MultiSIM
Encyclopedia
NI Multisim is an electronic schematic capture
and simulation program which is part of a suite
of circuit design programs, along with NI Ultiboard. Multisim is one of the few circuit design programs to employ the original Berkeley
SPICE
based software simulation. Multisim was originally created by a company named Electronics Workbench
, which is now a division of National Instruments
. Multisim includes microcontroller simulation (formerly known as MultiMCU), as well as integrated import and export features to the Printed Circuit Board
layout software in the suite, NI Ultiboard.
Multisim is widely used in academia and industry for circuits education, electronic schematic design and SPICE simulation.
and electronics engineering programs in colleges and universities. National Instruments has maintained this educational legacy, with a specific version of Multisim with features developed for teaching electronics.
In 1999, Multisim was integrated with Ultiboard after the original company merged with Ultimate Technology, a PCB layout software company.
In 2005, Interactive Image Technologies was acquired by National Instruments
Electronics Workbench Group and Multisim was renamed to NI Multisim.
Schematic capture
Schematic capture or schematic entry is a step in the design cycle of electronic design automation at which the electronic diagram, or electronic schematic of the designed electronic circuit is created by a designer...
and simulation program which is part of a suite
Software suite
A software suite or application suite is a collection of computer programs, usually application software and programming software of related functionality, often sharing a more-or-less common user interface and some ability to smoothly exchange data with each other.Sometimes software makers...
of circuit design programs, along with NI Ultiboard. Multisim is one of the few circuit design programs to employ the original Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
SPICE
SPICE
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...
based software simulation. Multisim was originally created by a company named Electronics Workbench
Electronics Workbench
The National Instruments Electronics Workbench Group is responsible for innovating the electronic circuit design software NI Multisim and NI Ultiboard, which was previously a Canada-based company that first produced MultiSIM, and integrated ULTIboard with it....
, which is now a division of National Instruments
National Instruments
National Instruments Corporation, or NI , is an American company with over 5,000 employees and direct operations in 41 countries. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, it is a producer of automated test equipment and virtual instrumentation software...
. Multisim includes microcontroller simulation (formerly known as MultiMCU), as well as integrated import and export features to the Printed Circuit Board
Printed circuit board
A printed circuit board, or PCB, is used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive pathways, tracks or signal traces etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. It is also referred to as printed wiring board or etched wiring...
layout software in the suite, NI Ultiboard.
Multisim is widely used in academia and industry for circuits education, electronic schematic design and SPICE simulation.
History
Multisim was originally called Electronics Workbench and created by a company called Interactive Image Technologies. At the time it was mainly used as an educational tool to teach electronics technicianElectronics technician
Electronics Technicians help design, develop, test, manufacture, and install electrical and electronic equipment such as communication equipment, medical monitoring devices, navigational equipment, and computers. They may be employed in product evaluation and testing, using measuring and...
and electronics engineering programs in colleges and universities. National Instruments has maintained this educational legacy, with a specific version of Multisim with features developed for teaching electronics.
In 1999, Multisim was integrated with Ultiboard after the original company merged with Ultimate Technology, a PCB layout software company.
In 2005, Interactive Image Technologies was acquired by National Instruments
National Instruments
National Instruments Corporation, or NI , is an American company with over 5,000 employees and direct operations in 41 countries. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, it is a producer of automated test equipment and virtual instrumentation software...
Electronics Workbench Group and Multisim was renamed to NI Multisim.
See also
- NI Ultiboard, the PCB layout software that is integrated with Multisim.
- OrCADOrCADOrCAD is a proprietary software tool suite used primarily for electronic design automation. The software is used mainly to create electronic prints for manufacturing of printed circuit boards, by electronic design engineers and electronic technicians to manufacture electronic schematics.The name...
- Comparison of EDA SoftwareComparison of EDA softwareComparison of Electronic Design Automation software-Free and Open Source Software :-Proprietary software:-Comparison of EDA packages:Note: ODB++ support is drawn partly from lists by Artwork Conversion Software and Mentor Graphics...
External links
- NI Multisim, official website
- National Instruments Circuit Design Community Circuit design blog and community to share components, models and footprints
- Download Link for NI Multisim Allows a 30-day evaluation of the software
- Introduction to Multisim Schematic Capture and SPICE Simulation
- Getting Started with NI Ultiboard