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Using the Spice Circuit Simulation ProgramElectronics Workbench SPICE "With Electronics Workbench, you can create circuit schematics that look just the same as those you're already familiar with on paper -- plus you can flip the power switch so the schematic behaves like a real circuit. With other electronics simulators, you may have to type in SPICE node lists as text files -- an abstract representation of a circuit beyond the capabilities of all but advanced electronics engineers." (Electronics Workbench User's guide -- version 4, page 7) This introduction comes from the operating manual for a circuit simulation program called Electronics Workbench. Using a graphic interface, it allows the user to draw a circuit schematic and then have the computer analyze that circuit, displaying the results in graphic form. It is a very valuable analysis tool, but it has its shortcomings. For one, it and other graphic programs like it tend to be unreliable when analyzing complex circuits, as the translation from picture to computer code is not quite the exact science we would want it to be (yet). Secondly, due to its graphics requirements, it tends to need a significant amount of computational "horsepower" to run, and a computer operating system that supports graphics. Thirdly, these graphic programs can be costly. However, underneath the graphics skin of Electronics Workbench lies a robust (and free!) program called SPICE, which analyzes a circuit based on a text-file description of the circuit's components and connections. What the user pays for with Electronics Workbench and other graphic circuit analysis programs is the convenient "point and click" interface, while SPICE does the actual mathematical analysis. By itself, SPICE does not require a graphic interface and demands little in system resources. It is also very reliable. The makers of Electronic Workbench would like you to think that using SPICE in its native text mode is a task suited for rocket scientists, but I'm writing this to prove them wrong. SPICE is fairly easy to use for simple circuits, and its non-graphic interface actually lends itself toward the analysis of circuits that can be difficult to draw. I think it was the programming expert Donald Knuth who quipped, "What you see is all you get" when it comes to computer applications. Graphics may look more attractive, but abstracted interfaces (text) are actually more efficient. This document is not intended to be an exhaustive tutorial on how to use SPICE. I'm merely trying to show the interested user how to apply it to the analysis of simple circuits, as an alternative to proprietary ($$$) and buggy programs. Once you learn the basics, there are other tutorials better suited to take you further. Using SPICE -- a program originally intended to develop integrated circuits -- to analyze some of the really simple circuits showcased here may seem a bit like cutting butter with a chain saw, but it works! SPICE2g6All options and examples have been tested on SPICE version 2g6 on both MS-DOS and Linux operating systems. As far as I know, I'm not using features specific to version 2g6, so these simple functions should work on most versions of SPICE. SPICE is a computer program designed to simulate analog electronic circuits. It original intent was for the development of integrated circuits, from which it derived its name: Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis. The origin of SPICE traces back to another circuit simulation program called CANCER. Developed by professor Ronald Rohrer of U.C. Berkeley along with some of his students in the late 1960's, CANCER continued to be improved through the early 1970's. When Rohrer left Berkeley, CANCER was re-written and re-named to SPICE, released as version 1 to the public domain in May of 1972. Version 2 of SPICE was released in 1975 (version 2g6 -- the version used in this book -- is a minor revision of this 1975 release). Instrumental in the decision to release SPICE as a public-domain computer program was professor Donald Pederson of Berkeley, who believed that all significant technical progress happens when information is freely shared. I for one thank him for his vision. FORTRAN, computer language C, computer languageA major improvement came about in March of 1985 with version 3 of SPICE (also released under public domain). Written in the C language rather than FORTRAN, version 3 incorporated additional transistor types (the MESFET, for example), and switch elements. Version 3 also allowed the use of alphabetical node labels rather than only numbers. Instructions written for version 2 of SPICE should still run in version 3, though. Despite the additional power of version 3, I have chosen to use version 2g6 throughout this book because it seems to be the easiest version to acquire and run on different computer systems. Programming, SPICE SPICE programming Programming a circuit simulation with SPICE is much like programming in any other computer language: you must type the commands as text in a file, save that file to the computer's hard drive, and then process the contents of that file with a program (compiler or interpreter) that understands such commands. In an interpreted computer language, the computer holds a special program called an interpreter that translates the program you wrote (the so-called source file) into the computer's own language, on the fly, as it's being executed: Interpreter
Compiler In a compiled computer language, the program you wrote is translated all at once into the computer's own language by a special program called a compiler. After the program you've written has been "compiled," the resulting executable file needs no further translation to be understood directly by the computer. It can now be "run" on a computer whether or not compiler software has been installed on that computer: SPICE is an interpreted language. In order for a computer to be able to understand the SPICE instructions you type, it must have the SPICE program (interpreter) installed: FORTRAN, computer language BASIC, computer language PASCAL, computer language Netlist, SPICESPICE source files are commonly referred to as "netlists," although they are sometimes known as "decks" with each line in the file being called a "card." Cute, don't you think? Netlists are created by a person like yourself typing instructions line-by-line using a word processor or text editor. Text editors are much preferred over word processors for any type of computer programming, as they produce pure ASCII text with no special embedded codes for text highlighting (like italic or boldface fonts), which are uninterpretable by interpreter and compiler software. As in general programming, the source file you create for SPICE must follow certain conventions of programming. It is a computer language in itself, albeit a simple one. Having programmed in BASIC and C/C++, and having some experience reading PASCAL and FORTRAN programs, it is my opinion that the language of SPICE is much simpler than any of these. It is about the same complexity as a markup language such as HTML, perhaps less so. There is a cycle of steps to be followed in using SPICE to analyze a circuit. The cycle starts when you first invoke the text editing program and make your first draft of the netlist. The next step is to run SPICE on that new netlist and see what the results are. If you are a novice user of SPICE, your first attempts at creating a good netlist will be fraught with small errors of syntax. Don't worry -- as every computer programmer knows, proficiency comes with lots of practice. If your trial run produces error messages or results that are obviously incorrect, you need to re-invoke the text editing program and modify the netlist. After modifying the netlist, you need to run SPICE again and check the results. The sequence, then, looks something like this:
To "run" a SPICE "program," you need to type in a command at a terminal prompt interface, such as that found in MS-DOS, UNIX, or the MS-Windows DOS prompt option:
spice < example.cir
The word "spice" invokes the SPICE interpreting program (providing that the SPICE software has been installed on the computer!), the "<" symbol redirects the contents of the source file to the SPICE interpreter, and
When this command is typed in, SPICE will read the contents of the spice < example.cir | more This alternative "pipes" the text output of SPICE to the "more" utility, which allows only one page to be displayed at a time. What this means (in English) is that the text output of SPICE is halted after one screen-full, and waits until the user presses a keyboard key to display the next screen-full of text. If you're just testing your example circuit file and want to check for any errors, this is a good way to do it.
spice < example.cir > example.txt
This second alternative (above) redirects the text output of SPICE to another file, called
Once you have a SPICE output stored in a The netlist file format required by SPICE is quite simple. A netlist file is nothing more than a plain ASCII text file containing multiple lines of text, each line describing either a circuit component or special SPICE command. Circuit architecture is specified by assigning numbers to each component's connection points in each line, connections between components designated by common numbers. Examine the following example circuit diagram and its corresponding SPICE file. Please bear in mind that the circuit diagram exists only to make the simulation easier for human beings to understand. SPICE only understands netlists:
Example netlist v1 1 0 dc 15 r1 1 0 2.2k r2 1 2 3.3k r3 2 0 150 .end
Each line of the source file shown above is explained here:
Electrically common points (or "nodes") in a SPICE circuit description share common numbers, much in the same way that wires connecting common points in a large circuit typically share common wire labels.
To simulate this circuit, the user would type those six lines of text on a text editor and save them as a file with a unique name (such as
1*******10/10/99 ******** spice 2g.6 3/15/83 ********07:32:42***** 0example netlist 0**** input listing temperature = 27.000 deg c v1 1 0 dc 15 r1 1 0 2.2k r2 1 2 3.3k r3 2 0 150 .end *****10/10/99 ********* spice 2g.6 3/15/83 ******07:32:42****** 0example netlist 0**** small signal bias solution temperature = 27.000 deg c node voltage node voltage ( 1) 15.0000 ( 2) 0.6522 voltage source currents name current v1 -1.117E-02 total power dissipation 1.67E-01 watts job concluded 0 total job time 0.02 1*******10/10/99 ******** spice 2g.6 3/15/83 ******07:32:42***** 0**** input listing temperature = 27.000 deg c
SPICE begins by printing the time, date, and version used at the top of the output. It then lists the input parameters (the lines of the source file), followed by a display of DC voltage readings from each node (reference number) to ground (always reference number 0). This is followed by a list of current readings through each voltage source (in this case there's only one, v1). Finally, the total power dissipation and computation time in seconds is printed. All output values provided by SPICE are displayed in scientific notation.
