NI's LabView integrates with EDA tools to speed electronic design

Austin, TX-To simplify comparisons of circuit simulation data and real-world measurements, design engineers can download free Spice integration virtual instruments (VIs) to integrate National Instruments' LabView graphical development software with Spice and PSpice electronic design automation (EDA) tools. These software devices are available from Cadence, Synopsis and Mentor Graphics.

This integration reportedly makes it easier for engineers to test electronic designs by comparing simulations with empiric data. For example, assisted by SPICE integration VIs, engineers using SPICE circuit simulators can easily import simulated signals from circuit design into LabView, where they can compare expected results of their circuit design with real-world prototype measurements. Also, by combining SPICE simulation results with measurement data from design prototypes in LabView, designers can more quickly iterate through the design process, and shorten time-to-market for many electronic products.

Engineers can generate stimulus signals, and acquire and analyze circuit responses in LabView using PXI modular instruments or traditional stand-alone GPIB instruments. Then they can quickly visualize discrepancies between simulated results and actual measurements on LabView's graph displays to rapidly identify errors, and tune performance during the development process.

The Spice integration VIs work with any Spice simulator that can output results in Berkeley Spice, Orcad PSpice, or Multisim files from Electronics Workbench. These VIs are available free of charge at www.ni.com/design.

Control Engineering Daily News Desk
Jim Montague, news editor
jmontague@reedbusiness.com

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