ISSN : 2230-7109 (Online) | ISSN : 2230-9543 (Print)

IJECT Vol. 2, Issue 4, Oct. - Dec. 2011

NI Circuit Design Suite: A Cosmic Aid for Undergraduate Engineering Students

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Dept. of ECE, IET, Bhaddal, Ropar, Punjab, India 2 Dept. of ECE, CIET, Rajpura, Punjab, India 3 College of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
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Tanvir Singh, 2Amritpal Singh, 3Amit Kumar, 4Rakesh Khanna

Abstract NI Circuit design suite is an easy-to-use schematic capture and simulation environment that engineers, students, and professors can use to define and simulate circuits. NI Ultiboard and NI Multisim form a complete platform to design, validate and layout printed circuit boards. The NI Ultiboard interface enables efficient layout and routing of PCB designs. Integration with NI Multisim allows seamless transfer of schematics to layout. Multisim simplifies circuit designby abstracting the complexity of SPICEsimulation with a fully interactive simulator. Multisim makes it easier to engage students and reinforce theory. Students can understand the different concepts of electronics very easily if they use Multisim and Ultiboard during their courses. This paper describes the use of Multisim and Ultiboard in an undergraduate Engineering circuits analysis course. Keywords Multisim, NI, SPICE, Simulator, Ultiboard. I. Introduction The NI Ultiboard interface enables efficient layout and routing of PCB designs. Integration with NI Multisim allows seamless transfer of schematics to layout. The customizable environment ensures accessibility to desired features for immediate productivity. Tools such as the spreadsheet view, toolbox and design wizards easily manage, control and define any board layout. Part placement and copper routes are optimized to either allow full control for precise definition of critical parts or automation for quick design completion. The 3D preview renders a completed, populated board to gain a virtual perspective before production.Ultiboardexports and produces industry standard format such as Gerber and DXF to take a final, optimized board to prototype and manufacture. This paper describes the use of Multisim and Ultiboard in an undergraduate Engineering circuits analysis course. II. Multisim Multisim was originally called Electronics Workbench and created by a company called Interactive Image Technologies. At the time it was mainly used as an educational tool to teach electronics technician and electronics engineering programs in colleges and universities. Educators worldwide are using the academic features of the Multisim education edition to foster learning and guide student exploration of circuit concepts. Multisim is an easy-to-use circuit teaching environment that simplifies circuit design by abstracting the complexity of SPICEsimulation with a fully interactive simulator. You can bring circuit concepts to life through simulation without worrying about SPICE syntax. With Multisim, students can focus on understanding the circuit concepts instead of getting frustrated with learning the environment [4, 5]. They can modify circuit values on the fly and see the simulation results change in
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real time. A. Technology of EDA The technology of EDA (Electronic Design Automation) is an innovation in the field of electronic design. It transforms the circuit design measure based on variable estimate and circuit experiment. Multisim is special software for electronic circuit design and simulation. It can complete the whole process from circuit simulation designed to circuit diagram created, thereby providing a new and convenient approach for electronic system exploitation, electronic product and electronic system engineering. Circuit simulation is an important part of any design process [3]. By simulating your circuits, you can detect errors early in the process, and avoid costly and time consuming prototype reworking. B. Ease of Components In Multisim, in order to connect different components, we need to place them on a breadboard as we perform practically on a breadboard. The default breadboard in NI Multisim is shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 1: Default Breadboard Find the component you need to teach the concepts you want with more than 14,000 components in the Component Library. These components and unique parts are clearly organized and searchable. Multisim also has commonly used components, including symbols, models, and IPC-standard land patterns, from leading manufacturers such as Analog Devices, Linear Technology, Maxim Microchip, National Semiconductor, and Texas Instruments to introduce students to components used in industry [1, 4]. Fig. 2 shows the component reference help for sophomore or freshman. The unique types of components in Multisim are listed below: 1. Interactive components such as switches and potentiometers can be manipulated while the simulation is running.

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ISSN : 2230-7109 (Online) | ISSN : 2230-9543 (Print)

2. Animated components such as LEDs and seven-segment displays change their appearance in response to simulation results. 3. Virtual components allow you to set their parameters to any value you like even if you cannot actually find a part with those values in real life. This is great for illustrating theoretical concepts. 4. Rated components enhance student learning by blowing up if certain parameters (for example, power or current) are exceeded.

