Actions
Forum Thread Details
  • Replies 4 replies
  • Subscribers 178 subscribers
  • Views 459 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Related

Work flow suggestions

Former Member

Hi all,

 

I'm not new to electronics, but new to Eagle. This is a hobby now, not a

profession anymore, and it's been awhile since I've really done any real

design (my career took me into physics/dynamics and away from electronics).

I'm using Eagle mostly to copy public domain circuits, maybe some

modifications, then build them.

 

I also bought B2 Spice. (I've tried a few simple schematics with some

frustration due to inconsistencies with Eagle library names versus the B2

library/model names. But I think that is more for the B2 forums...)

 

That said, I'd love some advice on work flow. Most/all of the circuits

which interest me are analog audio processing types; filters, oscillators,

amplifiers, etc. ending up in a modular synthesizer.

 

That now said, is it easier to build the schematic in Eagle then convert it

to B2 format and just deal with the missing models in B2 Spice? Or, is it

easier to build the circuit in B2 Spice then port it to Eagle? I've not

tried the B2 Spice to Eagle route yet as I'm still just trying to get

through the Eagle manual.

 

Any users of Eagle and B2 Spice out there who are willing to give me their

2 bits of advice?

 

Thanks

 

David

--

Browser access to CadSoft Support Forums at http://www.eaglecentral.ca

 

Parents

  • Gary Gofstein wrote on Tue, 23 February 2010 15:28

    my advice if you are building analog circuits is not to use SPICE and

    this goes 10x if they are audio circuits. SPICE will not tell you

    whether your circuit picks up hum or radio stations or your cell phone.

     

    It won't let you know about common ground impedance that makes your

    circuit ring or distort. It usually doesn't tell you what it will sound

     

    like when your choice of opamp saturates, or nearly saturates.  It will

     

    not tell you whether you want a mica or ceramic or polypropylene

    capacitor. In fact, it usually won't tell you anything you don't

    already

    know. Your ears will tell all of these things though.

     

    SPICE is sometimes good for figuring out what function a filter does or

     

    how to modify that and basically for experimenting with parameters in

    ideal circuits...but it's no substitute for a real circuit. Audio

    circuits, unlike some other types of circuits, are easy to breadboard.

     

     

    Great advice Gary, and I've heard it from others. For me, I'm using Spice

    as more of a learning tool, like you said, figuring out what a filter is

    doing, and experimenting. As I said, I'm not doing too much original

    design, mostly as a tool to understand circuits others have designed and

    for experimenting with designs which already work and which I may or may

    not want to actually build. I want to take a schematic into Spice and probe

    it so I get an intuition for what signals are doing where, and for

    learning, and maybe to help trouble shoot when I stuff the wrong

    capacitator on the board image

     

    Would you recommend doing the schematic in Eagle, then porting it to B2

    Spice?

     

    Thanks for the reply.

     

    David

    --

    Browser access to CadSoft Support Forums at http://www.eaglecentral.ca

     

Reply

  • Gary Gofstein wrote on Tue, 23 February 2010 15:28

    my advice if you are building analog circuits is not to use SPICE and

    this goes 10x if they are audio circuits. SPICE will not tell you

    whether your circuit picks up hum or radio stations or your cell phone.

     

    It won't let you know about common ground impedance that makes your

    circuit ring or distort. It usually doesn't tell you what it will sound

     

    like when your choice of opamp saturates, or nearly saturates.  It will

     

    not tell you whether you want a mica or ceramic or polypropylene

    capacitor. In fact, it usually won't tell you anything you don't

    already

    know. Your ears will tell all of these things though.

     

    SPICE is sometimes good for figuring out what function a filter does or

     

    how to modify that and basically for experimenting with parameters in

    ideal circuits...but it's no substitute for a real circuit. Audio

    circuits, unlike some other types of circuits, are easy to breadboard.

     

     

    Great advice Gary, and I've heard it from others. For me, I'm using Spice

    as more of a learning tool, like you said, figuring out what a filter is

    doing, and experimenting. As I said, I'm not doing too much original

    design, mostly as a tool to understand circuits others have designed and

    for experimenting with designs which already work and which I may or may

    not want to actually build. I want to take a schematic into Spice and probe

    it so I get an intuition for what signals are doing where, and for

    learning, and maybe to help trouble shoot when I stuff the wrong

    capacitator on the board image

     

    Would you recommend doing the schematic in Eagle, then porting it to B2

    Spice?

     

    Thanks for the reply.

     

    David

    --

    Browser access to CadSoft Support Forums at http://www.eaglecentral.ca

     

Children
No Data