Design and adjust the structures and functionality of electrical devices by configuring various circuits in a simulated environment for analog/digital schemes with interactive sketching options, periodic steady-state analysis, and 3D plotting tools, etc.
Micro-Cap is a utility aimed at electronics engineers. It was especially created to help them design electronic circuits and simulate their functioning.
The program integrates a large device library. Some of the devices included in the "analog primitives" section are passive components, active devices, waveform sources, functions, Laplace and Z transforms and dependent sources, macros, modulators. Actually, there are 258 items of the "analog primitives" section, no less than 21928 items of the analog library, 88 digital primitives and 2050 items of the digital library. Some animated components are also available. Several types of analysis can be performed, such as AC, DC, dynamic DC and dynamic AC or harmonic distortion. One can perform schematic waveform probing, Monte Carlo analysis, and different kinds of plots and measurements. In order to visualize the effects of parameter variations, 3D plotting is also possible. Behavior of different components can be investigated and modeled. Once a circuit is sketched, it can be analyzed and also edited while being in the analysis mode.
The utility is a professional tool for electrical engineers, as it offers a large array of options so that they can easily perform the simulations required for their projects.
v10.0.9.2 [Jun 29, 2010]
Overview
Micro-Cap 10 incorporates many incremental refinements reflecting requests received from users. These and other small, incremental refinements are a big part of what makes the product so easy to use. The technical advancements in MC10 are principally four in number:
Threading
Using threading techniques, multiple CPUs are employed to reduce simulation time.
PSS
Periodic Steady State uses techniques pioneered by Aprille and Trick to calculate the periodic steady state, removing any short term transients from the time-domain waveforms, greatly simplifying many types of circuit analysis problems.
Distortion:
Two completely new analyses make creation of harmonic and intermodulation distortion plots easy.
Optimization
Optimization has been improved by the addition of three additional methods. The complete list of methods now includes, Powell, Hooke, Levenberg-Marquardt, and Differential Evolution.
Threading
Micro-Cap 10 uses threading for significant speed improvement where multiple CPUs are available. When multiple independent analyses are requested, Micro-Cap uses threading technology to speed up the overall analyses by allocating each sub-analysis to a different CPU. This is most beneficial when stepping temperature or parameters, in Monte Carlo Analysis, and with harmonic and intermodulation distortion analysis.
Analysis
PSS: Periodic Steady State
This new analysis mode, which finds the time domain periodic steady state waveforms, was added to Transient, Harmonic Distortion, and Intermodulation Distortion. It is executed after the optional operating point and runs in lieu of the normal time domain run. PSS uses a shooting method to eliminate the transients normally encountered to arrive at steady state waveforms.
Harmonic Distortion Analysis
The existing harmonic distortion analysis was greatly expanded to make creation of distortion plots easy. You can step input level and/or frequency and create plots of THD, THDN (with noise), SINAD, SNR, and any harmonic vs VIN, VOUT, PIN, or POUT. Plots can be done as voltage or power ratios in dB, %, or simple numeric format. PSS methods can be used to achive rapid convergence of the output waveforms to minimize FFT errors, producing accurate distortion analysis.
Intermodulation Distortion Analysis
Intermodulation distortion analysis lets you step input level and/or frequency and create plots of IM2, IM3, or H1 (1'st harmonic) vs F, VIN, VOUT, PIN, or POUT. Plots can be done as voltage or power ratios in dB, %, or simple numeric format. PSS methods are also available as in the case of harmonic distortion. You can use SMPTE, CCIF, or DIN standards for input voltage and frequency, or enter your own.
FFT Dialog Box
The FFT panel on the Analysis Properties page (F10) has a new field called Frequency Step. Enter a value here and the an adjustment is made in the Lower Time Limit value and vice versa, according to the formula: Fundamental Frequency = 1 / (Upper Time Limit - Lower Time Limit)
Distortion Plots Waveform Buffer
Distortion plots created in harmonic and intermodulation analyses can be saved and recalled from the Waveform Buffer.
Plot, Save but Don't Plot, Don't Save and Don't Plot buttons
These button options can be selected for each waveform or curve in the Analysis Limits dialog box.
FFT Auto-scaling
FFT auto scaling is now done using the FFT upper and lower time limit parameters.
Branch Values in Plots
This lets you plot expressions that use waveform values from different branches. A branch is a Mont-Carlo case or a stepped value. V(1)@1 - V(1)@2 plots the difference of V(1) between branch 1 and branch 2.
Point Tag Numeric Format
The X and Y numeric formats of point tags are now separately specifiable.
HSPICE Compatibility
A small step toward HSPICE compatibility was taken by allowing '3*V(1)' to mean the same thing as {3*V(1)}.
Save Curves CSV Format:
Curves can now be saved in either CSF or USR formats. CSV stands for Comma Separated Values, the favored format for importing data into Excel. The numeric format for the data can also be specified.
Save Curves Auto Save
This option automatically saves selected waveforms after each run.
Cursor Values in Text Expression
This lets you write analysis expression text using cursor values CursorLX, CursorLY, CursorRX, CursorRY as variables.
Copy Cursor Values to Clipboard
This lets you copy the contents of the cursor table to the clipboard.
Enable / Disable / Hide
By right-clicking in the Page or P (Plot) fields you can enable, hide, or disable curves that use the Page or Plot number. Enable saves the data. Disable does not. Hide stops the plot display but saves the data.
Import and Export of WAV Files
WAV audio files can now be imported and exported allowing one to hear the output of an audio amplifier.
AC Power:
AC power is now calculated as P = V * Conjugate(I)
