How good is LT Spice with Eagle?

On 4/14/2016 6:55 PM, matelot m wrote:

I am just discovering Eagle and see a box on the schematic page for LT

Spice. Is it fairly straight forward to run the two together and would

people recommend using both together?

thanks.

 

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Hi Matelot,

Getting them to work together requires some setup that isn't entirely

intuitive, however once everything is setup properly then they work well

together.

See this youtube video for more info:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBEHUw7BhTs

Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

Best Regards,

Jorge Garcia

Hi Jorge,

thanks for replying.

The reason I have taken so long to reply is that I have spent many fruitless hours trying to get them to work together. I finally gave up and left it.

I have recently been sent an advert saying the change of Cadsofts position makes Eagle an even better program, !sic.

I decided to try again.

I looked at the video you recommended and after the first 10 minutes of advert about cadsoft and eagle I got to trying to make it work with ltspice, it doesn't even tell you how to get it working it just shows you how to manipulate the two when they are working.

For instance the first thing it says is

click on the lt spice box and click on 'export setup' you get another box......etc

I don't , I get  ltspiceIV (scad3.exe) not found. As I did with the lt spice I had installed then and the uptodate ltspice I have just installed. I was told to update as the lt spice IV is no longer supported. I now have lt spice xv11. The is no scad3.exe anywhere on my computer but I can run lt spice.

I am a little concerned that when I do get it working lt spice will not accept the components that I am getting from eagle but I bet I am a long way from that.

Bob.

Hi Bob,

Don't use the latest LTSpice version XVII or whatever. Use LTSpice IV,

the current ULP isn't aware of the new one so it just halts and catches

fire.

There's an effort going on right now to update the ULP to work

cross-platform and we hope to also include support for the latest

version of LTSpice.

You can follow along at our git repo:

https://github.com/cadsoftcomputer/EAGLE-LTSpice-port-to-Linux-and-Mac

Full disclosure: I'm the one working on this.

You do have to watch the whole video, I know it's long, but if you get

far enough into it you'll see how you can address the requirement of

correspondence between the two pieces of software.

hth,

Jorge Garcia

Autodesk Support

Hi Jorge,

Thank you for your prompt reply. I'm afraid it caught me unawares, I wasn't expecting something so soon.

I have converted back to the lt-spiceIV as you suggest and managed to get further into the program following the video you recommend

At 11.08 he went to export set up and showed a eagle schematic page that was different to mine, his LT-spice box was in the right column mine was on the top left. I managed to move it to the right column?

Clicking on it and pressing export setup he got a long box with all the directions for the paths used by lt-spice. I got a box saying

========

Default LT-spice simulation library found on:

C:EAGLE-7.7.0/lbr/lt-spice-simulation.lbr

========

And a box with cancel in it. I pressed cancel and got the same box as his next one                       Eagle:  Auto Setup Info.

He mentions using version 6.4 I am using 7.7.0

At 13.10 he took me to the examples to open an example file. I followed him to LTC/LTspiceIV/examples/educational/LM741.asc and clicked on ok which took me back to the LT-spice import box. I clicked OK and got a small box containing

========

Library lt-supply.lbr can’t be found in path!

Please check: Control Panel – options – Directories – Libraries.

Add path of : lt-supply.lbr

Are you sure, you have imported this lbr from LTSpice?

========

There is a file called lt-supply.lbr  in EAGLE-7.7.0/lbr/ltspice/

My Control Panel does not have an ‘options’ choice on it? I am using windows 7.

He now has a circuit on his page to work with and I don't, I will listen to the rest of the video but I can't follow him on my screen any more.

Hi Jorge,

Thank you for your prompt reply. I'm afraid it caught me unawares, I wasn't expecting something so soon.

I have converted back to the lt-spiceIV as you suggest and managed to get further into the program following the video you recommend

At 11.08 he went to export set up and showed a eagle schematic page that was different to mine, his LT-spice box was in the right column mine was on the top left. I managed to move it to the right column?

Clicking on it and pressing export setup he got a long box with all the directions for the paths used by lt-spice. I got a box saying

========

Default LT-spice simulation library found on:

C:EAGLE-7.7.0/lbr/lt-spice-simulation.lbr

========

And a box with cancel in it. I pressed cancel and got the same box as his next one                       Eagle:  Auto Setup Info.