The SPICE output listing shown above is a little verbose for most peoples' taste. For a final presentation, it might be nice to trim all the unnecessary text and leave only what matters. Here is a sample of that same output, redirected to a text file (
example netlist v1 1 0 dc 15 r1 1 0 2.2k r2 1 2 3.3k r3 2 0 150 .end
node voltage node voltage ( 1) 15.0000 ( 2) 0.6522
voltage source currents name current v1 -1.117E-02
total power dissipation 1.67E-01 watts
One of the very nice things about SPICE is that both input and output formats are plain-text, which is the most universal and easy-to-edit electronic format around. Practically any computer will be able to edit and display this format, even if the SPICE program itself is not resident on that computer. If the user desires, he or she is free to use the advanced capabilities of word processing programs to make the output look fancier. Comments can even be inserted between lines of the output for further clarity to the reader. If you've used DOS or UNIX operating systems before in a command-line shell environment, you may wonder why we have to use the "<" symbol between the word "spice" and the name of the netlist file to be interpreted. Why not just enter the file name as the first argument to the command "spice" as we do when we invoke the text editor? The answer is that SPICE has the option of an interactive mode, whereby each line of the netlist can be interpreted as it is entered through the computer's Standard Input (stdin). If you simple type "spice" at the prompt and press [Enter], SPICE will begin to interpret anything you type in to it (live). For most applications, it's nice to save your netlist work in a separate file and then let SPICE interpret that file when you're ready. This is the way I encourage SPICE to be used, and so this is the way it's presented in this lesson. In order to use SPICE this way in a command-line environment, we need to use the "<" redirection symbol to direct the contents of your netlist file to Standard Input (stdin), which SPICE can then process. Remember that this tutorial is not exhaustive by any means, and that all descriptions for elements in the SPICE language are documented here in condensed form. SPICE is a very capable piece of software with lots of options, and I'm only going to document a few of them. All components in a SPICE source file are primarily identified by the first letter in each respective line. Characters following the identifying letter are used to distinguish one component of a certain type from another of the same type (r1, r2, r3, rload, rpullup, etc.), and need not follow any particular naming convention, so long as no more than eight characters are used in both the component identifying letter and the distinguishing name. Component names, SPICE
For example, suppose you were simulating a digital circuit with "pullup" and "pulldown" resistors. The name
You can actually get away with component names in excess of eight total characters if there are no other similarly-named components in the source file. SPICE only pays attention to the first eight characters of the first field in each line, so
It should also be noted that SPICE ignores character case, so SPICE allows the use of metric prefixes in specifying component values, which is a very handy feature. However, the prefix convention used by SPICE differs somewhat from standard metric symbols, primarily due to the fact that netlists are restricted to standard ASCII characters (ruling out Greek letters such as μ for the prefix "micro") and that SPICE is case-insensitive, so "m" (which is the standard symbol for "milli") and "M" (which is the standard symbol for "Mega") are interpreted identically. Here are a few examples of prefixes used in SPICE netlists: Metric prefixes, SPICE
Scientific notation, SPICE Scientific notation is also allowed in specifying component values. For example:
The unit (ohms, volts, farads, henrys, etc.) is automatically determined by the type of component being specified. SPICE "knows" that all of the above examples are "ohms" because they are all resistors (r1, r2, r3, . . . ). If they were capacitors, the values would be interpreted as "farads," if inductors, then "henrys," etc. Passive componentsCapacitors, SPICE CAPACITORS: General form: c[name] [node1] [node2] [value] ic=[initial voltage] Example 1: c1 12 33 10u Example 2: c1 12 33 10u ic=3.5
Comments: The "initial condition" ( Inductors, SPICE INDUCTORS: General form: l[name] [node1] [node2] [value] ic=[initial current] Example 1: l1 12 33 133m Example 2: l1 12 33 133m ic=12.7m
Comments: The "initial condition" ( Mutual inductance, SPICE Transformers, SPICE INDUCTOR COUPLING (transformers): General form: k[name] l[name] l[name] [coupling factor] Example 1: k1 l1 l2 0.999 Comments: SPICE will only allow coupling factor values between 0 and 1 (non-inclusive), with 0 representing no coupling and 1 representing perfect coupling. The order of specifying coupled inductors (l1, l2 or l2, l1) is irrelevant. Resistors, SPICE RESISTORS: General form: r[name] [node1] [node2] [value] Example: rload 23 15 3.3k Comments: In case you were wondering, there is no declaration of resistor power dissipation rating in SPICE. All components are assumed to be indestructible. If only real life were this forgiving!
Active componentsModel, SPICE Semiconductor model, SPICE
All semiconductor components must have their electrical characteristics described in a line starting with the word " Diodes, SPICE DIODES: General form: d[name] [anode] [cathode] [model] Example: d1 1 2 mod1 DIODE MODELS: General form: .model [modelname] d [parmtr1=x] [parmtr2=x] . . . Example: .model mod1 d Example: .model mod2 d vj=0.65 rs=1.3 Parameter definitions:
Comments: The model name must begin with a letter, not a number. If you plan to specify a model for a 1N4003 rectifying diode, for instance, you cannot use "1n4003" for the model name. An alternative might be "m1n4003" instead. Transistors, bipolar, SPICE TRANSISTORS (bipolar junction -- BJT): General form: q[name] [collector] [base] [emitter] [model] Example: q1 2 3 0 mod1 BJT TRANSISTOR MODELS: General form: .model [modelname] [npn or pnp] [parmtr1=x] . . . Example: .model mod1 pnp Example: .model mod2 npn bf=75 is=1e-14
The model examples shown above are very nonspecific. To accurately model real-life transistors, more parameters are necessary. Take these two examples, for the popular 2N2222 and 2N2907 transistors (the " Example: .model m2n2222 npn is=19f bf=150 vaf=100 ikf=.18 + ise=50p ne=2.5 br=7.5 var=6.4 ikr=12m + isc=8.7p nc=1.2 rb=50 re=0.4 rc=0.4 cje=26p + tf=0.5n cjc=11p tr=7n xtb=1.5 kf=0.032f af=1 Example: .model m2n2907 pnp is=1.1p bf=200 nf=1.2 vaf=50 + ikf=0.1 ise=13p ne=1.9 br=6 rc=0.6 cje=23p + vje=0.85 mje=1.25 tf=0.5n cjc=19p vjc=0.5 + mjc=0.2 tr=34n xtb=1.5 Parameter definitions:
Comments: Just as with diodes, the model name given for a particular transistor type must begin with a letter, not a number. That's why the examples given above for the 2N2222 and 2N2907 types of BJTs are named "m2n2222" and "m2n2907" respectively. As you can see, SPICE allows for very detailed specification of transistor properties. Many of the properties listed above are well beyond the scope and interest of the beginning electronics student, and aren't even useful apart from knowing the equations SPICE uses to model BJT transistors. For those interested in learning more about transistor modeling in SPICE, consult other books, such as Andrei Vladimirescu's The Spice Book (ISBN 0-471-60926-9). Transistors, jfet, SPICE TRANSISTORS (junction field-effect -- JFET): General form: j[name] [drain] [gate] [source] [model] Example: j1 2 3 0 mod1 JFET TRANSISTOR MODELS: General form: .model [modelname] [njf or pjf] [parmtr1=x] . . . Example: .model mod1 pjf Example: .model mod2 njf lambda=1e-5 pb=0.75 Parameter definitions:
Transistors, mosfet, SPICE TRANSISTORS (insulated-gate field-effect -- IGFET or MOSFET): General form: m[name] [drain] [gate] [source] [substrate] [model] Example: m1 2 3 0 0 mod1 MOSFET TRANSISTOR MODELS: General form: .model [modelname] [nmos or pmos] [parmtr1=x] . . . Example: .model mod1 pmos Example: .model mod2 nmos level=2 phi=0.65 rd=1.5 Example: .model mod3 nmos vto=-1 (depletion) Example: .model mod4 nmos vto=1 (enhancement) Example: .model mod5 pmos vto=1 (depletion) Example: .model mod6 pmos vto=-1 (enhancement)
Comments: In order to distinguish between enhancement mode and depletion-mode (also known as depletion-enhancement mode) transistors, the model parameter "
Remember that enhancement mode transistors are normally-off devices, and must be turned on by the application of gate voltage. Depletion-mode transistors are normally "on," but can be "pinched off" as well as enhanced to greater levels of drain current by applied gate voltage, hence the alternate designation of "depletion-enhancement" MOSFETs. The " SourcesVoltage sources, AC, SPICEAC SINEWAVE VOLTAGE SOURCES (when using .ac card to specify frequency): General form: v[name] [+node] [-node] ac [voltage] [phase] sin Example 1: v1 1 0 ac 12 sin Example 2: v1 1 0 ac 12 240 sin (12 V240o) Comments: This method of specifying AC voltage sources works well if you're using multiple sources at different phase angles from each other, but all at the same frequency. If you need to specify sources at different frequencies in the same circuit, you must use the next method!
