[FightCube] wrote in recommending a very helpful piece of circuit simulation software for those of you still constructing entries for the 555 design contest. LTSpiceIV, available from Linear Technology, allows you to construct moderately complex 555 driven circuits including common components such as capacitors, resistors, diodes, FETs, and more. Once you have constructed your circuit, you can view the results in an easy to use visualization window, without ever having to touch your soldering iron or a breadboard. According to [FightCube], the software is fairly easy to use, and best of all, it’s free.
He has shared one basic circuit he built as a demonstration of the software’s capabilities, and promises to share more in order to motivate others to enter the contest.
Good job to Fightcube for getting featured ^^
The first rule of Fightcube is….. Oh never mind.
@smokingman
shhhhhhh!
;p
I use the simulator at http://www.falstad.com/circuit/
Got me through ece201, and has tons of elements and chips
@dustandechoes91: Everyone should know of this one. Its one of the best free simulators I’ve seen and its simple to use.
FYI-
LTSpice works great running under Wine in Linux.
also, Fritzing?
Thanks for the feature! Hopefully this will help motivate everyone to enter the 555 contest! I’ll update with a couple more basic circuits and then an interesting one.
Regarding FightCube, there are no rules ;-)
I’ve been using this for a couple of terms. It’s pretty awesome :)
Just watch out for the bugs in the 555 behavioral model. The default one has a few. I had to add a better model when it got confused by an unusual set of inputs.
Crap. Another win-only thing. Looks like will have to use wine…
@Jen, thanks for the tip! I haven’t run into any bugs yet, but I know if you try to crank up the frequency too high the simulation just chugs away creating all of those transitions.
Hasn’t LTSpice been out for years?
Why are they getting the article out now?
Apexys
@Apexys – Yes LTspice (aka SwitcherCAD) has been out for years, and they keep improving it and making it better… all for free! Linear Technologies didn’t submit the article, I did this just for the 555 timer contest ;-)
Just wanted to update you guys today with another Spice Model, for the 555 Monostable Mode…
http://badwolf.hackhut.com/2011/02/09/youve-got-8-pins-and-one-shot/
More to come tomorrow!
I have to chime in and say you NEED this program. Not just for 555 circuits. This program got me through my engineering degree. Everything from verifying simple RLC behviour in my labs to simulating precision current sources, high gain amplifiers, and discrete Opamp designs.
It would have to be one of the most powerful and versatile free systems available and if you can find the right SPICE model for your device there’s very little it can’t do in the realms of SPICE simulations.