What are the best alternatives to HSPICE for circuit simulation?

[Swapnil]

I am using hspice right now and I have to say that it is not the most intuitive thing in the world. What other softwares like spice are out there? Which ones do you guys use for simulating a circuit that you made?

 

[chroot]

With power comes complexity.

If you're using Windows, I like Linear Technologies' LTSPICE (SwitcherCAD III). It's free, and is about the most intuitive simulator around, assuming you understand Spice syntax and analysis directives.

- Warren

 

[Maxwell]

Take the time to know HSPICE. It's very useful. With AvanWaves, it's a very nice program.

 

[LeBrad]

I am using hspice right now and I have to say that it is not the most intuitive thing in the world. What other softwares like spice are out there? Which ones do you guys use for simulating a circuit that you made?

What specifically do you not like about hspice?

 

[Swapnil]

What specifically do you not like about hspice?

The fact that you can't drag and drop the circuit elements in some sort of a virtual breadboard. Also, the that you have to use hspice in combination with AWaves or Csope. It is just too much of a hassel. Why can't they just integrate everything into one?

 

[budala]

guys, what do you think about PSpice?

 

[chroot]

PSpice is not really used by anyone in industry, but it's a good for students. It's a little hard to use, though.

- Warren

 

[budala]

Warren, thank you, I am using it in school and you are right it's not easy to use it.

 

[Swapnil]

I concur. :)

 

[Ibaun]

There's also Electronics Workbench if you'd like an alternative, albeit not as advanced (windows only I believe).

 

[jbusc]

hspice error messages are not too intuitive. Also, in some (entirely valid) analog circuits with feedback, it can have convergence problems, and even if the equations do converge, you can get weird things like signals rising _before_ its trigger comes along.

(this is about cadence hspice - the recommendation by cadence is to use spectre, which isn't really helpful :/ )

 

[es1]

Also, in some (entirely valid) analog circuits with feedback, it can have convergence problems, and even if the equations do converge, you can get weird things like signals rising _before_ its trigger comes along.

Wow! What entirely valid analog circuit failed to converge for every timestep?

I am really curious to know.

It must not have been a linear circuit. I have been thinking and the only thing I can come up with is that the simulation started with an invalid initial condition (a la bias point problems), or some feedback loop that is so fast, or some component value that is so extreme, the precision of the native floating point type of the machine matters.

I do occasionally have problems with letting the computer figure out dc bias points because things like leakeage into a cap confuse it, but just using an .ic statement fixes that.

If the problem was some esoteric math issue with the model you were using couldn't you just map out that part to a thevinin or norton equivalent via a dependent source statement? Or to state the same thing another way, just substitute in the equations that you mentioned that do converge, and presumably give the desired accuracy, via a dependent source statement. Kinda cheating, sure, but it does fix the problem.

Did you mock up the circuit on a bench? Are you sure there wasn't a positive feedback loop or resonance hiding in there?