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diff --git a/Windows/spice/doc/FAQ b/Windows/spice/doc/FAQ new file mode 100644 index 00000000..e137c93c --- /dev/null +++ b/Windows/spice/doc/FAQ @@ -0,0 +1,376 @@ + Ngspice F.A.Q.Version 2.0 (ngspice 26 release) + Maintained by Paolo Nenzi, Holger Vogt + Last update: 02-01-2014 + + This document contains the Frequently Asked Questions (and Answers) + for ngspice project. + __________________________________________________________________________ + + Table of Contents + + + 1. INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL INFORMATION + 1.1 What is ngspice? + 1.2 What is sharedspice? + 1.3 What is tclspice ? + 1.4 Why resurrecting Berkeley's Spice? + 1.5 What is the project's goal? + 1.6 What you are going to do? + 1.7 Legal issues + 1.8 What mailing lists exist for ngspice? + 1.9 Are the mailing lists archived anywhere? + 1.10 What newsgroups exist for ngspice? + 1.11 Where can I get a copy of ngspice? + 1.12 Where should I look on the World Wide Web for ngspice stuff? + 1.13 Where should I look on the World Wide Web for Spice documentation? + + 2. DEVELOPMENT + 2.1 What is the current version? + 2.2 What are the latest features in the current release? + 2.3 What does it look like? + 2.4 Who are the authors of ngspice? + 2.5 How can I report a bug/request for a feature? + 2.6 How can I join the development? + + 3. SOLUTIONS TO COMMON MISCELLANEOUS PROBLEMS + 3.1 What systems are supported? + 3.2 I get errors when I try to compile the source code, why? + 3.3 This document didn't answer my question. Where else can I look for + an answer? + + 4. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS + 4.1 Feedback + 4.2 Formats in which this FAQ is available + 4.3 Authorship and acknowledgements + 4.4 Disclaimer and Copyright + + + ______________________________________________________________________ + + 1. INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL INFORMATION + + + + 1.1 What is ngspice ? + + Ngspice is a mixed-level/mixed-signal circuit simulator, based on three + open source software packages: Spice3f5, Cider1b1 and Xspice, and + including many bug fixes and enhancements: + + - Spice3 is a widely used circuit simulator. It was developed by the + University of California at Berkeley (UCB), by "a cast of thousand" + (as they say) initially under the guide of Donald O. Peterson. + + - Cider is a mixed-level simulator that already includes Spice3f5 and + adds a device simulator to it: DSIM. Cider couples the circuit level + simulator to the device simulator to provide greater simulation + accuracy (at the expense of greater simulation time). Critical + devices can be described with technology parameters (numerical + models) and non critical ones with the original spice's compact + models. + + - Xspice is an extension to Spice3 that provides code modeling support + and simulation of digital components through an embedded event + driven algorithm. + + The NG prefix has lot of meanings: Next Generation, New Good, etc. + Choose or invent the one you prefer. The heart of the project is the + ngspice program, with its tremendous advancements. + + + 1.2 What is sharedspice ? + + Sharedspice is an interface option to ngspice. It compiles the simulator + into a shared object (or dynamic link library), providing full control + of ngspice to any suitable controlling program (GUI, optimizer, + development system, etc., to be provided by the user). + + + 1.3 What is tclspice ? + + Tclspice is a another interface option of ngspice, providing a tcl/tk + interface to the user. Tclspice is both a batch and interactive simulator + and a building block for simulator applications. Analyses can be run + from a tcl script and vector plotted or post processed using tcl. A small + GUI may be built by the user to analyze a circuit or a set of circuits. + Tclspice is obtained compiling ngspice activating an additional option. + + + 1.4 Why resurrecting Berkeley's Spice? + + Berkeley's Spice can be considered the father of most circuit + simulators available today. It is an old but still good piece of + software, it may not be the fastest or the most reliable but it's + free, it's available in source code and most of the electrical + simulators inherited it's syntax. Spice3 is based on proven numerical + algorithms (most commercial implementations have only strengthened + them), implements most of the models for MOSFET submicron design + and has a powerful set of analyses. The readily availability of + its source