AC SINEWAVE VOLTAGE SOURCES (when NOT using .ac card to specify frequency): General form: v[name] [+node] [-node] sin([offset] [voltage] + [freq] [delay] [damping factor]) Example 1: v1 1 0 sin(0 12 60 0 0) Parameter definitions:
Comments: This method of specifying AC voltage sources works well if you're using multiple sources at different frequencies from each other. Representing phase shift is tricky, though, necessitating the use of the delay factor. Voltage sources, DC, SPICE DC VOLTAGE SOURCES (when using .dc card to specify voltage): General form: v[name] [+node] [-node] dc Example 1: v1 1 0 dc
Comments: If you wish to have SPICE output voltages not in reference to node 0, you must use the
DC VOLTAGE SOURCES (when NOT using .dc card to specify voltage): General form: v[name] [+node] [-node] dc [voltage] Example 1: v1 1 0 dc 12 Comments: Nothing noteworthy here! Voltage sources, pulse, SPICE PULSE VOLTAGE SOURCES General form: v[name] [+node] [-node] pulse ([i] [p] [td] [tr] + [tf] [pw] [pd]) Parameter definitions:
Example 1: v1 1 0 pulse (-3 3 0 0 0 10m 20m) Comments: Example 1 is a perfect square wave oscillating between -3 and +3 volts, with zero rise and fall times, a 20 millisecond period, and a 50 percent duty cycle (+3 volts for 10 ms, then -3 volts for 10 ms). Current sources, AC, SPICE AC SINEWAVE CURRENT SOURCES (when using .ac card to specify frequency): General form: i[name] [+node] [-node] ac [current] [phase] sin Example 1: i1 1 0 ac 3 sin (3 amps) Example 2: i1 1 0 ac 1m 240 sin (1 mA240o) Comments: The same comments apply here (and in the next example) as for AC voltage sources.
AC SINEWAVE CURRENT SOURCES (when NOT using .ac card to specify frequency): General form: i[name] [+node] [-node] sin([offset] + [current] [freq] 0 0) Example 1: i1 1 0 sin(0 1.5 60 0 0) Current sources, DC, SPICE DC CURRENT SOURCES (when using .dc card to specify current): General form: i[name] [+node] [-node] dc Example 1: i1 1 0 dc
DC CURRENT SOURCES (when NOT using .dc card to specify current): General form: i[name] [+node] [-node] dc [current] Example 1: i1 1 0 dc 12 Comments: Even though the books all say that the first node given for the DC current source is the positive node, that's not what I've found to be in practice. In actuality, a DC current source in SPICE pushes current in the same direction as a voltage source (battery) would with its negative node specified first. Current sources, pulse, SPICE PULSE CURRENT SOURCES General form: i[name] [+node] [-node] pulse ([i] [p] [td] [tr] + [tf] [pw] [pd]) Parameter definitions:
Example 1: i1 1 0 pulse (-3m 3m 0 0 0 17m 34m) Comments: Example 1 is a perfect square wave oscillating between -3 mA and +3 mA, with zero rise and fall times, a 34 millisecond period, and a 50 percent duty cycle (+3 mA for 17 ms, then -3 mA for 17 ms). Voltage sources, dependent, SPICE VOLTAGE SOURCES (dependent): General form: e[name] [out+node] [out-node] [in+node] [in-node] + [gain] Example 1: e1 2 0 1 2 999k Comments: Dependent voltage sources are great to use for simulating operational amplifiers. Example 1 shows how such a source would be configured for use as a voltage follower, inverting input connected to output (node 2) for negative feedback, and the noninverting input coming in on node 1. The gain has been set to an arbitrarily high value of 999,000. One word of caution, though: SPICE does not recognize the input of a dependent source as being a load, so a voltage source tied only to the input of an independent voltage source will be interpreted as "open." See op-amp circuit examples for more details on this. Current sources, dependent, SPICE CURRENT SOURCES (dependent): Analysis, AC, SPICE AC ANALYSIS: General form: .ac [curve] [points] [start] [final] Example 1: .ac lin 1 1000 1000
Comments: The [curve] field can be "lin" (linear), "dec" (decade), or "oct" (octave), specifying the (non)linearity of the frequency sweep. Analysis, DC, SPICE DC ANALYSIS: General form: .dc [source] [start] [final] [increment] Example 1: .dc vin 1.5 15 0.5 Comments: The .dc card is necessary if you want to print or plot any voltage between two nonzero nodes. Otherwise, the default "small-signal" analysis only prints out the voltage between each nonzero node and node zero. Analysis, transient, SPICE TRANSIENT ANALYSIS: General form: .tran [increment] [stop_time] [start_time] + [comp_interval] Example 1: .tran 1m 50m uic Example 2: .tran .5m 32m 0 .01m Comments: Example 1 has an increment time of 1 millisecond and a stop time of 50 milliseconds (when only two parameters are specified, they are increment time and stop time, respectively). Example 2 has an increment time of 0.5 milliseconds, a stop time of 32 milliseconds, a start time of 0 milliseconds (no delay on start), and a computation interval of 0.01 milliseconds.