He mentions using version 6.4 I am using 7.7.0

At 13.10 he took me to the examples to open an example file. I followed him to LTC/LTspiceIV/examples/educational/LM741.asc and clicked on ok which took me back to the LT-spice import box. I clicked OK and got a small box containing

========

Library lt-supply.lbr can’t be found in path!

Please check: Control Panel – options – Directories – Libraries.

Add path of : lt-supply.lbr

Are you sure, you have imported this lbr from LTSpice?

========

There is a file called lt-supply.lbr  in EAGLE-7.7.0/lbr/ltspice/

My Control Panel does not have an ‘options’ choice on it? I am using windows 7.

He now has a circuit on his page to work with and I don't, I will listen to the rest of the video but I can't follow him on my screen any more.

matelot matelot wrote on Thu, 27 October 2016 11:38

..... I clicked OK and got a small box containing

 

Library lt-supply.lbr can't be found in path!

Please check: Control Panel  options  Directories  Libraries.

Add path of : lt-supply.lbr

Are you sure, you have imported this lbr from LTSpice?

 

There is a file called *lt-supply.lbr * in EAGLE-7.7.0/lbr/ltspice/

 

My Control Panel does not have an 'options' choice on it? I am using

windows 7...........

Hi

The Control Panel referred to is not the Windows control panel. It is the

Eagle Control Panel.

Control Panel > Options > Directories... >  Libraries

You should have already visited this point when you set up the path to your

personal libraries.

HTH

Warren

--

Web access to CadSoft support forums at www.eaglecentral.ca.  Where the CadSoft EAGLE community meets.

Yes, sorry I have that now.

Before I go any further, I have only seen simulations of oscilloscope traces showing circuits running, is it possible to add things such as switches and be able to switch them on screen and see the effects?

I have set up my directories and the program sees lt-supply.lbr. It also shows all the libraries in the control panel  libraries/ltspice.

I was able to load the diagram he loaded.

I did watch though the rest of the video but it didn't help any more.

After I got the libraries working I watched again from 17.15 right up to 19.15 where he says he has to open a library and goes to one he has made earlier

, ltdemo.lbr. He goes to it and suddenly there is a library editor on the screen? How did he get there?

Am I supposed to be better versed with eagle and know how to get to the library editor because I have spent about two hours this evening looking for it?

One thing I have discovered, it looks as if I will be better to abandon all the diagrams I have made up to now and remake them with lt-spice components.

I tried to export one of my designs and the first component it found it failed as not being lt-spice compatible.

I watched the rest of the video again hoping to find how to get to the library editor.

At 2030 he says he had to "go find a spice model, eagle contains no spice models so I had to go find one, in my case I used the one from TI which is this one right here"  ?

Right where?

He doesn’t explain where they are or how to find them,  I did a search of my computer and found no *.mod files. again I am stopped and can’t continue.

I am interested in trying to get this to work.

I help run a model railway in Sheffield , England and I am trying to bring them into the 21st century with the electronics, so being able to work this will help me design circuits for them and explain the circuits to them.

I might even be able to talk them into purchasing the professional version.

Bob.

On 10/27/2016 6:01 PM, matelot m wrote:

Yes, sorry I have that now.

 

Before I go any further, I have only seen simulations of oscilloscope traces showing circuits running, is it possible to add things such as switches and be able to switch them on screen and see the effects?

You can simulate switches, but it's not interactive. You can setup a

delay for the switch to flip and then observe how the circuit works.

 

I have set up my directories and the program sees lt-supply.lbr. It also shows all the libraries in the control panel  libraries/ltspice.

I was able to load the diagram he loaded.

This is good, that means the bridge is working.

 

I did watch though the rest of the video but it didn't help any more.

After I got the libraries working I watched again from 17.15 right up to 19.15 where he says he has to open a library and goes to one he has made earlier

, ltdemo.lbr. He goes to it and suddenly there is a library editor on the screen? How did he get there?

File > New > Library or File > Open > Library in the control. In the

schematic or board editor you would click Library > Open.

 

One thing I have discovered, it looks as if I will be better to abandon all the diagrams I have made up to now and remake them with lt-spice components.