code in the past made this simulator the de-facto standard. + + + 1.5 What is the project's goal? + + Ngspice is both a maintenance and enhancement project. It is a maintenance + project because it aims to provide the free EDA community the best spice3 + simulator available. This means fixing bugs, adding new features but always + in the spice3 framework. Achieving compatibility with commercial spice based + simulators and provide users the latest devices models are important goals + of the project. Improvements in the postprocessing (data handling + capabilities) and user interface are other goals. + + + 1.6 What you are going to do? + + An official roadmap for ngspice was never drawn. Contributions made by + developers drive ngspice development and the roadmap is built day by + day by developers writing on the lists. Ngspice development activity + can be summarized in 3 points: + + + Compatibility: Ngspice should be compatible with commercial products, + thus allowing people to use the netlist generated for such tools. As + most of the commercial simulators available tracked each other in netlist + language, this should not be an impossible task. The most important goal + here is to provide a reliable support for model libraries coming from + foundries. + + + Compact models: The interest in using ngspice is intimately connected + to the available models. To provide the latest models available for + active and passive devices is a fundamental goal of the project. In + this direction we are integrating ADMS model compiler into ngspice. + + + Documentation: Commercial simulators come with very good manuals + containing tutorials, description of models equations, example of + use, suggestions, etc. Spice came with little documentation. The + Spice3f manual, available on the Internet has been used as the basis + for the new manual. It will be constantly improved during ngspice + development and integrated with the documentation accompanying Xspice + and Cider. The ngspice manual today contains description of all + features ngspice is offering. It is however not a tutorial of ngspice + usage, but there are now several good ones available on the internet + (see http://ngspice.sourceforge.net/tutorials.html). + + + 1.7 Legal issues + + The ngspice base license is new BSD, as provided by UCB. For some parts + of the code other compatible licences apply. Please see file COPYING + for details. + + + 1.8 What mailing lists exist for ngspice? + + There are two general mailing lists dedicated to the ngspice project. + + Users mailing list: <ngspice-users@lists.sourceforge.net> + This list is for ngspice users. Examples, problems, bug reports + and general discussion on ngspice can be sent here. + + Developers mailing list: <ngspice-devel@lists.sourceforge.net> + The list is dedicated to ngspice development. Developers should + subscribe here, to follow the program development. May be used + to send patches, and technical discussion on ngspice. + + Send an empty message with Subject "help" to the following addresses + to get instructions. + + <ngspice-users-request@lists.sourceforge.net> + <ngspice-devel-request@lists.sourceforge.net> + + Send an empty message to the following address to Subscribe. + + <ngspice-users-join@lists.sourceforge.net> + <ngspice-devel-join@lists.sourceforge.net> + + Documentation about the user interface of + these mailing lists can be found at: + http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member + + + 1.9 Are the mailing lists archived anywhere ? + + Yes, the lists are archived. There are two places where to look for + archives. The project started on the IEEE Central and South Italy + web server and then moved to sourceforge. Sourceforge provides an + archiving service that cam be accessed via the summary page: + + http://sourceforge.net/p/ngspice/mailman/ + + + + 1.10 What newsgroups exist for ngspice? + + There is no ngspice specific newsgroup. Sourceforge offers additional + discussion groups for ngspice, please see + + http://sourceforge.net/p/ngspice/discussion/ + + ngspice threads may appear on newsgroups dedicated to circuit + simulation and electronic design. + + + 1.11 Where can I get a copy of ngspice? + + You can download ngspice from: + + http://sourceforge.net/projects/ngspice/files/ng-spice-rework/ + + + 1.12 Where should I look on the World Wide Web for ngspice stuff? + + Look at the official Ngpice Web Page: + + http://ngspice.sourceforge.net + + + 1.13 Where should I look on the World Wide Web for Spice documentation? + + There