Default value for start time is zero. Transient analysis always begins at time zero, but storage of data only takes place between start time and stop time. Data output interval is increment time, or (stop time - start time)/50, which ever is smallest. However, the computing interval variable can be used to force a computational interval smaller than either. For large total interval counts, the Plot output, SPICE PLOT OUTPUT: General form: .plot [type] [output1] [output2] . . . [output n] Example 1: .plot dc v(1,2) i(v2) Example 2: .plot ac v(3,4) vp(3,4) i(v1) ip(v1) Example 3: .plot tran v(4,5) i(v2)
Comments: SPICE can't handle more than eight data point requests on a single
Also, here's a major caveat when using SPICE version 3: if you're performing AC analysis and you ask SPICE to plot an AC voltage as in example #2, the Print output, SPICE PRINT OUTPUT: General form: .print [type] [output1] [output2] . . . [output n] Example 1: .print dc v(1,2) i(v2) Example 2: .print ac v(2,4) i(vinput) vp(2,3) Example 3: .print tran v(4,5) i(v2)
Comments: SPICE can't handle more than eight data point requests on a single Analysis, Fourier, SPICE FOURIER ANALYSIS: General form: .four [freq] [output1] [output2] . . . [output n] Example 1: .four 60 v(1,2)
Comments: The
It helps to include a computation interval variable in the Options, miscellaneous, SPICE MISCELLANEOUS: General form: .options [option1] [option2] Example 1: .options limpts=500 Example 2: .options itl5=0 Example 3: .options method=gear Example 4: .options list Example 5: .options nopage Example 6: .options numdgt=6Option, limpts, SPICE
Comments: There are lots of options that can be specified using this card. Perhaps the one most needed by beginning users of SPICE is the "
In example 2, we see an iteration variable (
Example 3 with "
The "
By default, SPICE will insert ASCII page-break control codes in the output to separate different sections of the analysis. Specifying the "
The "
WIDTH CONTROL: General form: .width in=[columns] out=[columns] Example 1: .width out=80Option, width, SPICE
Comments: The "Garbage in, garbage out." Anonymous SPICE is a very reliable piece of software, but it does have its little quirks that take some getting used to. By "quirk" I mean a demand placed upon the user to write the source file in a particular way in order for it to work without giving error messages. I do not mean any kind of fault with SPICE which would produce erroneous or misleading results: that would be more properly referred to as a "bug." Speaking of bugs, SPICE has a few of them as well. Some (or all) of these quirks may be unique to SPICE version 2g6, which is the only version I've used extensively. They may have been fixed in later versions. A good beginningSPICE demands that the source file begin with something other than the first "card" in the circuit description "deck." This first character in the source file can be a linefeed, title line, or a comment: there just has to be something there before the first component-specifying line of the file. If not, SPICE will refuse to do an analysis at all, claiming that there is a serious error (such as improper node connections) in the "deck." A good ending.end command, SPICE
SPICE demands that the Must have a node 0Nodes, SPICEYou are given much freedom in numbering circuit nodes, but you must have a node 0 somewhere in your netlist in order for SPICE to work. Node 0 is the default node for circuit ground, and it is the point of reference for all voltages specified at single node locations. When simple DC analysis is performed by SPICE, the output will contain a listing of voltages at all non-zero nodes in the circuit. The point of reference (ground) for all these voltage readings is node 0. For example:
node voltage node voltage ( 1) 15.0000 ( 2) 0.6522
In this analysis, there is a DC voltage of 15 volts between node 1 and ground (node 0), and a DC voltage of 0.6522 volts between node 2 and ground (node 0). In both these cases, the voltage polarity is negative at node 0 with reference to the other node (in other words, both nodes 1 and 2 are positive with respect to node 0). Avoid open circuitsOpen circuits, SPICE
SPICE cannot handle open circuits of any kind. If your netlist specifies a circuit with an open voltage source, for example, SPICE will refuse to perform an analysis. A prime example of this type of error is found when "connecting" a voltage source to the input of a voltage-dependent source (used to simulate an operational amplifier). SPICE needs to see a complete path for current, so I usually tie a high-value resistor (call it Avoid certain component loopsSPICE cannot handle certain uninterrupted loops of components in a circuit, namely voltage sources and inductors. The following loops will cause SPICE to abort analysis: netlist l1 2 4 10m l2 2 4 50m l3 2 4 25m
netlist v1 1 0 dc 12 l1 1 0 150m
netlist c1 5 6 33u c2 6 7 47u
The reason SPICE can't handle these conditions stems from the way it performs DC analysis: by treating all inductors as shorts and all capacitors as opens. Since short-circuits (0 Ω) and open circuits (infinite resistance) either contain or generate mathematical infinitudes, a computer simply cannot deal with them, and so SPICE will discontinue analysis if any of these conditions occur. In order to make these component configurations acceptable to SPICE, you must insert resistors of appropriate values into the appropriate places, eliminating the respective short-circuits and open-circuits. If a series resistor is required, choose a very low resistance value. Conversely, if a parallel resistor is required, choose a very high resistance value. For example: To fix the parallel inductor problem, insert a very low-value resistor in series with each offending inductor. original netlist l1 2 4 10m l2 2 4 50m l3 2 4 25m
fixed netlist rbogus1 2 3 1e-12 rbogus2 2 5 1e-12 l1 3 4 10m l2 2 4 50m l3 5 4 25m
The extremely low-resistance resistors Rbogus1 and Rbogus2 (each one with a mere 1 pico-ohm of resistance) "break up" the direct parallel connections that existed between L1, L2, and L3. It is important to choose very low resistances here so that circuit operation is not substantially impacted by the "fix." To fix the voltage source / inductor loop, insert a very low-value resistor in series with the two components. original netlist v1 1 0 dc 12 l1 1 0 150m
fixed netlist v1 1 0 dc 12 l1 2 0 150m rbogus 1 2 1e-12
As in the previous example with parallel inductors, it is important to make the correction resistor (Rbogus) very low in resistance, so as to not substantially impact circuit operation. To fix the series capacitor circuit, one of the capacitors must have a resistor shunting across it. SPICE requires a DC current path to each capacitor for analysis. original netlist c1 5 6 33u c2 6 7 47u
fixed netlist c1 5 6 33u c2 6 7 47u rbogus 6 7 9e12
The Rbogus value of 9 Tera-ohms provides a DC current path to C1 (and around C2) without substantially impacting the circuit's operation. Current measurementCurrent measurement, SPICE
Although printing or plotting of voltage is quite easy in SPICE, the output of current values is a bit more difficult. Voltage measurements are specified by declaring the appropriate circuit nodes. For example, if we desire to know the voltage across a capacitor whose leads connect between nodes 4 and 7, we might make out c1 4 7 22u .print ac v(4,7)
However, if we wanted to have SPICE measure the current through that capacitor, it wouldn't be quite so easy. Currents in SPICE must be specified in relation to a voltage source, not any arbitrary component. For example: c1 4 7 22u vinput 6 4 ac 1 sin .print ac i(vinput)
This c1 4 7 22u rshunt 6 4 1 .print ac v(6,4)
However, the insertion of an extra resistance into our circuit large enough to drop a meaningful voltage for the intended range of current might adversely affect things. A better solution for SPICE is this, although one would never seek such a current measurement solution in real life: c1 4 7 22u vbogus 6 4 dc 0 .print ac i(vbogus)
Inserting a "bogus" DC voltage source of zero volts doesn't affect circuit operation at all, yet it provides a convenient place for SPICE to take a current measurement. Interestingly enough, it doesn't matter that Vbogus is a DC source when we're looking to measure AC current! The fact that SPICE will output an AC current reading is determined by the " It should also be noted that the way SPICE assigns a polarity to current measurements is a bit odd. Take the following circuit as an example: example v1 1 0 r1 1 2 5k r2 2 0 5k .dc v1 10 10 1 .print dc i(v1) .end
