out without it sounding personal? In reality, it can't be done. What makes it a personal comment is how people perceive it. Those that cant take criticism, and claim that *all* such criticism are personal insults, have an ego problem. It was very helpful, sometimes people need a kick up the arse to knock some sense into them. Many are in profession that they are not suited to, and simply don't realise it.

Next, you sniped the full quote:

"...but if someone has an MSc as described, and needs anything more then the standard spice manual

he should give it up and take up Law instead..."

Which, obscures the correct meaning of my statement, and to all intents and purposes makes you a liar. There are qualifiers there, and I stand by the statement. Spice is to an electronics engineer as MS Word is to a writer. Knowledge of Spice details, for the most part, in any modern spice is simply not required. What seems to be the case is that the poster may not know electronics well enough and is mistaking this lack of electronics knowledge for lack of spice knowledge. *If* this is the case, and the poster has an MSc with significant electronics content, then clearly there is a problem. We are not talking about a tech with a year of college. Its an M.Sc. dude!!!. If the guy was a 1st year student, then things would be way different.

Kevin Aylward snipped-for-privacy@anasoft.co.uk

SuperSpice, a very affordable Mixed-Mode Windows Simulator with Schematic Capture, Waveform Display, FFT's and Filter Design.

Kevin the great wrote " ... and to all intents and purposes makes you a liar."

You just don't get it, do you?

A friendly suggestion: if you feel that others are stupid, just ignore them. Buy yourself a punching bag.