is a detailed ngspice manual available at: + http://ngspice.sourceforge.net/docs.html + + Others docs are assembled at: + http://ngspice.sourceforge.net/literature.html + + + + 2. DEVELOPMENT + + + 2.1. What is the current version? + + The latest version released is: + + * ngspice-26 (released on 04/01/2013) + + + 2.2. What are the latest features in the current release? + +- New features: + + add temperature coefficients for B source + + commands "mdump", "mrdump" to dump matrix to file + + allow `time', `temper', and `hertz' in expressions with behavioral R, L, C + + Enable ctrl-c to interrupt a simulation also for Windows GUI + + tests/bsim4: use the standard CMC model check + + implement exit code for command "quit" + + .nodeset all = value + + memristor code model in extradev + + new scalable diode model including tunnel component + + variable xtrtol may override the XSPICE reduction of trtol + + XSPICE example: delta-sigma converter + + XSPICE: new d_source model + + new option noopac + + bsim3: make additonal parameters accessible with @mxx[par] + + enable Mac OS X compilation + + option reseries = val + + commands "snsave", "snload" + + update hisim to version 2.7.0, new qa tests + + hisimhv update to version 1.2.3, new qa tests + + allow Ctrl-d to quit + + jfet model temperature extension, tcv and bex parameter + + speed up vector handling by hash table for vector address storage and retrieval + + update PSS code + + +- Bug fixes: + + many, many ... please see + http://ngspice.git.sourceforge.net/git/gitweb.cgi?p=ngspice/ngspice;a=shortlog;pg=0 + + remove memory leaks + + update tclspice for MS Windows + + adms3 removed due to licensing issues + + Many small bugs + + + + 2.3. What does it look like? + + Ngspice, as the original Spice3 (and Xspice and Cider) is a command + line simulator, but with a graphics output capability. + + + 2.4. Who are the authors of ngspice? + + The development is open to anyone who wish to contribute. If the + original Spice3 was made with the contribution of "a cast of + thousand", ngspice can only increase that number. An incomplete + list of contributor makes the "acknowledgements" page of the ngspice + manual. + + + 2.5. How can I report a bug/request for a feature? + + The ngspice summary page (hosted on Sourceforge) has bug-reporting, + feature-request and bugs trackers. You can use them or subscribe to + mailing lists and post there. The former is preferred since almost + it allows to track all necessary actions upon a bug. The web site at + http://ngspice.sourceforge.net/bugrep.html will give you more details. + + + 2.6. How can I join the development? + + To join the development just code the feature you want to add and send + your patch in the mailing list. Before you start coding check the + latest development release of ngspice from our git repository. + It might be that your feature has already been implemented. + + There is no bureaucracy here. + + + + 3. SOLUTIONS TO COMMON MISCELLANEOUS PROBLEMS + + + 3.1. What systems are supported? + + Ngspice is written in C, and uses some GNU extensions, then you need + a GNU C compiler and a UNIX environment to compile it. Ngspice can + be compiled under Windows using the mingw or cygwin environment as + well as MS Visual Studio. + + + 3.2. I get errors when I try to compile the source code, why? + + This is a one-million-euros question :). + + Write a mail to the user's list describing the problem and providing + information on the type of hardware, the flavour of operating system. + + + 3.3. This document didn't answer my question. Where else can I look + for an answer? + + Read old messages from the mailing list archive, search the web site + or read the docs. Upgrade to the latest version of ngspice, many + problems are fixed in the new versions. If you still can't find an + answer, post your question to the mailing lists. + + + + 4. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS + + + 4.1. Feedback + + Send your comments about this F.A.Q. to: + + Paolo Nenzi <p.nenzi@ieee.org>. + + Send your comments about ngspice to: + + Paolo Nenzi <p.nenzi@ieee.org>. + + + 4.2. Formats in which this FAQ is available + + This document is available only in ASCII format in the ngspice source + package. + + + 4.3. Authorship and acknowledgements + + Parts of the questions and answers are originate from Paolo Nenzi. + + + 4.4. Disclaimer and Copyright + + This document is provided as is. The information in it is not + warranted to be correct: you use it at your own risk. |