With 10 volts total voltage and 10 kΩ total resistance, you might expect SPICE to tell you there's going to be 1 mA (1e-03) of current through voltage source V1, but in actuality SPICE will output a figure of negative 1 mA (-1e-03)! SPICE regards current out of the negative end of a DC voltage source (the normal direction) to be a negative value of current rather than a positive value of current. There are times I'll throw in a "bogus" voltage source in a DC circuit like this simply to get SPICE to output a positive current value: example v1 1 0 r1 1 2 5k r2 2 3 5k vbogus 3 0 dc 0 .dc v1 10 10 1 .print dc i(vbogus) .end
Notice how Vbogus is positioned so that the circuit current will enter its positive side (node 3) and exit its negative side (node 0). This orientation will ensure a positive output figure for circuit current. Fourier analysisAnalysis, Fourier, SPICE
When performing a Fourier (frequency-domain) analysis on a waveform, I have found it necessary to either print or plot the waveform using the
Also, when analyzing a square wave produced by the " The following circuits are pre-tested netlists for SPICE 2g6, complete with short descriptions when necessary. Feel free to "copy" and "paste" any of the netlists to your own SPICE source file for analysis and/or modification. My goal here is twofold: to give practical examples of SPICE netlist design to further understanding of SPICE netlist syntax, and to show how simple and compact SPICE netlists can be in analyzing simple circuits. All output listings for these examples have been "trimmed" of extraneous information, giving you the most succinct presentation of the SPICE output as possible. I do this primarily to save space on this document. Typical SPICE outputs contain lots of headers and summary information not necessarily germane to the task at hand. So don't be surprised when you run a simulation on your own and find that the output doesn't exactly look like what I have shown here! Multiple-source DC resistor network, part 1
Without a
Netlist: Multiple dc sources v1 1 0 dc 24 v2 3 0 dc 15 r1 1 2 10k r2 2 3 8.1k r3 2 0 4.7k .end
Output: node voltage node voltage node voltage ( 1) 24.0000 ( 2) 9.7470 ( 3) 15.0000
voltage source currents name current v1 -1.425E-03 v2 -6.485E-04
total power dissipation 4.39E-02 watts Multiple-source DC resistor network, part 2
By adding a
Netlist: Multiple dc sources v1 1 0 v2 3 0 15 r1 1 2 10k r2 2 3 8.1k r3 2 0 4.7k .dc v1 24 24 1 .print dc v(1) v(2) v(3) v(1,2) v(2,3) .end
Output: v1 v(1) v(2) v(3) v(1,2) v(2,3) 2.400E+01 2.400E+01 9.747E+00 1.500E+01 1.425E+01 -5.253E+00 RC time-constant circuit
For DC analysis, the initial conditions of any reactive component (C or L) must be specified (voltage for capacitors, current for inductors). This is provided by the last data field of each capacitor card (
Netlist: RC time delay circuit v1 1 0 dc 10 c1 1 2 47u ic=0 c2 1 2 22u ic=0 r1 2 0 3.3k .tran .05 1 uic .print tran v(1,2) .end
Output: time v(1,2) 0.000E+00 7.701E-06 5.000E-02 1.967E+00 1.000E-01 3.551E+00 1.500E-01 4.824E+00 2.000E-01 5.844E+00 2.500E-01 6.664E+00 3.000E-01 7.322E+00 3.500E-01 7.851E+00 4.000E-01 8.274E+00 4.500E-01 8.615E+00 5.000E-01 8.888E+00 5.500E-01 9.107E+00 6.000E-01 9.283E+00 6.500E-01 9.425E+00 7.000E-01 9.538E+00 7.500E-01 9.629E+00 8.000E-01 9.702E+00 8.500E-01 9.761E+00 9.000E-01 9.808E+00 9.500E-01 9.846E+00 1.000E+00 9.877E+00 Plotting and analyzing a simple AC sinewave voltage
This exercise does show the proper setup for plotting instantaneous values of a sine-wave voltage source with the
Netlist: v1 1 0 sin(0 15 60 0 0) rload 1 0 10k * change tran card to the following for better Fourier precision * .tran 1m 30m .01m and include .options card: * .options itl5=30000 .tran 1m 30m .plot tran v(1) .four 60 v(1) .end
Output: time v(1) -2.000E+01 -1.000E+01 0.000E+00 1.000E+01 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0.000E+00 0.000E+00 . . * . . 1.000E-03 5.487E+00 . . . * . . 2.000E-03 1.025E+01 . . . * . 3.000E-03 1.350E+01 . . . . * . 4.000E-03 1.488E+01 . . . . *. 5.000E-03 1.425E+01 . . . . * . 6.000E-03 1.150E+01 . . . . * . 7.000E-03 7.184E+00 . . . * . . 8.000E-03 1.879E+00 . . . * . . 9.000E-03 -3.714E+00 . . * . . . 1.000E-02 -8.762E+00 . . * . . . 1.100E-02 -1.265E+01 . * . . . . 1.200E-02 -1.466E+01 . * . . . . 1.300E-02 -1.465E+01 . * . . . . 1.400E-02 -1.265E+01 . * . . . . 1.500E-02 -8.769E+00 . . * . . . 1.600E-02 -3.709E+00 . . * . . . 1.700E-02 1.876E+00 . . . * . . 1.800E-02 7.191E+00 . . . * . . 1.900E-02 1.149E+01 . . . . * . 2.000E-02 1.425E+01 . . . . * . 2.100E-02 1.489E+01 . . . . *. 2.200E-02 1.349E+01 . . . . * . 2.300E-02 1.026E+01 . . . * . 2.400E-02 5.491E+00 . . . * . . 2.500E-02 1.553E-03 . . * . . 2.600E-02 -5.514E+00 . . * . . . 2.700E-02 -1.022E+01 . * . . . 2.800E-02 -1.349E+01 . * . . . . 2.900E-02 -1.495E+01 . * . . . . 3.000E-02 -1.427E+01 . * . . . . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
fourier components of transient response v(1) dc component = -1.885E-03 harmonic frequency fourier normalized phase normalized no (hz) component component (deg) phase (deg) 1 6.000E+01 1.494E+01 1.000000 -71.998 0.000 2 1.200E+02 1.886E-02 0.001262 -50.162 21.836 3 1.800E+02 1.346E-03 0.000090 102.674 174.671 4 2.400E+02 1.799E-02 0.001204 -10.866 61.132 5 3.000E+02 3.604E-03 0.000241 160.923 232.921 6 3.600E+02 5.642E-03 0.000378 -176.247 -104.250 7 4.200E+02 2.095E-03 0.000140 122.661 194.658 8 4.800E+02 4.574E-03 0.000306 -143.754 -71.757 9 5.400E+02 4.896E-03 0.000328 -129.418 -57.420 total harmonic distortion = 0.186350 percent Simple AC resistor-capacitor circuit
The
Netlist: Demo of a simple AC circuit v1 1 0 ac 12 sin r1 1 2 30 c1 2 0 100u .ac lin 1 60 60 .print ac v(1,2) v(2) .end
Output: freq v(1,2) v(2) 6.000E+01 8.990E+00 7.949E+00 Low-pass filter
This low-pass filter blocks AC and passes DC to the Rload resistor. Typical of a filter used to suppress ripple from a rectifier circuit, it actually has a resonant frequency, technically making it a band-pass filter. However, it works well anyway to pass DC and block the high-frequency harmonics generated by the AC-to-DC rectification process. Its performance is measured with an AC source sweeping from 500 Hz to 15 kHz. If desired, the
Netlist: Lowpass filter v1 2 1 ac 24 sin v2 1 0 dc 24 rload 4 0 1k l1 2 3 100m l2 3 4 250m c1 3 0 100u .ac lin 30 500 15k .print ac v(4) .plot ac v(4) .end
freq v(4) 5.000E+02 1.935E-01 1.000E+03 3.275E-02 1.500E+03 1.057E-02 2.000E+03 4.614E-03 2.500E+03 2.402E-03 3.000E+03 1.403E-03 3.500E+03 8.884E-04 4.000E+03 5.973E-04 4.500E+03 4.206E-04 5.000E+03 3.072E-04 5.500E+03 2.311E-04 6.000E+03 1.782E-04 6.500E+03 1.403E-04 7.000E+03 1.124E-04 7.500E+03 9.141E-05 8.000E+03 7.536E-05 8.500E+03 6.285E-05 9.000E+03 5.296E-05 9.500E+03 4.504E-05 1.000E+04 3.863E-05 1.050E+04 3.337E-05 1.100E+04 2.903E-05 1.150E+04 2.541E-05 1.200E+04 2.237E-05 1.250E+04 1.979E-05 1.300E+04 1.760E-05 1.350E+04 1.571E-05 1.400E+04 1.409E-05 1.450E+04 1.268E-05 1.500E+04 1.146E-05
freq v(4) 1.000E-06 1.000E-04 1.000E-02 1.000E+00 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5.000E+02 1.935E-01 . . . * . 1.000E+03 3.275E-02 . . . * . 1.500E+03 1.057E-02 . . * . 2.000E+03 4.614E-03 . . * . . 2.500E+03 2.402E-03 . . * . . 3.000E+03 1.403E-03 . . * . . 3.500E+03 8.884E-04 . . * . . 4.000E+03 5.973E-04 . . * . . 4.500E+03 4.206E-04 . . * . . 5.000E+03 3.072E-04 . . * . . 5.500E+03 2.311E-04 . . * . . 6.000E+03 1.782E-04 . . * . . 6.500E+03 1.403E-04 . .* . . 7.000E+03 1.124E-04 . * . . 7.500E+03 9.141E-05 . * . . 8.000E+03 7.536E-05 . *. . . 8.500E+03 6.285E-05 . *. . . 9.000E+03 5.296E-05 . * . . . 9.500E+03 4.504E-05 . * . . . 1.000E+04 3.863E-05 . * . . . 1.050E+04 3.337E-05 . * . . . 1.100E+04 2.903E-05 . * . . . 1.150E+04 2.541E-05 . * . . . 1.200E+04 2.237E-05 . * . . . 1.250E+04 1.979E-05 . * . . . 1.300E+04 1.760E-05 . * . . . 1.350E+04 1.571E-05 . * . . . 1.400E+04 1.409E-05 . * . . . 1.450E+04 1.268E-05 . * . . . 1.500E+04 1.146E-05 . * . . . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Multiple-source AC networkOne of the idiosyncrasies of SPICE is its inability to handle any loop in a circuit exclusively composed of series voltage sources and inductors. Therefore, the "loop" of V1-L1-L2-V2-V1 is unacceptable. To get around this, I had to insert a low-resistance resistor somewhere in that loop to break it up. Thus, we have Rbogus between 3 and 4 (with 1 pico-ohm of resistance), and V2 between 4 and 0. The circuit above is the original design, while the circuit below has Rbogus inserted to avoid the SPICE error.