I tried to export one of my designs and the first component it found it failed as not being lt-spice compatible.

No, further on in the video you'll see how to make your parts compatible

with LTSpice.

 

I watched the rest of the video again hoping to find how to get to the library editor and reached 20.30.

 

At 2030 he says he had to "go find a spice model, eagle contains no spice models so I had to go find one, in my case I used the one from TI which is this one right here"  ?

Right where?

He doesn’t explain where they are or how to find them,  I did a search of my computer and found no *.mod files. again I am stopped and can’t continue.

Your computer doesn't contain model files. The model files have to be

obtained from manufacturer websites. Look at the parts you want to use,

visit the manufacturers website and search for " spice model".

hth,

Jorge Garcia

On 10/27/2016 6:01 PM, matelot m wrote:

Yes, sorry I have that now.

 

Before I go any further, I have only seen simulations of oscilloscope traces showing circuits running, is it possible to add things such as switches and be able to switch them on screen and see the effects?

You can simulate switches, but it's not interactive. You can setup a

delay for the switch to flip and then observe how the circuit works.

 

I have set up my directories and the program sees lt-supply.lbr. It also shows all the libraries in the control panel  libraries/ltspice.

I was able to load the diagram he loaded.

This is good, that means the bridge is working.

 

I did watch though the rest of the video but it didn't help any more.

After I got the libraries working I watched again from 17.15 right up to 19.15 where he says he has to open a library and goes to one he has made earlier

, ltdemo.lbr. He goes to it and suddenly there is a library editor on the screen? How did he get there?

File > New > Library or File > Open > Library in the control. In the

schematic or board editor you would click Library > Open.

 

One thing I have discovered, it looks as if I will be better to abandon all the diagrams I have made up to now and remake them with lt-spice components.

I tried to export one of my designs and the first component it found it failed as not being lt-spice compatible.

No, further on in the video you'll see how to make your parts compatible

with LTSpice.

 

I watched the rest of the video again hoping to find how to get to the library editor and reached 20.30.

 

At 2030 he says he had to "go find a spice model, eagle contains no spice models so I had to go find one, in my case I used the one from TI which is this one right here"  ?

Right where?

He doesn’t explain where they are or how to find them,  I did a search of my computer and found no *.mod files. again I am stopped and can’t continue.

Your computer doesn't contain model files. The model files have to be

obtained from manufacturer websites. Look at the parts you want to use,

visit the manufacturers website and search for " spice model".

hth,

Jorge Garcia

On 10/27/2016 6:01 PM, matelot m wrote:

Yes, sorry I have that now.

 

Before I go any further, I have only seen simulations of oscilloscope traces showing circuits running, is it possible to add things such as switches and be able to switch them on screen and see the effects?

You can simulate switches, but it's not interactive. You can setup a

delay for the switch to flip and then observe how the circuit works.

 

I have set up my directories and the program sees lt-supply.lbr. It also shows all the libraries in the control panel  libraries/ltspice.

I was able to load the diagram he loaded.

This is good, that means the bridge is working.

 

I did watch though the rest of the video but it didn't help any more.

After I got the libraries working I watched again from 17.15 right up to 19.15 where he says he has to open a library and goes to one he has made earlier

, ltdemo.lbr. He goes to it and suddenly there is a library editor on the screen? How did he get there?

File > New > Library or File > Open > Library in the control. In the

schematic or board editor you would click Library > Open.

 

One thing I have discovered, it looks as if I will be better to abandon all the diagrams I have made up to now and remake them with lt-spice components.

I tried to export one of my designs and the first component it found it failed as not being lt-spice compatible.

No, further on in the video you'll see how to make your parts compatible

with LTSpice.

 

I watched the rest of the video again hoping to find how to get to the library editor and reached 20.30.

 

At 2030 he says he had to "go find a spice model, eagle contains no spice models so I had to go find one, in my case I used the one from TI which is this one right here"  ?

Right where?

He doesn’t explain where they are or how to find them,  I did a search of my computer and found no *.mod files. again I am stopped and can’t continue.

Your computer doesn't contain model files. The model files have to be

obtained from manufacturer websites. Look at the parts you want to use,

visit the manufacturers website and search for " spice model".

hth,

Jorge Garcia