Freeware Analog and digital Electronics Simulator

[mauritz]

Hi Group

Where can I get a good freeware(or low cost) Electronics Simulator
(Analog and Digital).

M

 

[Lostgallifreyan]

mauritz <mauritzg@gmail.com> wrote in news:01444654-aa9b-4bae-8cf5-
902a264a126f@c9g2000yqm.googlegroups.com:

Hi Group

Where can I get a good freeware(or low cost) Electronics Simulator
(Analog and Digital).

M

Try LTspice. Not sure how much digital stuff it can do without you finding
models for it, but it's often been mentioned here for analog use. Linear
Technoogy made it but it's available for free and is used for general stuff,
not just theirs.

 

[JeffM]

mauritz wrote:

Where can I get a good freeware(or low cost) Electronics Simulator
(Analog and Digital).

If you're looking for "mixed-mode" simulation, there is no freeware.

There are some Free Software packages for electronics.
Most require Linux.
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.os.linux/browse_frm/thread/fc61d546e489de89/a117ba5f8a0e8089?q=alt.os.linux+klogic+tkgate+zz-zz+Qucs+gnucap+ksimus+frontend+qq+*-*-*-*-*-*-*-win32-port-*-*
http://google.com/search?q=cachepUwyQGayF0J:www.opencollector.org/summary.php+klogic+tkgate+Qucs+php+php+GAEL
http://brion.inria.fr/ara/search?p=false&s=section&x=false&q=tag%3A%22field%3A%3Aelectronics%22&a=Search&m=88&n=true

These guys will even show you how to make a bootable Linux CD
so you don't have to **install** anything.
http://www.slideshare.net/rgfigueroa/live-cd
(It helps if you speak Spanish.)
http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fgoogle.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dcache%3AwtwDQbH5T7UJ%3Awww.slideshare.net%2Frgfigueroa%2Flive-cd%2BKlogic%2BTkgate%2BQucs%2Binc%2Brights%2BKsimus%26strip%3D1&sl=es&tl=en&history_state0
A BitTorrent client will allow you to pirate all the software you
want.
There was one scummy company that has a much-pirated product
which deserves to have that pirated IMO
(after they changed the name of it
and claimed they no longer owed support to old customers).

....and it seems odd that you posted this to s.e.components.
This kind of thing belongs in sci.electronics.cad.

 

[JeffM]

JeffM wrote:
There was one scummy company that has a much-pirated product
which deserves to have that pirated IMO
(after they changed the name of it
and claimed they no longer owed support to old customers).

Lostgallifreyan wrote:
Who? With an assertion like that it's worth citing the source.

The platform of The Pirate Party of Sweden
relects what should be done WRT "intellectual property"
due to the way it's become an abuse (e.g. by the corp in question):
http://google.com/search?q=cache:hbX2RqK3JnMJ:www.piratpartiet.se/international/english+*-rid-of-*-patent-*+*-promote-culture-*-*-*-*+*-*-to-privacy+*-*-*-*-surveillance-state+DRM+mature-*-*+*-reform-copyright-*+*-methods+a..balance+*-*-*-*-*-*-*-staggeringly-*-*-*-*+*-*-*-*-*-*-*-pandemic-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*+non.commercial+se+*-panic-*+*-clauses+*-organisms+five.years+software+*-*-severely-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*+seventy-*-*-*-*-*+Pharmaceutical&strip=1

Cite:
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.basics/browse_frm/thread/4b6d24bbcc35b47/66a3d43500e2c4aa?q=mediocre-*-*+zz-zz+lethal.bugs+dishonest.business.practices+Electronics.Workbench+*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-on-Kazaa-for-free+*-dreadful+SUCKS+*-screw-the-*-*-*-*-*-promised-lifetime-free-upgrades+*-changed-the-name-*-*-*-*+qq-qq+useless+Illegal#65fbdc1ef2b8ea23
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.design/browse_frm/thread/fcb6187a5424c0d/7b223c9624fc3067?q=*-changed-*-name+zz-zz+*-screw-*-*-existing-customers+qq+*-*-lifetime-*-updates