Netlist: Multiple ac source v1 1 0 ac 55 0 sin v2 4 0 ac 43 25 sin l1 1 2 450m c1 2 0 330u l2 2 3 150m rbogus 3 4 1e-12 .ac lin 1 30 30 .print ac v(2) .end
Output: freq v(2) 3.000E+01 1.413E+02 AC phase shift demonstration
The currents through each leg are indicated by the voltage drops across each respective shunt resistor (1 amp = 1 volt through 1 Ω), output by the
Netlist: phase shift v1 1 0 ac 4 sin rshunt1 1 2 1 rshunt2 1 3 1 l1 2 0 1 r1 3 0 6.3k .ac lin 1 1000 1000 .print ac v(1,2) v(1,3) vp(1,2) vp(1,3) .end
Output: freq v(1,2) v(1,3) vp(1,2) vp(1,3) 1.000E+03 6.366E-04 6.349E-04 -9.000E+01 0.000E+00 Transformer circuit
SPICE understands transformers as a set of mutually coupled inductors. Thus, to simulate a transformer in SPICE, you must specify the primary and secondary windings as separate inductors, then instruct SPICE to link them together with a "
Note that all winding inductor pairs must be coupled with their own The L1/L2 inductance ratio of 100:1 provides a 10:1 step-down voltage transformation ratio. With 120 volts in we should see 12 volts out of the L2 winding. The L1/L3 inductance ratio of 100:25 (4:1) provides a 2:1 step-down voltage transformation ratio, which should give us 60 volts out of the L3 winding with 120 volts in.
Netlist: transformer v1 1 0 ac 120 sin rbogus0 1 6 1e-3 l1 6 0 100 l2 2 4 1 l3 3 5 25 k1 l1 l2 0.999 k2 l2 l3 0.999 k3 l1 l3 0.999 r1 2 4 1000 r2 3 5 1000 rbogus1 5 0 1e10 rbogus2 4 0 1e10 .ac lin 1 60 60 .print ac v(1,0) v(2,0) v(3,0) .end
Output: freq v(1) v(2) v(3) 6.000E+01 1.200E+02 1.199E+01 5.993E+01 In this example, Rbogus0 is a very low-value resistor, serving to break up the source/inductor loop of V1/L1. Rbogus1 and Rbogus2 are very high-value resistors necessary to provide DC paths to ground on each of the isolated circuits. Note as well that one side of the primary circuit is directly grounded. Without these ground references, SPICE will produce errors! Full-wave bridge rectifier
Diodes, like all semiconductor components in SPICE, must be modeled so that SPICE knows all the nitty-gritty details of how they're supposed to work. Fortunately, SPICE comes with a few generic models, and the diode is the most basic. Notice the
Netlist: fullwave bridge rectifier v1 1 0 sin(0 15 60 0 0) rload 1 0 10k d1 1 2 mod1 d2 0 2 mod1 d3 3 1 mod1 d4 3 0 mod1 .model mod1 d .tran .5m 25m .plot tran v(1,0) v(2,3) .end
Output: legend: *: v(1) +: v(2,3) time v(1) (*)--------- -2.000E+01 -1.000E+01 0.000E+00 1.000E+01 2.000E+01 (+)--------- -5.000E+00 0.000E+00 5.000E+00 1.000E+01 1.500E+01 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0.000E+00 0.000E+00 . + * . . 5.000E-04 2.806E+00 . . + . * . . 1.000E-03 5.483E+00 . . + * . . 1.500E-03 7.929E+00 . . . + * . . 2.000E-03 1.013E+01 . . . +* . 2.500E-03 1.198E+01 . . . . * + . 3.000E-03 1.338E+01 . . . . * + . 3.500E-03 1.435E+01 . . . . * +. 4.000E-03 1.476E+01 . . . . * + 4.500E-03 1.470E+01 . . . . * + 5.000E-03 1.406E+01 . . . . * + . 5.500E-03 1.299E+01 . . . . * + . 6.000E-03 1.139E+01 . . . . *+ . 6.500E-03 9.455E+00 . . . + *. . 7.000E-03 7.113E+00 . . . + * . . 7.500E-03 4.591E+00 . . +. * . . 8.000E-03 1.841E+00 . . + . * . . 8.500E-03 -9.177E-01 . . + *. . . 9.000E-03 -3.689E+00 . . *+ . . . 9.500E-03 -6.380E+00 . . * . + . . 1.000E-02 -8.784E+00 . . * . + . . 1.050E-02 -1.075E+01 . *. . .+ . 1.100E-02 -1.255E+01 . * . . . + . 1.150E-02 -1.372E+01 . * . . . + . 1.200E-02 -1.460E+01 . * . . . + 1.250E-02 -1.476E+01 .* . . . + 1.300E-02 -1.460E+01 . * . . . + 1.350E-02 -1.373E+01 . * . . . + . 1.400E-02 -1.254E+01 . * . . . + . 1.450E-02 -1.077E+01 . *. . .+ . 1.500E-02 -8.726E+00 . . * . + . . 1.550E-02 -6.293E+00 . . * . + . . 1.600E-02 -3.684E+00 . . x . . . 1.650E-02 -9.361E-01 . . + *. . . 1.700E-02 1.875E+00 . . + . * . . 1.750E-02 4.552E+00 . . +. * . . 1.800E-02 7.170E+00 . . . + * . . 1.850E-02 9.401E+00 . . . + *. . 1.900E-02 1.146E+01 . . . . *+ . 1.950E-02 1.293E+01 . . . . * + . 2.000E-02 1.414E+01 . . . . * +. 2.050E-02 1.464E+01 . . . . * + 2.100E-02 1.483E+01 . . . . * + 2.150E-02 1.430E+01 . . . . * +. 2.200E-02 1.344E+01 . . . . * + . 2.250E-02 1.195E+01 . . . . *+ . 2.300E-02 1.016E+01 . . . +* . 2.350E-02 7.917E+00 . . . + * . . 2.400E-02 5.460E+00 . . + * . . 2.450E-02 2.809E+00 . . + . * . . 2.500E-02 -8.297E-04 . + * . . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Common-base BJT transistor amplifierThis analysis sweeps the input voltage (Vin) from 0 to 5 volts in 0.1 volt increments, then prints out the voltage between the collector and emitter leads of the transistor v(2,3). The transistor (Q1) is an NPN with a forward Beta of 50.
