PCB design tools gain integrated simulation engine

TopSpice is now available as a simulation engine for the Cadstar suite of schematic and printed circuit board (PCB) design tools.

TopSpice is now available as a simulation engine for the Cadstar suite of schematic and printed circuit board (PCB) design tools.

TopSpice, from Penzar Development, enables design engineers to simulate their schematic exactly as it will be passed into PCB layout.

The integration between Cadstar and TopSpice, which has been developed in partnership with LatimerCAD, means that Cadstar users no longer have to copy data from schematic to simulation, but instead work within a single design environment, using a seamless design flow based around a single set of data.

All design and simulation functions are available from either the schematic or netlist editor front-ends, reducing design time and significantly boosting productivity.

The TopSpice simulation engine includes a native mixed-mode, mixed-signal simulator for circuits with any combination of analogue and digital functions; and works with most PSpice net lists and vendor Spice model libraries.

TopSpice enables designs to be optimised from system and individual transistor perspectives and its integrated Spice editor allows experienced designers to manually create Spice arguments and create models or subcircuits directly.

In addition, a parts properties editor gives fast access to the simulation parameters for each component, allowing small changes and "what if" tuning to be carried out quickly and easily.

TopSpice has an integral, event-driven, 32bit logic simulator that supports circuit sizes to the limit of system resources.

A device model library of over 15,000 parts is also included.

The simulator provides comprehensive analogue behaviour modelling and analysis including waveform, performance and statistical analytical functions.

Furthermore, it offers an interactive graphical post-processor with auto-plot functionality and waveform expression plots.

Zuken chose to integrate TopSpice into the design flow due to its proven performance and reliability.

Zuken continues to focus its own development efforts on enhancing the PCB design and routing aspects of Cadstar.

Cadstar is Zuken's Windows-based desktop PCB design solution.

It is designed for ease of use and easy integration into other design environments while preserving legacy data.

Spanning traditional design areas such as schematic capture, placement, routing, library creation and management, signal integrity, EMC analysis, and production of manufacturing data, Cadstar also delivers powerful addon technology through its 130,000+ component internet libraries.

It also offers a 3D design tool, automatic and high-speed routing, variant management and more.

Cadstar provides the productivity of high-end solutions at low-end prices.

It is completely scaleable, allowing customers to grow with their market without the need to change EDA technology.

Cadstar TopSpice is available through the distribution channel, now priced from $1759 per seat.

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