Whiteley Research Inc., 456 Flora Vista Avenue, Sunnyvale CA 94086 www.wrcad.com
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Whiteley Research Inc., 456 Flora Vista Avenue, Sunnyvale CA 94086 www.wrcad.com |
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Whiteley Research Inc., www.wrcad.com
Click here to browse the on-line WRspice manual.
WRspice
is a powerful and flexible circuit simulation and analysis tool.
WRspice is a major extension of Jspice3, which was
derived from Berkeley Spice3f4 and Spice2g.6. While
WRspice is being developed to include new features, it
will continue to support those capabilities and modes which remain in
extensive use with the Spice2 and Spice3 programs. It also has extensions
for compatibility with other commercial SPICE simulators.
WRspice includes several unique features, including a
built-in Verilog parser and language extensions for mixed-mode
(analog/digital) simulations, and random noise sources.
Although the command line interface remains (though it has been
enhanced) many users prefer the graphical controls. The large number
of "set" variables has been reduced to a few graphical buttons and
input boxes.
Context sensitive help is provided throughout. The HTML-based help
system functions as a web browser, making Internet resources
conveniently available. The help database can be easily augmented with
site-specific information.
WRspice works seamlessly with the Xic
graphical editor program, providing the illusion of a single
application to the user. Xic provides a graphical framework for
generating input from a schematic, initiating the simulation run, and
plotting output. WRspice is also highly effective as a
stand-alone application, where input is supplied in ASCII files using
a superset of the industry standard SPICE syntax.
A powerful scripting language and interpreter are provided, so that
automated simulation and data manipulation can be employed. The
syntax used is an efficient but easy to learn C-like scripting
language representing a superset of the capabilities of the scripting
language used in Spice3.
Commands exist for certain repetitive analysis types, such as Monte
Carlo and operating range analysis. A "loop" command analyzes a
circuit while varying circuit parameters, producing multi-dimensional
output vectors. WRspice has the capability of parceling
out tasks to other machines on a network, greatly reducing the time
required for a multi-analysis job.
WRspice provides the following basic analysis types:
WRspice includes a Verilog parser and support for
"verilog blocks" embedded in circuit descriptions. This facilitates
mixed-mode simulation, and instrumentation for stochastic analysis.
The device model library provides the following devices:
A powerful graphical plotting facility is available for plotting
simulation results, with hard copy support for Postscript (mono and
color), HP PCL, HPGL, and others.
Whiteley Research provides bug fixes within hours to days of
reporting, and limited customization and consulting for customers of
WRspice. Upgrades are provided frequently over the
Internet.
WRspice is available for FreeBSD, Linux, Apple OS X,
and Microsoft Windows.
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Whiteley Research Inc. is pleased to announce the third
generation of the WRspice circuit simulator.
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InstallationWRspice Generation 3 has built-in capability for automatically checking for update availability, and for actually downloading and installing updates. After installing for the first time, the passwd command should be run to enable these features.Compatibility ImprovedMany changes were made to provide direct support for the IBM_9SF foundry PDK models and similar, which make extensive use of HSPICE-specific constructs and features. Keyword and comment handling have been extended to support syntax used by other simulators.Expression Syntax More FlexibleThe syntax accepted by the expression parser is now more flexible and C-like, but 100% backward compatible. Ternary conditionalsexpr1 ? expr2 : expr3are now recognized. A number of new math functions were added, including new random generators consistent with HSPICE. Improved Parameter HandlingParameter (.param) handling was enhanced to provide quicker circuit loading when large numbers of parameter definitions are present. User-defined functions can now be defined in .param lines.Much MoreError logging to a file is now supported in graphical mode. Plot windows can now display up to 18 traces in "separate" mode, up from 10 in earlier releases. The code that handles the initial input file parsing was rewritten, to better handle both parameter and shell expansion. Many more incremental improvements were made, see the release note for more information. |
WRspice makes extensive use of input graphics and the
point and click metaphor for program control. About a dozen different
control panels are available from a toolbar for controlling various
aspects of simulator operation. The user can open a selection of
control panels and arrange them according to preference. An "update"
command saves the arrangement for future WRspice
sessions. WRspice does not contain an internal
schematic capture front-end. Instead, it is designed to work in
conjunction with the powerful Xic graphical editor.