Others have remarked about that corp's scummy business practices
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.arch.embedded/msg/fabd35817f59deac?q=*-*-*-*-sell-software+zzz+Save.you.money.and.time+not.support.it+*-*-*-screwed-again+Electronics-Workbench+Multisim-6.0+now-I-know-why-*-*-*-*-*
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.design/browse_frm/thread/bee6dab5ef1e86c9/ec739066bec0a94a?q=*-*-*-*-*-the-new-one-*-*-*-likely-to-have-defects+zzz+*.has.been.noted.*.many.times.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*+Electronics-Workbench-screwed-me+*-sucks+qq+*.*.treat.me.*.*.*+*-told-me-*-if-I-bought-the-newest-version-*-*-*-*

as well as the general poor quality of the product technically.
(Again, Larkin sums it up nicely.)
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.design/browse_frm/thread/d631c65ba007163d/fec04175a5000423?q=we-need-a-club-for-people-who-have-returned+zzz+hated-it+Electronics-Workbench+EWB

http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.basics/browse_frm/thread/745c0ecc633ef44a/65d50f55e0c1bcba?q=a-waste-of-time+something.more.capable+*..*.*.*.suck+*-crap+Electronics-Workbench+Multisim+Not.surprising

 

[Lostgallifreyan]

JeffM <jeffm_@email.com> wrote in
news:125bba11-81da-4068-ad30-2ef2694e208c@g1g2000yqh.googlegroups.com:

http://groups.google.com/group/comp.arch.embedded/msg/fabd35817f59deac?q=
*-*-*-*-sell-software+zzz+Save.you.money.and.time+not.support.it+*-*-*-sc
rewed-again+Electronics-Workbench+Multisim-6.0+now-I-know-why-*-*-*-*-*

Nice. And the rest. Looks like they believe that "a job worth doing is worth
doing badly so long as no-one else is allowed to do it better and get paid
and respected for it."

Re patents, I agree, they're a mess, more abuse than use, probably, and most
of it would be better served by copyright law anyway, even if the reforms
wanted by that site you linked to were implemented. Patents do little to
protect their owners, and a lot to halt progress by others, and rediculous
patents are granted for vague text written by people who use it to baffle and
restrict rather than to make a specific protection.

Not sure if Eagle does any simulations but if so, great, I just got
introduced to it yesterday to look at some Sparkfun Electronics board
layouts, as they use it. There's a freeware version...

On the subject of poor quality software, it's true, I remember looking at
Orcad and other stuff about ten years ago, and the hodge-podge of
incompatibilites and weird hangovers from Windows 3.1, and even DOS, were
evident, it was like no-one could be bothered to rewritew a coherent and
integrated structure at all! Not one of them! Given the asking prices fo teh
software, it was unforgivable in my view. One shining example included
amongst the murk was Gerbtool. For a while I used a copy of that solely. I
didn't bother with any tools for routing (my work was simple enough) or
netlist generation (pointless for me) or any of the other fancy stuff. I just
drew models of parts for layoutrs and schemtics and did everything in
Gerbtool because it was great for modelling accurately right through to
printing masks or sending files to PCF makers. Not bad, given that it
constituted less that a TENTH of the asking price of a suite of software
meant to do all that, most of it far worse than Gerbtool did... And Gerbtool
actually looked good doing it too, and that was unique.

 

[JeffM]

Lostgallifreyan wrote:

Not sure if Eagle does any simulations

Beige Bag had a relationship with Cadsoft

but I haven't looked in ages.

There's also this:
http://google.com/search?q=cacheWslgHDunn0J:www.cadsoft.de/cgi-bin/download.pl?page=/home/cadsoft/html_public/download.htm.en%26dir=eagle/userfiles/misc+a.SPICE3.simulation.upgrade.and.library+cgi+EAGLESP3&strip=1

but if so, great, I just got introduced to it yesterday
to look at some Sparkfun Electronics board layouts, as they use it.
There's a freeware version...

I *used* to be a fan. Not any more.

