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circuits: Definition and Recommended Links

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The process of circuit design can cover systems ranging from complex electronic systems all the way down to the individual transistors within an integrated circuit. For simple circuits the design process can often be done by one person without needing a planned or structured design process, but for more complex designs, teams of designers following a systematic approach with intelligently guided computer simulation are becoming increasingly common.

Formal circuit design usually involves the following stages: sometimes, writing the requirement specification after liaising with the customer writing a technical proposal to meet the requirements of the customer specification synthesising on paper a schematic circuit diagram, an abstract electrical or electronic circuit that will meet the specifications calculating the component values to meet the operating specifications under specified conditions performing simulations to verify the correctness of the design building a breadboard or other prototype version of the design and testing against specification making any alterations to the circuit to achieve compliance choosing a method of construction as well as all the parts and materials to be used presenting component and layout information to draughtspersons, and layout and mechanical engineers, for prototype production testing or type-testing a number of prototypes to ensure compliance with customer reqiurements signing and approving the final manufacturing drawings post-design services (obsolescence of components etc.)

Source: Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuit_design)

other great electronics sites:ee toolbox site

• • circuits
    • The process of circuit design can cover systems ranging from complex electronic systems all the way down to the individual transistors within an integrated circuit. For simple circuits the design process can often be done by one person without needing a planned or structured design process, but for more complex designs, teams of designers following a systematic approach with intelligently guided computer simulation are becoming increasingly common.

      Formal circuit design usually involves the following stages: sometimes, writing the requirement specification after liaising with the customer writing a technical proposal to meet the requirements of the customer specification synthesising on paper a schematic circuit diagram, an abstract electrical or electronic circuit that will meet the specifications calculating the component values to meet the operating specifications under specified conditions performing simulations to verify the correctness of the design building a breadboard or other prototype version of the design and testing against specification making any alterations to the circuit to achieve compliance choosing a method of construction as well as all the parts and materials to be used presenting component and layout information to draughtspersons, and layout and mechanical engineers, for prototype production testing or type-testing a number of prototypes to ensure compliance with customer reqiurements signing and approving the final manufacturing drawings post-design services (obsolescence of components etc.)

      Source: Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuit_design)

      (Note: The Electronic Engineers Toolbox provides an alternative set of featured links for this word at http://www.cera2.com/circuit.htm)

      Featured Links:

      IEEE Custom Integrated Circuits Conference

      The IEEE Custom Integrated Circuits Conference is the premier conference for information on leading-edge analog and digital circuits. CICC is dedicated to IC development, showcasing original, first published technical work and innovative circuit techniques that tackle practical problems.
      http://www.ieee-cicc.org/

      XCircuit

      XCircuit is a UNIX/X11 (and now Windows, if you have an X-Server running) program for drawing publishable-quality electrical circuit schematic diagrams and related figures, and produce circuit netlists through schematic capture. XCircuit regards circuits as inherently hierarchical, and writes both hierarchical PostScript output and hierarchical SPICE netlists. Circuit components are saved in and retrieved from libraries which are fully...
      http://opencircuitdesign.com/xcircuit/

      SPICE Tutorial

      LTSpice is another version of SPICE. The tutorial for LTSpice is modified from this one, so if you found the layout of this one useful, you will probably find the LTSpice tutorial easy to follow. LTSpice is more freely available than PSpice, and it runs under WINE on Linux as well. I. Opening PSpice II. Drawing the circuit Getting the Parts Placing the Parts Connecting the Circuit Changing the Name of the Part Changing the...
      http://denethor.wlu.ca/PSpice/pspice_tutorial.html

      eCircuit Center

      This site is not electronics theory from the ground up (there are plenty of great textbooks already in print!) This site attempts to provide what I've always learned best from - informal, hands-on and fun experiences that lead to a deeper, more intuitive understanding of circuit design and analysis.
      http://www.ecircuitcenter.com/

      Lessons In Electric Circuits

      This introduction comes from the operating manual for a circuit simulation program called Electronics Workbench. Using a graphic interface, it allows the user to draw a circuit schematic and then have the computer analyze that circuit, displaying the results in graphic form. It is a very valuable analysis tool, but it has its shortcomings. For one, it and other graphic programs like it tend to be unreliable when analyzing complex circuits,...
      http://www.ibiblio.org/obp/electricCircuits/index.htm

      Integrated circuit @ Wikipedia

      In electronics, an integrated circuit (also known as IC, microcircuit, microchip, silicon chip, or chip) is a miniaturized electronic circuit (consisting mainly of semiconductor devices, as well as passive components) that has been manufactured in the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material. A hybrid integrated circuit is a miniaturized electronic circuit constructed of individual semiconductor devices, as well as passive...
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_circuit

      Integrated Circuit Identification

      The large directory of integrated circuit logos. Find the manufacturer you're looking for!
      http://www.engineering.uiowa.edu/~eshop/mflogo.dir/ic-id.html

      IC Master

      The IC Master Catalog is the electronic industry's leading source of information on over 125,000 commercially available integrated circuits. This unique and powerful search tool is available by subscription in both print and CD-ROM. Paid only.
      http://www.icmaster.com/

      Calibre nmOPC

      The Calibre nmOPC tool offers best-in-class accuracy, speed, and cost of ownership. Like all Calibre family products, Calibre nmOPC runs on the fully integrated Calibre hierarchical geometry engine uniquely enabling a fully integrated design to mask flow with a unified command language. Calibre nmOPC also supports the OASIS output format to minimize output file size. Streamlined hierarchical processing algorithm in Calibre nmOPC enables the tool to take advantage of natural design hierarchy to improve turn around time, computational efficiency, and throughput compared to flat processing tools.
      http://www.mentor.com

      EE Circuits Archive

      Information on the EE Circuits Archive Circuits Data Sheets Models Microprocessors Text Files Software Reading Capacitors Resistor Codes Related Links Digital Design Links of Interest. This is a site devoted to expanding the availability of circuit designs to engineering students, and even engineering professionals. The idea for this database came from Jerry Russell's search for circuit designs for guitar sound effects.
      http://www.ee.washington.edu/circuit_archive/

      Explanation: these links are provided as part of our EE glossary project, which seeks to identify the most prominent keywords in embedded systems, embedded software, realtime and rtos, dsp (digital signal processing), system-on-a-chip, microprocessors and microcontrollers, and other constituent elements for embedded systems. While we seek to keep most of the links up-to-date, the user is refered to other primary electronic-based search sites such as: cera2.com, embedded.com, or EDN Magazine. If you have any suggestions of links or definitions, please email!

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