If you are interested in exploring alternative circuit simulation systems, the Micro-Cap mixed-signal circuit simulation system is now available for free here: http://www.spectrum-soft.com/download/download.shtm.

The CD that you can download is targeted at Windows users, but I have installed it under WINE on my Ubuntu 18.04 Linux computer, and it appears to run perfectly.

It comes with really good documentation (user's guide and reference manual) and what appears to be a very comprehensive component library.

I've just started to explore the capabilities of this system, but so far I am very impressed.

 

Supplemental note on MicroCap12 installation under Linux:

If you run this under WINE on a linux box, the .chm help system will not work "out of the box."
The fix is to install xchm ( apt-get install xchm ) and use it to access the .chm help system.
This link may be helpful for Ubuntu users: https://o7planning.org/en/11873/installing-the-xchm-viewer-software-to-read-the-chm-file-on-ubuntu

 

Looking desperately for a forum or community , a gide , help for cap12 . Any idea ?
Thanks , Marco , France

 

Looking desperately for a forum or community , a gide , help for cap12 . Any idea ?
Thanks , Marco , France

I don't know of a forum or community, but will post here if I stumble on one.

For documentation, the User's Guide and Reference Guide are pretty good when used together with the .chm help system.
(I think the .chm help is essential.) I've been studying them and just managed to get my first circuit simulation running after working through the examples in the User's Guide. It took me a few days of effort.

This is a very rich simulation environment, so lots to learn and a pretty steep learning curve. The range of its capabilities though is impressive and seems to me to make the effort worthwhile if one is interested in getting closer to the raw SPICE simulation level.

 

I have been using an earlier version of MicroCap for years now and it became my go to simulator. I also run LT Spice though because it was free and so anyone on this forum could download it and we could do simulations and compare notes and share circuit files.
If we could do that with MC now too that would be great.
I will have to look into this newer version.
Thanks for the note.

 

I envy you your experience with the system. I've still got a lot to learn about it, but so far am very impressed. The system has an amazing set of capabilities for serious engineering work, and is the most flexible of the simulators I've used.

The MicroCap site gives a long list of new features that v.12 incorporates.

 

There is a Russian forum https://microcap.forum24.ru/ .
Previously, anyone could enter and view the topics. Now registration is required.

 

I envy you your experience with the system. I've still got a lot to learn about it, but so far am very impressed. The system has an amazing set of capabilities for serious engineering work, and is the most flexible of the simulators I've used.

The MicroCap site gives a long list of new features that v.12 incorporates.

Yeah it looks interesting i am going to have to try it out soon. Got it downloaded already.

 

There is a Russian forum https://microcap.forum24.ru/ .
Previously, anyone could enter and view the topics. Now registration is required.

Too bad it is in Russian not everyone can read that.
An English site would probably appeal more to most members here.

 

I am Russian-speaking and have little knowledge of English. In spite of this I am a member of several English speaking forums. I use online translators (three pieces). Even a weak knowledge of English helps me. I will not argue with this.

 

I am Russian-speaking and have little knowledge of English. In spite of this I am a member of several English speaking forums. I use online translators (three pieces). Even a weak knowledge of English helps me. I will not argue with this.

Nice to know you can still communicate here.

 

I just tried out the newer version MC12 and it is pretty nice except i could not yet get the help files to show up when i looked for help within the program environment itself.

The software comes with over 45000 components which is impressive.

I tried simulating two equivalent models of a transformer and just for the heck of it i tried out the "transfer function' analysis and it was able to calculate the numerical transfer function for the first transformer model but not the second for some reason. I dont really need this anyway but thought i would try it because my older software did not have that option.

Well lots of stuff to play with now

Highly recommended for members here. I may start another thread for this just in case some members missed this thread.
Sad part is it looks like the manufacturer is out of business now.

 

I am Russian-speaking and have little knowledge of English. In spite of this I am a member of several English speaking forums. I use online translators (three pieces). Even a weak knowledge of English helps me. I will not argue with this.

I admire your diligence -- and your patience!

 

I just tried out the newer version MC12 and it is pretty nice except i could not yet get the help files to show up when i looked for help within the program environment itself.

The CD image contains a .chm file which contains all the help information. As I noted earlier, if you're running under Linux with WINE, you'll need to install something like "xchm" to access the help system. I don't know what the problem might be under Windows, but you might try "hh" once you've located the .chm.

 

What is "hh"?

Ok i found out what the 'problem' was.
chm files are blocked by default so you have to right click then click "properties" then click "unblock" to be able to rad the help file properly. Otherwise you get a "web page was canceled" error.

 

hh is a windows program, as I understand it, that can apparently be used to read .chm. It apparently works under WINE+linux too, but I didn't try it.

"Hh.exe

The HTML Help executable program (Hh.exe) runs whenever a user clicks a compiled help (. chm) file or menu item that opens the help file inside the Help Viewer. The HTML Help executable program calls the HTML Help ActiveX control, which opens the help file and provides navigation and other features to the user."

 

Just downloaded MC 12 because it allows lossy transmission lines with a frequency depend G. I'm using a current dependent/current Laplace source and would like the input current to be the current in another component, but without running the wires around. I seem to be able to put labels on the wires to connect, but it would be easier to just reference the current in a zero voltage source. This is what LTSpice allows. I can't 'seem to find a way to do this. Any ideas?

 

Just downloaded MC 12 because it allows lossy transmission lines with a frequency depend G. I'm using a current dependent/current Laplace source and would like the input current to be the current in another component, but without running the wires around. I seem to be able to put labels on the wires to connect, but it would be easier to just reference the current in a zero voltage source. This is what LTSpice allows. I can't 'seem to find a way to do this. Any ideas?

This may or may not work:
You should be able to label the top of the current sense on the current controlled voltage source (CCVS) with something like "Vx" and the bottom with "Vy". Then interrupt the bottom connection to the sense element and place another "Vx" at the bottom of the element and "Vy' to where the bottom used to go. The current sense acts as a short from Vx to Vy so the original sense element will still connect the same way it did before the change. The difference is the current through that element will now have to pass though the current sense part of the CCVS.

This should always work:
Alternately, use a current to voltage source (CCVS) with two labels on the output voltage then a voltage to current source (VCCS) with the same two labels on the inputs. If you need a Laplace source instead, just use a voltage to current Laplace source instead. Make each source have an appropriate gain factor perhaps one of them can be just "1".