Cadsoft is in the DRM business now.
Anyone considering investing in that brand should read this:
**The Downside of EAGLE** aka **The EAGLE Virus**
by Markus Zingg
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.arch.embedded/browse_frm/thread/f794e82d26b59e18/d7cf4149edb93ac7?q=*-*-website+reuse+paying.*+*-I-will-switch+cracked-*+*.would.not.help.*+zzz+after-*-*-version-*+copied+*.*.unlock.*.designs+*-*-*-*-exchange-*-*-*-*-third-party+reused+qq+*-*-single-bit-*-*-*-*+useless+*-*-*-projects-could-no-longer-be-opened

Open Source Software tends to not pull that shit.
I recommend that folks look at KiCAD, gEDA, and FreePCB/TinyCAD
when seeking out an ECAD.

 

[Lostgallifreyan]

JeffM <jeffm_@email.com> wrote in
news:d899eacb-3df1-4143-b3af-2d259ccce907@n21g2000vba.googlegroups.com:

Cadsoft is in the DRM business now.
Anyone considering investing in that brand should read this:
**The Downside of EAGLE** aka **The EAGLE Virus**
by Markus Zingg
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.arch.embedded/browse_frm/thread/f794e
82d26b59e18/d7cf4149edb93ac7?q=*-*-website+reuse+paying.*+*-I-will-switch
+cracked-*+*.would.not.help.*+zzz+after-*-*-version-*+copied+*.*.unlock.*
.designs+*-*-*-*-exchange-*-*-*-*-third-party+reused+qq+*-*-single-bit-*-
*-*-*+useless+*-*-*-projects-could-no-longer-be-opened

Open Source Software tends to not pull that shit.
I recommend that folks look at KiCAD, gEDA, and FreePCB/TinyCAD
when seeking out an ECAD.

Noted. That behaviour is unacceptable. If people treat verified paying
customers in ways that might drive them to counterhacking just to get what
they paid for, that is a classic case of footshooting. If people take it even
further by using patents and DRM to stifle open source contributions of
genuinely new work that appears to emulate a vague patent, that's worse, it'a
obscene in my view, and fully justifes whatever required counterattack might
be used to get the full use the buyer was promised at the time of sale. Hell,
a clever hacker can even legally SELL their work under thew DMCA
'interoperability clause'! So it cuts both ways. Software sellers, be warned!
Treat people right. Potect yourselves, sure, but if you treat your paying
customers with all stick and no carrot you only have yourselves to blame for
any direct consequences. The DMCA isn't there only to protect you.

(As if they read this, but you never know...)

 

[Lostgallifreyan]

Lostgallifreyan <no-one@nowhere.net> wrote in
news:Xns9C2F321D35A38zoodlewurdle@216.196.109.145:

If people take it even
further by using patents and DRM to stifle open source contributions of
genuinely new work that appears to emulate a vague patent, that's worse,
it'a obscene in my view, and fully justifes whatever required
counterattack might be used to get the full use the buyer was promised
at the time of sale.

That paragraph is a mess, posted too early in the morning... What I mean is
that what JeffM pointed out with that link was a case where the protection
was too ruthless, it prevents propogation of third party work at the expense
of innocent buyers. It's unacceptable because the appropriate fix is to load
the data, warning the user that they cannot save a copy, edited or otherwise,
unless done so by a manual copy that takes a human interaction, or uses some
other means to let the user keep the data while putting an obstacle in the
way of automated propagation of data that originated on a dodgy copy of the
program. THis solves another problem too, if an earlier version had a bug,
the seller can use this method to prevent the effects of that bug propagating
via data files to other, later copies of the program. Just enforcing that the
user has to use their paid-for copy of the program to do a manual copy/paste
of the suspect data using the internal methods should be enough, as most
unpaid software doesn't allow resaving anyway.

(And now I really hope they DO read these things, this one might do them
good)

 

[Lostgallifreyan]

JeffM <jeffm_@email.com> wrote in news:af950c6e-cc2c-4d53-b0fe-
fc2c13d5f0bb@f19g2000yqh.googlegroups.com:

There was one scummy company that has a much-pirated product
which deserves to have that pirated IMO
(after they changed the name of it
and claimed they no longer owed support to old customers).

Who? With an assertion like that it's worth citing the source.