Tutorials
Electro-Thermal Design Part 2: Analog Electronics
Featured Article - Submitted by Mike Donnelly on 3 Sep 2020 | 08:15 PDTA new thermal model generation capability has recently been provided in Simcenter Flotherm. It will not only improve the accuracy and efficacy of the electro-thermal design process, but will also be easy for electronic circuit designers to use. In this article, which is Part 2 of a series, I’ll focus on an “LED Spotlight” application. This is intended to represent systems that are primarily composed of continuous (non-switching) analog electronics devices.
Electro-Thermal Design Part 1: Digital Electronics
Featured Article - Submitted by Mike Donnelly on 2 Sep 2020 | 17:54 PDTA new thermal model generation capability has recently been provided in Simcenter Flotherm. It will not only improve the accuracy and efficacy of the electro-thermal design process, but will also be easy for electronic circuit designers to use. In this article, which is Part 1 of a series, I’ll focus on an example application: A “smartphone”. This is intended to represent systems that are primarily composed of digital electronics devices.
Efficient Solar Battery Charging System
Featured Article - Submitted by Mike Donnelly on 12 May 2020 | 14:37 PDTSolar energy systems for residential use are typically limited by code to 600V, but commercial installations can operate at higher voltages. This opens the door to more efficient energy utilization. Achieving that efficiency has been made easier with the introduction of Silicon Carbide (SiC) Power Devices from Rohm Semiconductor. These components offer significant performance advantages over their Silicon (Si) counterparts.
Solar Panel Load Current vs. Voltage at different irradiance levels
How do I delete an entire wire?
Featured Content - Submitted by DGB on 5 Dec 2019 | 09:46 PSTPress the shift key as you click on a portion of the wire. This will select the entire wire which can be deleted with the delete key.
Can I select an area of the schematic?
Featured Content - Submitted by DGB on 5 Dec 2019 | 09:46 PSTYes, by pressing either the shift or control keys while you click and drag with the mouse. The shift key will add the enclosed items to the currently selected set. The control key will clear whatever is currently selected and select the enclosed items.
How do I select more than one object on the schematic?
Featured Content - Submitted by DGB on 5 Dec 2019 | 09:45 PSTHolding the shift key down while clicking on an object will add this object to the selected set. Holding the control key down while clicking on an object will toggle that object’s selection without changing anything else that is selected. If the object was selected, it will be deselected after you click with the control key pressed.
What type of model files can be imported?
Featured Content - Submitted by DGB on 5 Dec 2019 | 09:45 PSTVHDL-AMS and SPICE. SystemVision Cloud doesn’t provide support and/or compatibility for several proprietary constructs found in some PSpice® or LTspice® models.
What is the blue icon in the lower right corner of the screen?
Featured Content - Submitted by DGB on 5 Dec 2019 | 09:35 PSTThat is an Intercom chat button where you can chat with a SystemVision Cloud developer.
What if I want to create designs that cannot be seen by others?
Featured Content - Submitted by DGB on 5 Dec 2019 | 09:16 PSTTo prevent other users from seeing a design, it must be stored in a secret group which requires a subscription. Refer to the Plans and Features section of the home page for more information.
Am I limited in the number of designs I can create?
Featured Content - Submitted by DGB on 5 Dec 2019 | 09:10 PSTNo. With a free account you can create as many public designs as you want.
How To: Work with Groups
Featured Tutorial - Submitted by DGB on 5 Dec 2019 | 08:37 PSTLED Driver with Auto-Dimming for Thermal Protection
Featured Article - Submitted by Mike Donnelly on 21 Nov 2019 | 07:10 PSTIn my previous article I demonstrated an important self-protection feature of the NCV84160 from ON Semiconductor; its ability to enter thermal limit cycling if the internal device temperature gets too high. My friend and fellow model-developer, Alain Stas of Vishay, recently suggested that NTC thermistors could be used to provide similar protection at the circuit board or system level. One application where this could be implemented in a very natural way is for LED lighting systems.
Vishay SMD NTC Thermistors with Enhanced Stability
Why should I create an account to use SystemVision Cloud?
Featured Content - Submitted by DGB on 22 Oct 2019 | 12:56 PDTCreating a design is easy and can be done without creating an account. If you create an account, your designs will be saved so you will have access to them the next time you login.
Test Drive the NCV84160 High-Side Driver Here!
Featured Article - Submitted by Mike Donnelly on 6 Sep 2019 | 11:05 PDTON Semiconductor has recently provided a high-fidelity model of their NCV84160 High-Side Driver. That device has many built-in functions and protection features beneficial to automotive lamp, solenoid and other driver applications.
Creating “Live” Embedded Designs to Demonstrate Your Applications
Featured Article - Submitted by Mike Donnelly on 13 Aug 2019 | 07:06 PDTWe have been asked by several of our customers for instructions on creating “Live” (a.k.a. “tunable”) designs and embedding them in their own web-pages. These component manufactures appreciate the accessibility and customer-education value of these interactive reference designs, for demonstrating key features and effective usage of their devices, in the context to the customer’s application!
This article describes a method for creating this content. It is also product of that approach!
Create a Word Document
Ember Coffee Mug Virtual Teardown
Featured Article - Submitted by Darrell on 11 Jul 2019 | 16:07 PDTVirtual Teardown
When I saw the original advertisement for the Ember coffee mug, I was drawn to it like a Seattleite to a Starbucks. I knew that I had to get one and would then inevitably spend my weekend trying to figure out precisely how it works.
Motion Control Design: Frequency Response Modeling of a Flexible Structure
Featured Article - Submitted by Mike Donnelly on 5 Nov 2018 | 18:01 PSTA versatile and effective modeling capability is available in our HyperLynx product family. It uses complex-pole fitting to extract simulation-ready models from measured frequency response data. This can be useful in a wide range of engineering design applications, from system level transfer function (signal flow) analysis, to modeling component interactions in a circuit simulation. The following example illustrates both of these aspects in a practical application: Design of a motion control loop that includes a flexible structure.
New: Explore Live Energy Harvesting Designs
Featured Article - Submitted by Mike Donnelly on 9 May 2018 | 18:54 PDTIn a previous blog post, I provided a number of Energy Harvesting example designs that could be modeled and simulated in SystemVision. These included electrodynamic, thermal and solar energy harvesting for Industrial IoT and Automotive applications. Subsequent to that posting, we added a rich new capability to SystemVision, "Live Designs".
Electric Power Steering - Coordinated Control, Electronics and Motor Design
Featured Article - Submitted by Mike Donnelly on 21 Apr 2018 | 18:32 PDTElectric Power Steering (EPS) systems provide a challenging control design problem for system integrators. Because the system directly interacts with the driver’s hands, reducing vibration is a must. But controlling the system’s fundamental mechanical resonance requires loop compensation, such as lead, which can make the system sensitive to higher frequency disturbances (1). This can include cogging and torque ripple from the motor, or commutation noise from the drive electronics. For this reason, it is essential to have a tool flow that supports a coordinated design effort across these technologies.
Figure 2. MotorSolve B-field Analysis of the EPS PMSM Motor