Netlist: Common-base BJT amplifier vsupply 1 0 dc 24 vin 0 4 dc rc 1 2 800 re 3 4 100 q1 2 0 3 mod1 .model mod1 npn bf=50 .dc vin 0 5 0.1 .print dc v(2,3) .plot dc v(2,3) .end
Output: vin v(2,3) 0.000E+00 2.400E+01 1.000E-01 2.410E+01 2.000E-01 2.420E+01 3.000E-01 2.430E+01 4.000E-01 2.440E+01 5.000E-01 2.450E+01 6.000E-01 2.460E+01 7.000E-01 2.466E+01 8.000E-01 2.439E+01 9.000E-01 2.383E+01 1.000E+00 2.317E+01 1.100E+00 2.246E+01 1.200E+00 2.174E+01 1.300E+00 2.101E+01 1.400E+00 2.026E+01 1.500E+00 1.951E+01 1.600E+00 1.876E+01 1.700E+00 1.800E+01 1.800E+00 1.724E+01 1.900E+00 1.648E+01 2.000E+00 1.572E+01 2.100E+00 1.495E+01 2.200E+00 1.418E+01 2.300E+00 1.342E+01 2.400E+00 1.265E+01 2.500E+00 1.188E+01 2.600E+00 1.110E+01 2.700E+00 1.033E+01 2.800E+00 9.560E+00 2.900E+00 8.787E+00 3.000E+00 8.014E+00 3.100E+00 7.240E+00 3.200E+00 6.465E+00 3.300E+00 5.691E+00 3.400E+00 4.915E+00 3.500E+00 4.140E+00 3.600E+00 3.364E+00 3.700E+00 2.588E+00 3.800E+00 1.811E+00 3.900E+00 1.034E+00 4.000E+00 2.587E-01 4.100E+00 9.744E-02 4.200E+00 7.815E-02 4.300E+00 6.806E-02 4.400E+00 6.141E-02 4.500E+00 5.657E-02 4.600E+00 5.281E-02 4.700E+00 4.981E-02 4.800E+00 4.734E-02 4.900E+00 4.525E-02 5.000E+00 4.346E-02
vin v(2,3) 0.000E+00 1.000E+01 2.000E+01 3.000E+01 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0.000E+00 2.400E+01 . . . * . 1.000E-01 2.410E+01 . . . * . 2.000E-01 2.420E+01 . . . * . 3.000E-01 2.430E+01 . . . * . 4.000E-01 2.440E+01 . . . * . 5.000E-01 2.450E+01 . . . * . 6.000E-01 2.460E+01 . . . * . 7.000E-01 2.466E+01 . . . * . 8.000E-01 2.439E+01 . . . * . 9.000E-01 2.383E+01 . . . * . 1.000E+00 2.317E+01 . . . * . 1.100E+00 2.246E+01 . . . * . 1.200E+00 2.174E+01 . . . * . 1.300E+00 2.101E+01 . . .* . 1.400E+00 2.026E+01 . . * . 1.500E+00 1.951E+01 . . *. . 1.600E+00 1.876E+01 . . * . . 1.700E+00 1.800E+01 . . * . . 1.800E+00 1.724E+01 . . * . . 1.900E+00 1.648E+01 . . * . . 2.000E+00 1.572E+01 . . * . . 2.100E+00 1.495E+01 . . * . . 2.200E+00 1.418E+01 . . * . . 2.300E+00 1.342E+01 . . * . . 2.400E+00 1.265E+01 . . * . . 2.500E+00 1.188E+01 . . * . . 2.600E+00 1.110E+01 . . * . . 2.700E+00 1.033E+01 . * . . 2.800E+00 9.560E+00 . *. . . 2.900E+00 8.787E+00 . * . . . 3.000E+00 8.014E+00 . * . . . 3.100E+00 7.240E+00 . * . . . 3.200E+00 6.465E+00 . * . . . 3.300E+00 5.691E+00 . * . . . 3.400E+00 4.915E+00 . * . . . 3.500E+00 4.140E+00 . * . . . 3.600E+00 3.364E+00 . * . . . 3.700E+00 2.588E+00 . * . . . 3.800E+00 1.811E+00 . * . . . 3.900E+00 1.034E+00 .* . . . 4.000E+00 2.587E-01 * . . . 4.100E+00 9.744E-02 * . . . 4.200E+00 7.815E-02 * . . . 4.300E+00 6.806E-02 * . . . 4.400E+00 6.141E-02 * . . . 4.500E+00 5.657E-02 * . . . 4.600E+00 5.281E-02 * . . . 4.700E+00 4.981E-02 * . . . 4.800E+00 4.734E-02 * . . . 4.900E+00 4.525E-02 * . . . 5.000E+00 4.346E-02 * . . . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Common-source JFET amplifier with self-biasNetlist: common source jfet amplifier vin 1 0 sin(0 1 60 0 0) vdd 3 0 dc 20 rdrain 3 2 10k rsource 4 0 1k j1 2 1 4 mod1 .model mod1 njf .tran 1m 30m .plot tran v(2,0) v(1,0) .end
Output: legend: *: v(2) +: v(1) time v(2) (*)--------- 1.400E+01 1.600E+01 1.800E+01 2.000E+01 2.200E+01 (+)--------- -1.000E+00 -5.000E-01 0.000E+00 5.000E-01 1.000E+00 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0.000E+00 1.708E+01 . . * + . . 1.000E-03 1.609E+01 . .* . + . . 2.000E-03 1.516E+01 . * . . . + . 3.000E-03 1.448E+01 . * . . . + . 4.000E-03 1.419E+01 .* . . . + 5.000E-03 1.432E+01 . * . . . +. 6.000E-03 1.490E+01 . * . . . + . 7.000E-03 1.577E+01 . * . . +. . 8.000E-03 1.676E+01 . . * . + . . 9.000E-03 1.768E+01 . . + *. . . 1.000E-02 1.841E+01 . + . . * . . 1.100E-02 1.890E+01 . + . . * . . 1.200E-02 1.912E+01 .+ . . * . . 1.300E-02 1.912E+01 .+ . . * . . 1.400E-02 1.890E+01 . + . . * . . 1.500E-02 1.842E+01 . + . . * . . 1.600E-02 1.768E+01 . . + *. . . 1.700E-02 1.676E+01 . . * . + . . 1.800E-02 1.577E+01 . * . . +. . 1.900E-02 1.491E+01 . * . . . + . 2.000E-02 1.432E+01 . * . . . +. 2.100E-02 1.419E+01 .* . . . + 2.200E-02 1.449E+01 . * . . . + . 2.300E-02 1.516E+01 . * . . . + . 2.400E-02 1.609E+01 . .* . + . . 2.500E-02 1.708E+01 . . * + . . 2.600E-02 1.796E+01 . . + * . . 2.700E-02 1.861E+01 . + . . * . . 2.800E-02 1.900E+01 . + . . * . . 2.900E-02 1.916E+01 + . . * . . 3.000E-02 1.908E+01 .+ . . * . . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Inverting op-amp circuit
To simulate an ideal operational amplifier in SPICE, we use a voltage-dependent voltage source as a differential amplifier with extremely high gain. The "
Netlist: Inverting opamp v1 2 0 dc e 3 0 0 1 999k r1 3 1 3.29k r2 1 2 1.18k .dc v1 0 3.5 0.05 .print dc v(3,0) .end
Output: v1 v(3) 0.000E+00 0.000E+00 5.000E-02 -1.394E-01 1.000E-01 -2.788E-01 1.500E-01 -4.182E-01 2.000E-01 -5.576E-01 2.500E-01 -6.970E-01 3.000E-01 -8.364E-01 3.500E-01 -9.758E-01 4.000E-01 -1.115E+00 4.500E-01 -1.255E+00 5.000E-01 -1.394E+00 5.500E-01 -1.533E+00 6.000E-01 -1.673E+00 6.500E-01 -1.812E+00 7.000E-01 -1.952E+00 7.500E-01 -2.091E+00 8.000E-01 -2.231E+00 8.500E-01 -2.370E+00 9.000E-01 -2.509E+00 9.500E-01 -2.649E+00 1.000E+00 -2.788E+00 1.050E+00 -2.928E+00 1.100E+00 -3.067E+00 1.150E+00 -3.206E+00 1.200E+00 -3.346E+00 1.250E+00 -3.485E+00 1.300E+00 -3.625E+00 1.350E+00 -3.764E+00 1.400E+00 -3.903E+00 1.450E+00 -4.043E+00 1.500E+00 -4.182E+00 1.550E+00 -4.322E+00 1.600E+00 -4.461E+00 1.650E+00 -4.600E+00 1.700E+00 -4.740E+00 1.750E+00 -4.879E+00 1.800E+00 -5.019E+00 1.850E+00 -5.158E+00 1.900E+00 -5.297E+00 1.950E+00 -5.437E+00 2.000E+00 -5.576E+00 2.050E+00 -5.716E+00 2.100E+00 -5.855E+00 2.150E+00 -5.994E+00 2.200E+00 -6.134E+00 2.250E+00 -6.273E+00 2.300E+00 -6.413E+00 2.350E+00 -6.552E+00 2.400E+00 -6.692E+00 2.450E+00 -6.831E+00 2.500E+00 -6.970E+00 2.550E+00 -7.110E+00 2.600E+00 -7.249E+00 2.650E+00 -7.389E+00 2.700E+00 -7.528E+00 2.750E+00 -7.667E+00 2.800E+00 -7.807E+00 2.850E+00 -7.946E+00 2.900E+00 -8.086E+00 2.950E+00 -8.225E+00 3.000E+00 -8.364E+00 3.050E+00 -8.504E+00 3.100E+00 -8.643E+00 3.150E+00 -8.783E+00 3.200E+00 -8.922E+00 3.250E+00 -9.061E+00 3.300E+00 -9.201E+00 3.350E+00 -9.340E+00 3.400E+00 -9.480E+00 3.450E+00 -9.619E+00 3.500E+00 -9.758E+00 Noninverting op-amp circuit
Another example of a SPICE quirk: since the dependent voltage source "
Netlist: noninverting opamp v1 2 0 dc 5 rbogus 2 0 10k e 3 0 2 1 999k r1 3 1 20k r2 1 0 10k .end
Output: node voltage node voltage node voltage ( 1) 5.0000 ( 2) 5.0000 ( 3) 15.0000 Instrumentation amplifierNote the very high-resistance Rbogus1 and Rbogus2 resistors in the netlist (not shown in schematic for brevity) across each input voltage source, to keep SPICE from thinking V1 and V2 were open-circuited, just like the other op-amp circuit examples.
