I have redrawn the circuit for the syntom since the original i found online is very difficult to read. So for anyone interested in building this fun little circuit it should be easier now.

Neil.

 

Your effort of drawing this in Paint (or similar) deserves an applause.

If you download a simulation or CAD software like SPICE or EAGLE you will have much less work for future "redrawings".

 

The possibility of simulation would also be at least potentially very useful. You would probably not realistically expect to simulate something this complex, certainly not right away. Simulation models are also harder to obtain for some obsolete parts.

That said, a simulator is very useful for illustrating some basic points in Electronics and for exploring circuit designs. It is however well to bear in mind that it is not infallible: a simulation, as its name suggests, is a sort of mathematical pretence, at best approximate. Another possible area for deception is that it is sometimes possible to set up circuits that only work by using component values which are not attainable in practice. Nevertheless, it can be a most useful tool.

 

You would probably not realistically expect to simulate something this complex,

Actually I posted a few days ago something more complex. The problem is that unless you have some supercomputer it takes forever for the simulation to run. So you have to break the circuit down into smaller parts.

They also have quite some limitations, at least Multisim does. Apart from the components that are not available....

 

Thankyou for the kind words, i used photoshop CS2 as i also study 2D digital art, so the program now serves both purposes, i did try a cad like program but couldn't get along with it so reverted to this.

I went through the schematic twice with a fine tooth comb and it looks good, no guarantees that i havn't missed something though

Neil.

 

Using a CAD system, like riding a bicycle, requires practice. You may find that some of them are easier than others. I would very strongly recommend that you try not to dismiss the idea out of hand. At the very least, consider obtaining some kind of drawing package where you do not have to make up every device symbol as you go. Life is short, and surely there are better things to do with your time?

The educational possibilities of a simulator are also quite significant. Nowadays there are a number of freeware packages that can be downloaded, such as LTSpice. They are limited in their scope, but well worth a look as an introduction to the subject.

Perhaps I should add a rider to that though. You might not be best advised to jump in with a simulator until you have sufficient grasp of basic electronics, which may be better obtained via hands-on experience using real equipment. You would also need to understand the types of analysis offered by simulation packages.