Course[]
This page is for the course ELEC3106 - Electronics and is based on the lectures of Torsten Lehman senior lecturer at the University of New South Wales.
Overview[]
Prerequisites[]
The reader of this page is assumed to have a basic understanding of circuit theory, such as that gained from ELEC2134. It is also assumed that the reader is familiar with creating SPICE netlists via the schematic editor and/or writing it directly.
SPICE Simulations[]
Simulation Types[]
Transient
The transient analysis is used to view the response of a circuit over time. It does so by solving the system's differential equations for the specified output variable at discrete times. An added feature of this simulation is the Fourier analysis using which you can see the harmonic series of a given centre frequency. Total Harmonic Distortion will appear in the output file if Fourier is enabled.
Components
The main sources used in transient analysis include:
VSIN - A time-warying sinusoid
VPULSE - A periodic step source
VEXP - An exponential source
VPWL - A "Piece-Wise Linear" source which can be used to piece together an arbitrary waveform.
All parameters are graphically depicted in the respective Figures.
Simulation Parameters
Print Step - The time intervals at which the output file is printed to
Final Time - The final time on the x-axis
Step Ceiling - Maximum time between simulation points
Fourier Enabled - Enables a Fourier analysis
Centre Frequency - The fundamental frequency when calculation the harmonic series
Number of Harmonics - The number of harmonics to include in the series
Output Vars - The output variable in Fourier analysis
DC
DC Nodal Analysis
The node voltages and currents can be viewed in a circuit by using VIEWPOINT and IPROBE respectively. All capacitors are treated as open circuits and all inductors as short circuits.
DC Sweep
Node voltages and currents can be viewed for a range of given DC input source values. The independent variable is usually a voltage or a current.
Components
The sources generally used for this analysis are VDC and IDC which allow you to specify a DC voltage and an IC current respectively.
Simulation Parameters
Name - The name of the source you wish to sweep
Start Value & End Value - The values between which the source is swept
AC
AC analysis is used to view the response of a circuit in the frequency domain. It is capable of displaying both the magnitude and the phase response of a circuit. It is often used for the small-signal analysis of analogue circuits.
Components
The main source used for AC analysis is the VAC source which can be set to the desired magnitude and phase.
Simulation Parameters
AC Sweep Type - Sets the independent axis type out of linear, octave and decade
Sweep Parameters - Sets the start and end frequency on the independent axis and also the total number of points to plot
Noise Analysis -
Using SPICE Models[]
SPICE simulations can only be as good as the models used for the components of a circuit. Better models usually mean increased complexity and computation time, hence the designer is faced with a trade off between accuracy and time.
Diode Model[]
Switch Model[]
Voltage-Controlled Voltage Source[]
Op-Amp Models[]
Non-Linear Elements[]
Further Reading[]
It is recommended that the reader visits https://subjects.ee.unsw.edu.au/elec3106/ and reads the lecturers scribbles as an alternative source.