Netlist: Instrumentation amplifier v1 1 0 rbogus1 1 0 9e12 v2 4 0 dc 5 rbogus2 4 0 9e12 e1 3 0 1 2 999k e2 6 0 4 5 999k e3 9 0 8 7 999k rload 9 0 10k r1 2 3 10k rgain 2 5 10k r2 5 6 10k r3 3 7 10k r4 7 9 10k r5 6 8 10k r6 8 0 10k .dc v1 0 10 1 .print dc v(9) v(3,6) .end
Output: v1 v(9) v(3,6) 0.000E+00 1.500E+01 -1.500E+01 1.000E+00 1.200E+01 -1.200E+01 2.000E+00 9.000E+00 -9.000E+00 3.000E+00 6.000E+00 -6.000E+00 4.000E+00 3.000E+00 -3.000E+00 5.000E+00 9.955E-11 -9.956E-11 6.000E+00 -3.000E+00 3.000E+00 7.000E+00 -6.000E+00 6.000E+00 8.000E+00 -9.000E+00 9.000E+00 9.000E+00 -1.200E+01 1.200E+01 1.000E+01 -1.500E+01 1.500E+01 Op-amp integrator with sinewave input
Netlist: Integrator with sinewave input vin 1 0 sin (0 15 60 0 0) r1 1 2 10k c1 2 3 150u ic=0 e 3 0 0 2 999k .tran 1m 30m uic .plot tran v(1,0) v(3,0) .end
Output: legend: *: v(1) +: v(3) time v(1) (*)-------- -2.000E+01 -1.000E+01 0.000E+00 1.000E+01 (+)-------- -6.000E-02 -4.000E-02 -2.000E-02 0.000E+00 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0.000E+00 6.536E-08 . . * + . 1.000E-03 5.516E+00 . . . * +. . 2.000E-03 1.021E+01 . . . + * . 3.000E-03 1.350E+01 . . . + . * . 4.000E-03 1.495E+01 . . + . . *. 5.000E-03 1.418E+01 . . + . . * . 6.000E-03 1.150E+01 . + . . . * . 7.000E-03 7.214E+00 . + . . * . . 8.000E-03 1.867E+00 .+ . . * . . 9.000E-03 -3.709E+00 . + . * . . . 1.000E-02 -8.805E+00 . + . * . . . 1.100E-02 -1.259E+01 . * + . . . 1.200E-02 -1.466E+01 . * . + . . . 1.300E-02 -1.471E+01 . * . +. . . 1.400E-02 -1.259E+01 . * . . + . . 1.500E-02 -8.774E+00 . . * . + . . 1.600E-02 -3.723E+00 . . * . +. . 1.700E-02 1.870E+00 . . . * + . 1.800E-02 7.188E+00 . . . * + . . 1.900E-02 1.154E+01 . . . + . * . 2.000E-02 1.418E+01 . . .+ . * . 2.100E-02 1.490E+01 . . + . . *. 2.200E-02 1.355E+01 . . + . . * . 2.300E-02 1.020E+01 . + . . * . 2.400E-02 5.496E+00 . + . . * . . 2.500E-02 -1.486E-03 .+ . * . . 2.600E-02 -5.489E+00 . + . * . . . 2.700E-02 -1.021E+01 . + * . . . 2.800E-02 -1.355E+01 . * . + . . . 2.900E-02 -1.488E+01 . * . + . . . 3.000E-02 -1.427E+01 . * . .+ . . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Op-amp integrator with squarewave input
Netlist: Integrator with squarewave input vin 1 0 pulse (-1 1 0 0 0 10m 20m) r1 1 2 1k c1 2 3 150u ic=0 e 3 0 0 2 999k .tran 1m 50m uic .plot tran v(1,0) v(3,0) .end
Output: legend: *: v(1) +: v(3) time v(1) (*)-------- -1.000E+00 -5.000E-01 0.000E+00 5.000E-01 1.000E+00 (+)-------- -1.000E-01 -5.000E-02 0.000E+00 5.000E-02 1.000E-01 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0.000E+00 -1.000E+00 * . + . . 1.000E-03 1.000E+00 . . + . * 2.000E-03 1.000E+00 . . + . . * 3.000E-03 1.000E+00 . . + . . * 4.000E-03 1.000E+00 . . + . . * 5.000E-03 1.000E+00 . . + . . * 6.000E-03 1.000E+00 . . + . . * 7.000E-03 1.000E+00 . . + . . * 8.000E-03 1.000E+00 . .+ . . * 9.000E-03 1.000E+00 . +. . . * 1.000E-02 1.000E+00 . + . . . * 1.100E-02 1.000E+00 . + . . . * 1.200E-02 -1.000E+00 * + . . . . 1.300E-02 -1.000E+00 * + . . . . 1.400E-02 -1.000E+00 * +. . . . 1.500E-02 -1.000E+00 * .+ . . . 1.600E-02 -1.000E+00 * . + . . . 1.700E-02 -1.000E+00 * . + . . . 1.800E-02 -1.000E+00 * . + . . . 1.900E-02 -1.000E+00 * . + . . . 2.000E-02 -1.000E+00 * . + . . . 2.100E-02 1.000E+00 . . + . . * 2.200E-02 1.000E+00 . . + . . * 2.300E-02 1.000E+00 . . + . . * 2.400E-02 1.000E+00 . . + . . * 2.500E-02 1.000E+00 . . + . . * 2.600E-02 1.000E+00 . .+ . . * 2.700E-02 1.000E+00 . +. . . * 2.800E-02 1.000E+00 . + . . . * 2.900E-02 1.000E+00 . + . . . * 3.000E-02 1.000E+00 . + . . . * 3.100E-02 1.000E+00 . + . . . * 3.200E-02 -1.000E+00 * + . . . . 3.300E-02 -1.000E+00 * + . . . . 3.400E-02 -1.000E+00 * + . . . . 3.500E-02 -1.000E+00 * + . . . . 3.600E-02 -1.000E+00 * +. . . . 3.700E-02 -1.000E+00 * .+ . . . 3.800E-02 -1.000E+00 * . + . . . 3.900E-02 -1.000E+00 * . + . . . 4.000E-02 -1.000E+00 * . + . . . 4.100E-02 1.000E+00 . . + . . * 4.200E-02 1.000E+00 . . + . . * 4.300E-02 1.000E+00 . . + . . * 4.400E-02 1.000E+00 . .+ . . * 4.500E-02 1.000E+00 . +. . . * 4.600E-02 1.000E+00 . + . . . * 4.700E-02 1.000E+00 . + . . . * 4.800E-02 1.000E+00 . + . . . * 4.900E-02 1.000E+00 . + . . . * 5.000E-02 1.000E+00 + . . . * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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Home Reference Spice Circuit Simulator Using the Spice Circuit Simulation Program |