|
|
|
|
|
|
Simulation Templates and
Automated Measurements Among Host of New Features
San Pedro, CA, November 23, 1998-- Intusoft announced today the latest release of ICAP/4Windows v8.x.6, a newly enhanced version of their popular analog and mixed-signal circuit design tool. The release marks one of the company’s most innovative product updates in the company’s 14 year history. Shipping immediately, ICAP/4Windows is available for those engineers looking to boost their productivity through the purchase of powerful EDA tools, at a price which gives the product the most affordable cost-to-feature ratio of any other simulation tool in the market.
The update adds several significant features to ICAP/4Windows. The most unique among these new features is the addition of Simulation Templates. Templates are command scripts that direct the IsSpice4 simulator to perform complex simulation and data analyses. The initial release of Simulation Templates includes scripts that perform worst case, RSS, sensitivity and EVA analysis for AC, DC and Transient analysis as well as the traditional operating point analysis. (see Figure 1, below)
Simulation Templates change parameters one at a time, measure and record the resulting changes in circuit operation, and provide a summarized report consisting of user-defined measurements (see Figure 2, below). The user-defined measurements are set up using an easy-to-use Wizard approach. Extensive waveform measurements across all simulation domains are provided. Programming and script writing is not necessary. Once the measurements are set up, they are performed automatically when a simulation is run.
Tight integration of the Simulation
Templates into the IsSpice4 mixed-signal simulator greatly increases
processing speed because the simulator is not exited or reloaded,
and netlists don’t need to be re-compiled. Multiple simulations
can be run automatically in either batch or interactive mode while
varying toleranced parameters in each pass. The results are automatically
extracted and displayed against user-defined limits. “Stress
alarms” are automatically displayed when a performance parameter
is out-of-tolerance.
Other new features include scripted Monte Carlo, new SPICE models
and Design Validator™. Design Validator keeps track of multiple
circuit configurations, analysis setups and test measurements.
It then runs an entire suite of tests automatically and creates
a report that summarizes the measurements and pass-fail grades
(Figure 2). The measurements can be made on
any number of nodes, currents or devices. All of this is done
without the need for any user interaction.
“This adds a powerful capability that extends SPICE well beyond its current single simulation oriented boundaries,” stated Charles Hymowitz, Vice President of Product Development for Intusoft. “These new feature additions, in particular, the design validation and Simulation Templates, make ICAP/4Windows a completely unique EDA tool,” noted Hymowitz, “because no other SPICE tool has this feature set, at any price level. In fact, ICAP/4Windows’ biggest competitor, PSpice, has none of these features.”
ICAP/4Windows comes with a library of over 10,000 SPICE models, (14,000 with the purchase of optional libraries), the IsSpice4 native analog and mixed-signal simulator, and the IntuScope waveform post processor. Keyless Network versions are also available. A UNIX version, ViewAnalog, is available from Viewlogic, Marlborough, Massachusetts.
More information and
a free working evaluation copy of ICAP/4Windows version 8.x.6
can be found on the Intusoft website at: www.intusoft.com. Established
in 1985, Intusoft designs develops and markets software applications
and tools for analog and mixed-signal circuit design, analysis
and test automation to electronics industries worldwide.
|
Caption: ICAP/4Windows version 8.x.6 RSS, Extreme Value, Worst Case, and Sensitivity Analyses are now available for AC, DC, Transient and operating point domains. Users can define their own “Simulation Template” scripts to perform complex analysis sequences like those used for RSS and EVA (See Figure 2). |
|
|
|
Caption: A portion of an RSS Simulation Template script (right). The script runs transparently when the analysis is activated (see Figure 1). The power of this feature is evident once you realize what is actually being done. The template enumerates all the circuit parameters with tolerances, adjusts their value, runs a simulation for each, and collects the data. The results are displayed in a report (Figure 2 right) and can be compared against another simulation or user-defined limits. Automated measurements can be made for any analysis and on any circuit quantity. In the case of the RSS, EVA, Monte Carlo and Worst Case analyses, the returned values can be used to set minimum and maximum measurement limits. |
|
#tolerance nextparam null while param != null alterparam tolerance(param)/3 #simulation paramvec = param printstatus -p paramvec #mprint nv = nextvector(null) while nv != null if length(nv) = 1dialog nv = nv - ref.nv result.nv = result.nv + abs(3*nv) end nv = nextvector(nv) end unalterparam nextparam end echo #### RSS HI analysis Results #### #mprint |