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#Post#: 5--------------------------------------------------
What Is MC12, and What Alternatives Are There?
DIR By: MC12
Date: February 6, 2021, 1:34 pm
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Note the below only discusses free software (professional
software is out of reach of most hobbyists and even small
business). Note I only have limited experience of using
Micro-Cap, and no experience of the alternatives mentioned (I
have only read what the Internet has to say). This article is
subject to change as my knowledge improves.
Micro-Cap
Micro-Cap is primarily a mixed-signal (analogue and digital)
circuit simulator, tied to a graphical circuit diagram drawing
package (AKA "schematic capture"). This makes it relatively
easy to draw a circuit and then test how it will perform without
having to actually build it for real.
Micro-Cap 12 (MC12) is the latest (and last) version, released
for free use because the developers decided to retire.
What's the point? Well, you might want to test out an idea for
proof of concept before spending time and resources on
developing the idea further, and it is good to have some
verification of correct design before committing to PCB design
and manufacture.
We didn't have simulators in my early career as a design
engineer. First a design was checked by a panel of senior
engineers, then it went to the drawing office to be laid out as
PCB artwork (by hand), then you checked that the PCB artwork
matched your design (at each stage potentially having to go back
for correction), until finally it was signed-off by a manager to
have a "first off" PCB manufactured. Only then could your
design be tested on the bench to prove that it worked (and more
than likely it required some modifications before going to
pre-production). All this took a very long time and was
expensive.
Having a simulator doesn't cut out the possibility of
modifications after a first-off, there are often alterations
required in the light of how a circuit works in an overall
system, but it does at least provide confidence you are barking
up the right tree. If the interest in a particular circuit
configuration is purely academic, it might be enough to simulate
the circuit without ever building it (providing the simulator is
a sufficiently accurate representation of reality).
What Micro-Cap doesn't do is help you design a PCB. You can
take the netlist output from Micro-Cap and import it into a PCB
design package, or there are schematic capture and PCB design
packages.
Reasons to use Micro-Cap
- It's a free, fully-featured, professional schematic capture
and simulation package with nearly 40 years development, which
would have cost many thousands of pounds to licence.
- The parts library has a large number of components
professionally defined, sufficient for the typical hobbyist
(adding more is a skilled job, but not impossible).
- The simulator is based on SPICE, and offers multiple types of
analysis (including 'scope plots and frequency response plots).
- Unlimited (some "free" versions of commercial EDA packages
limit the user in some way: typically the size of the circuit).
- It works in Windows (I use Win7/64, other compatibility TBA).
- This forum to share the journey?!
Reasons not to use Micro-Cap
- If you want one package to do everything (schematic capture,
simulation, and PCB design), this isn't it.
- Micro-Cap is no longer supported by its developers, there will
be no official help and no bug fixes, and it might stop working
on newer operating systems. The source code is not available to
be adopted by the community.
- Windows-dependence. Doesn't work in Linux+Wine (works at first
glance, but not in practice).
gEDA
- Linux
- Schematic capture, simulation, and PCB design - but as a suite
of separate tools rather than one integrated package
- No support forum, support through a mailing list (really?)
- Community-created parts models for circuit diagrams,
simulation, and PCB layout, therefore potentially of dubious
quality
- Open-source, development ongoing but by disparate enthusiasts
KiCAD
- Linux, Windows, Mac
- Schematic capture and PCB design, some mention of simulation
but not featured on KiCAD's web homepage - appears to be an
imported extension
- Active community forum
- Open-source, but active development team sponsored by
commercial users and private donations
- Potential doubts over availability and accuracy of simulation
models
Summary
Long-term, KiCAD appears to be the best bet - but without
spending a lot of effort comparing these packages directly it is
difficult to be sure. IMO if what you want is reliable
simulation out of the box, MC12 is most likely to provide it.
#Post#: 11--------------------------------------------------
Re: What Is MC12, and What Alternatives Are There?
DIR By: MC12
Date: February 14, 2021, 6:01 am
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