SLiCAP#
Symbolic Linear Circuit Analysis Program#
NEW: SLiCAP Python!
Strongly simplified and reduced instruction set
Works with Kicad as schematic front-end
Works on all platforms
Open source MIT license
MSWindows installation
Install the Anaconda python environment
Install the Python module windows_tools.
To do so, open an Anaconda command terminal and enter:
pip install windows_tools
Obtain the SLiCAP Python modules:
Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/SLiCAP/SLiCAP_python.git
Or download the SLiCAP archive and unzip it in some folder (you may delete this folder after installation)
Open an Anaconda command terminal, navigate to the folder that contains setup.py, and enter:
python -m pip install .
Don't forget the dot .!
Obtain help: SLiCAP HTML User Manual
MAC and LINUX installation
Obtain the SLiCAP Python modules:
Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/SLiCAP/SLiCAP_python.git
Or download the SLiCAP archive and unzip it in some folder (you may delete this folder after installation)
Install the required Python modules (listed in requirements.txt)
Navigate to the folder that contains setup.py and enter:
python -m pip install .
Don't forget the dot .!
Obtain help: SLiCAP HTML User Manual
What it is and why you should use it#
SLiCAP facilitates analog design automation and stepwise, hierachically-structured, analog design
SLiCAP lets you relate circuit component and device geometry requirements to system performance requirements
SLiCAP makes complex symbolic circuit analysis doable
SLiCAP speeds up the circuit design process
SLiCAP integrates documentation and design ("one-click" update of HTML or PDF design reports)
SLiCAP facilitates design education and knowledge building
Benefits#
Speeds up the circuit engineering process
Makes complex symbolic analysis doable
Compatible with Jupyter notebooks
Integrates documentation and design with many easy to use built-in functions for HTML reports with plots, tables, expressions, etc.
Supports design education and knowledge building
Features#
Accepts SPICE-like netlists as input and provides netlist generation from, amongst others, Kicad and LTspice schematic files.
Facilitates concurrent design and documentation
Supports and facilitates structured analog design
Capabilities#
Conversion of hierarchically structured SPICE netlist into a mixed symbolic/numeric matrix equation
Symbolic and numeric noise analysis
Symbolic and numeric noise integration over frequency
Symbolic and numeric determination of transfer functions and polynomial coefficients of transfer functions
Symbolic and numeric inverse Laplace Transform
Symbolic and numeric determination of network solutions
Symbolic and numeric pole-zero analysis (symbolic pole-zero analysis for low-order systems only)
Symbolic and numeric Routh array
Order estimation of feedback circuits (numeric only)
Root-locus analysis with an arbitrarily selected circuit parameter as root locus variable
Symbolic and numeric DC and DC variance analysis for determination of budgets for resistor tolerances, offset, temperature effects, matching and tracking
Symbolic and numeric derivation and solution of design equations for bandwidh, frequency response, noise, dc variance, and temperature stability
Interfaces with other software#
SLiCAP can generate netlists from schematic files from:
Kicad (all platforms, preferred!)
LTspice (MS-Windows: install LTspice on the system drive, Linux and MacOS: use MS-Windows version and wine)
gschem (MS-Windows: install gschem and its netlister on the system drive, Linux and MacOS: use lepton-eda)
Lepton-eda (Linux and MacOS, MS-Windows: use gSchem for MS-Windows)
Inkscape is used to:
convert the page size of SVG images of schematic files generates with Kicad, lepton-eda, or gSchem to the image size
convert the above svg images to pdf (for use in LaTeX).