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Circuit simulation & design

Hi All,

Big time problem. Pls see requirements below:

  1. Draw circuits & simulation
  2. PCB Routing
  3. Software design (programming & debugging)

Okay that does it. Had been doing simple programming on MPLAB, generating hex files and programming into PIC chips. Some parts of the circuit built are simulated in MultiSim.

Now I am thinking if there exist any development tools which I can simulate the entire design process. Meaning from the hex file or any format (where software is generated), the circuit can be simulated (similar to electronic workbench).

Quite new in this area... Any differences to the following tools:

  1. NI Development Suite
  2. NI Circuit Design Suite

And can any of these tools cover all the requirements and are there any tools out there beside theses offered by NI?

Thanks in advance ywz

Reply to
ydoubleuz
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I don't know of any simulation environments that will let you simulate software inside of a circuit simulation. While this would be useful, the market is a long way away from realizing it, and when it does the first system will cost $$$.

I use LT Spice to simulate the circuit bits I'm not sure about, Eagle to capture schematics to produce, regular old compilers to write software, and (if necessary) something like Scilab to simulate the whole system.

--
Tim Wescott
Control systems and communications consulting
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Need to learn how to apply control theory in your embedded system?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" by Tim Wescott
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Reply to
Tim Wescott

he

ted text -

I believe PicAxe has a basic circuit simulator, tied to their software simulator.

BobS

Reply to
rnscrs

kirjoitti viestissä: snipped-for-privacy@f40g2000pri.googlegroups.com...

Check Proteus VSM for Labcenter:

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. It can simulate uP software within a mixed mode Spice simulator.

Leo

Reply to
Leo Sahlsten

skrev i meddelelsen news: snipped-for-privacy@f40g2000pri.googlegroups.com...

Those are Not requirements - they are Tasks!

Altium claims to be able to do something like that, Mentor Graphics can also A.F.A.I.K. do full simulation.

The backside is that those tools are expensive to begin with, then every thing you want to simulate costs even more, then there is a license fee on all the parts, then you have to learn how to drive the tools ... and work out in what ways they are broken - which is a sortof a Heisenberg problem because to verify the tools you have to build things and measure with equipment.

I would almost always recommend to skip the can-do-all-(maybe) tools and spend maybe 1/10 of the costs on decent instruments and then measure the prototypes with them. The exception is the case where your business is large & monied enough to build the entire "design factory" around one toolset because then - after a lot of system integration and with the proper support team e.t.c., one can reach the holy grail of going directly from design to manufacture.

... Then the tool vendor goes bust ...

I.O.W. You need to build the thing anyway to verify that the tools designed it correctly, for that you will need test instruments, time and money. Simpler, cheaper tools consume less money and time so more ressources are available to The Job.

Reply to
Frithiof Jensen

"Frithiof Jensen" skrev i meddelelsen news:49365dd5$0$56777$ snipped-for-privacy@dtext02.news.tele.dk...

Having Raved & Ranted so I am sitting here just giving the Proteus PCB Design package a spin - Easy-PC cannot do a hierachical design sooo I need something more substantial.

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I think I like it - the software have a 'solid' feel to it!

I actually does look like one really *could* simulate all the way, including a microcontroller, with the full Proteus package + a simulation addon for about GBP 1500. Which, IMO, is not bad at all.

Reply to
Frithiof Jensen

"Frithiof Jensen" wrote in message news:493ff26b$0$56773$ snipped-for-privacy@dtext02.news.tele.dk...

I suspect the problem would always be that there aren't simulation models for some of the hardware you're using or that the real hardware has relatively tight timing constraints that aren't simulated the same. Still, I probably overestimate how much of a problem that is -- perhaps a lot of software could be developed strictly via simulation. I wonder how hard it is to create a new simulation model for, e.g., some I2C device you're talking to?

Reply to
Joel Koltner

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