Book Description

This new book, written by Andre Vladimirescu, who was instrumental in the development of SPICE at the University of California Berkeley, introduces computer simulation of electrical and electronics circuits based on the SPICE standard. Relying on the functionality first supported in SPICE2 that is now supported in all SPICE programs, this text is addressed to all users of electrical simulation. The approach to learning circuit simulation is to interpret simulation results in relation to electrical engineering fundamentals; the book asks the student to solve most circuit examples by hand before verifying the results with SPICE. Addressed to both the SPICE novice and the experienced user, the first six chapters provide the relevant information on SPICE functionality for the analysis of linear as well as nonlinear circuits. Each of these chapters starts out with a linear example accessible to any new user of SPICE and proceeds with nonlinear transistor circuits. The latter part of the book goes into more detail on such issues as functional and hierarchical models, distortion analysis, basic algorithms in SPICE and related options parameters, and, how to direct SPICE to find a solution when it does not converge to a solution. The approach emphasizes that SPICE is not a substitute for knowledge of circuit operation but a complement. The SPICE Book is different from previously published books in the approach of solving circuit problems with a computer. The solution to most circuit examples is sketched out by hand first and followed by a SPICE verification. For more complex circuits it is not feasible to find the solution by hand but the approach stresses the need for the SPICE user tounderstand the results. Readers gain a better comprehension of SPICE thanks to the importance placed on the relation between EE fundamentals and computer simulation. The tutorial approach advances from the hand solution of a circuit to SPICE verification and simulation results interpretation. This book teaches the approach to electrical circuit simulation rather than a specific simulation program. Examples are simulated alternatively with SPICE2, SPICE3 or PSPICE. Accurate descriptions, simulation rationale and cogent explanations make this an invaluable reference.