Electronic circuit design
Encyclopedia
Electronic design comprises the analysis and synthesis of electronic circuits
or digital
, electrical engineers
need to be able to predict the voltages and currents at all places within the circuit. Linear circuit
s, that is, circuits wherein the outputs are linearly dependent on the inputs, can be analyzed by hand using complex analysis
. Simple nonlinear circuits can also be analyzed in this way. Specialized software has been created to analyze circuits that are either too complicated or too nonlinear to analyze by hand.
Circuit simulation software allows engineers to design circuits more efficiently, reducing the time cost and risk of error involved in building circuit prototypes. Some of these make use of hardware description languages such as VHDL or Verilog
.
and EMTP
and many others.
wherein all the nodes conform to Kirchhoff's Current Law and the voltages across and through each element of the circuit conform to the voltage/current equations governing that element.
Once the steady state solution is found, the software can analyze the response to perturbations using piecewise approximation, harmonic balance or other methods.
interface to Simulink
uses piecewise linear approximation of the equations governing the elements of a circuit. The circuit is treated as a completely linear network of ideal diodes. Every time a diode switches from on to off or vice versa, the configuration of the linear network changes. Adding more detail to the approximation of equations increases the accuracy of the simulation, but also increases its running time.
Synthesis=
Simple circuits may be designed by connecting a number of elements or functional blocks such as integrated circuits.
More complex digital circuits most often often designed with the aid of computer software. Logic circuits (and sometimes mixed mode circuits) are often described in such hardware description languages as HDL
, VHDL or Verilog
, then synthesized using a logic synthesis engine.
Methods
To design any electrical circuit, either analogAnalogue electronics
Analogue electronics are electronic systems with a continuously variable signal, in contrast to digital electronics where signals usually take only two different levels. The term "analogue" describes the proportional relationship between a signal and a voltage or current that represents the signal...
or digital
Digital circuit
Digital electronics represent signals by discrete bands of analog levels, rather than by a continuous range. All levels within a band represent the same signal state...
, electrical engineers
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
need to be able to predict the voltages and currents at all places within the circuit. Linear circuit
Linear circuit
A linear circuit is an electronic circuit in which, for a sinusoidal input voltage of frequency f, any output of the circuit is also sinusoidal with frequency f...
s, that is, circuits wherein the outputs are linearly dependent on the inputs, can be analyzed by hand using complex analysis
Complex analysis
Complex analysis, traditionally known as the theory of functions of a complex variable, is the branch of mathematical analysis that investigates functions of complex numbers. It is useful in many branches of mathematics, including number theory and applied mathematics; as well as in physics,...
. Simple nonlinear circuits can also be analyzed in this way. Specialized software has been created to analyze circuits that are either too complicated or too nonlinear to analyze by hand.
Circuit simulation software allows engineers to design circuits more efficiently, reducing the time cost and risk of error involved in building circuit prototypes. Some of these make use of hardware description languages such as VHDL or Verilog
Verilog
In the semiconductor and electronic design industry, Verilog is a hardware description language used to model electronic systems. Verilog HDL, not to be confused with VHDL , is most commonly used in the design, verification, and implementation of digital logic chips at the register-transfer level...
.
Network simulation software
More complex circuits must be analyzed with circuit simulation software such as SPICESPICE
SPICE is a general-purpose, open source analog electronic circuit simulator.It is a powerful program that is used in integrated circuit and board-level design to check the integrity of circuit designs and to predict circuit behavior.- Introduction :Unlike board-level designs composed of discrete...
and EMTP
Emtp
EMTP is an acronym for ElectroMagnetic Transients Program. It is usually part of a battery of software tools targeting a slice of the spectrum of design and operation problems presented by Electric Power Systems to the Electrical Engineer, that of the so called "electromagnetic transients" and...
and many others.
Linearization around operating point
When faced with a new circuit, the software first tries to find a steady state solutionSteady state
A system in a steady state has numerous properties that are unchanging in time. This implies that for any property p of the system, the partial derivative with respect to time is zero:...
wherein all the nodes conform to Kirchhoff's Current Law and the voltages across and through each element of the circuit conform to the voltage/current equations governing that element.
Once the steady state solution is found, the software can analyze the response to perturbations using piecewise approximation, harmonic balance or other methods.
Piece-wise linear approximation
Software such as the PLECSPLECS
PLECS is a Simulink toolbox for system-level simulations of electrical circuits developed by Plexim.It is especially designed for power electronics but can be used for any electrical network....
interface to Simulink
Simulink
Simulink, developed by MathWorks, is a commercial tool for modeling, simulating and analyzing multidomain dynamic systems. Its primary interface is a graphical block diagramming tool and a customizable set of block libraries. It offers tight integration with the rest of the MATLAB environment and...
uses piecewise linear approximation of the equations governing the elements of a circuit. The circuit is treated as a completely linear network of ideal diodes. Every time a diode switches from on to off or vice versa, the configuration of the linear network changes. Adding more detail to the approximation of equations increases the accuracy of the simulation, but also increases its running time.
Synthesis=
Simple circuits may be designed by connecting a number of elements or functional blocks such as integrated circuits.
More complex digital circuits most often often designed with the aid of computer software. Logic circuits (and sometimes mixed mode circuits) are often described in such hardware description languages as HDL
HDL
HDL may refer to one of the following:* Hardware description language* High-density lipoprotein, so-called "good cholesterol".* Hong Kong Disneyland, in China.* Les Hurlements d'Léo, an alternative rock band from France.* GE HDL diesel engine...
, VHDL or Verilog
Verilog
In the semiconductor and electronic design industry, Verilog is a hardware description language used to model electronic systems. Verilog HDL, not to be confused with VHDL , is most commonly used in the design, verification, and implementation of digital logic chips at the register-transfer level...
, then synthesized using a logic synthesis engine.