Fig. 3: PCB Design Layout A. Benefits of Ultiboard 1. Layout and routing tools to easily define copper and part placement 2. Cross-probing with Multisim ensures comprehensive understanding of design at schematic and layout 3. Flexible and integrated design environment offers unlimited pin counts and up to 64-layer designs 4. Easy-to-use tools for part placement such as push-andshove, pick-and-place, and auto placement 5. Advanced options and settings to prioritize placement, as well as group and layer routing. NI provides vast manual along with software which is present in documentation. It results in very helpful in understanding NI Ultiboard. In NI Manual, one can get information about following parts: User interface Beginning a Design Setting up a Design Working with Parts Working with Traces and Copper PCB Calculators Auto routing and Auto placement Preparing for Manufacturing/Assembly. Viewing Designs in 3D Using Mechanical CAD IV. Powerful Teaching Options for Educators Designed with the educator in mind, Multisim incorporates academic features that simplify the teaching of circuit concepts and electronics. You can customize the Multisim user interface as well as the instruments and analyses that are available to control what a student can see and access within a circuit [2, 6]. This provides a range of powerful teaching options and the flexibility to introduce concepts in a controlled fashion so you can match the softwares complexity to the students level or course content. You also can easily add narrative and graphics to circuit files to further explain concepts in a lab or selfstudy environment. In addition, you can create and distribute reusable simulation profiles, each of which contains a complete SPICE parameter setup to ensure your students complete their assignments successfully as they become familiar with simulation. Circuit restrictions provide instructors the ability to set up hidden faults to teach troubleshooting skills. Fig. 4 shows the snapshot of Pulse Width Modulator.

Fig. 2: Component reference help III. Ultiboard NI Ultiboard software provides an easy-to-use and intuitive platform to layout and route a printed circuit board (PCB) design. With Ultiboard, you can complete the entire layout process, from part placement to copper routing, in a flexible design environment that optimizes speed and control. Automated processes, such as the integrated advanced auto router, quickly define noncritical trace placement, while manual trace placement ensures the precise control to efficiently take a design to prototype. Trace placement in Ultiboard offers flexibility to quickly and efficiently adjust based on the degree of design complexity [7]. Quickly find and place components with Pick-and-Place and Component Sequencer functionality. Integration with NI Multisim allows seamless transfer of schematics to layout. The customizable environment ensures accessibility to desired features for immediate productivity. Tools such as the spreadsheet view, toolbox and design wizards easily manage, control and define any board layout. Fig. 3 shows the PCB Design Layout in NI Ultiboard.

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ISSN : 2230-7109 (Online) | ISSN : 2230-9543 (Print)

IJECT Vol. 2, Issue 4, Oct. - Dec. 2011

By seeing these example finder we can say that NI Multisim is an easy-to-use schematic capture and simulation environment that engineers, students, and professors can use to define and simulate circuits. VI. Conclusion Electronics Workbenchs Multisim is a circuit simulation platform that can model the behavior of particular analog or digital circuit. We can design any circuit and can analyses behavior of entire circuit by performing DC, AC or transient analysis. We have access to thousands of parts and components, whereas Ultiboard is the PCB layout application of National Instruments Circuit Design Suite, a suite of EDA (Electronic Design Automation) tools that assists you in carrying out the major steps in the circuit design flow. Ultiboard is used to design printed circuit boards, perform certain basic mechanical CAD operations, and prepare them for manufacturing. It also provides automated parts placement and layout. References [1] Mohamad Eid,Introduction to Multisim, [Online] Available: http://www.g9toengineering.com/the wellroundedengineer/MultiSimtutorial%201.pdf [2] Liao Wei, Liu Jingao, Wang Shuxian, Research of Multisim in the Experiment Teaching, [Online]Available: http://www.ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all. jsp?arnumber=4722952 [3] Principles of Electrical Engineering Lab 1, Multisim Manual, [Online] Available: http://www.ece.rutgers. edu/~psannuti/ece223/Manual-for-multisim.pdf [4] Temitope Marcus, Rafael Romero,Electronic Workbench Multisim Tutorial (Basic), [Online] Available: http://www. csus.edu/indiv/t/tatror/Engr_1A/.../MultiSim_Tutorial. pdf. 2006. [5] Muthuswamy, Bharathwaj, MultiSim Tutorial, [Online] Available: http://www.inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~ee100/ su06/.. ./EE100-MultiSim-Tutorial.pdf. 2006. [6] Electronics Workbench, Multisim 8 Simulation and capture for Educators, [Online] Available: http://proton.ucting. udg.mx/tutorial/multisim/.../MultiSim_8_Educators.pdf. 2005. [7] National Instruments, NI Developer Zone, [Online] Available: http://www.zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/ id/5611

Fig. 4: Pulse width modulator Students can understand the concepts of various electronics circuits and analysis on Multisim by seeking examples already present in the help and also can design their own circuits and then can simulate. Fig. 5 shows the Differential Amplifier which is mostly used by engineering students in their courses.

Fig. 5: Differential amplifier V. NI Example Finder With Multisim, students can drop simulation-driven instruments onto a circuit schematic and interact with a circuit just like in the hardware lab. They can make measurements, probe, and troubleshoot engage students and reinforce theory with a hands-on approach to digital electronics by making hardware implementation. Fig. 6 shows the NI Example Finder to browse and search installed examples on NI Developer Zone.

Fig. 6: NI Example Finder

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IJECT Vol. 2, Issue 4, Oct. - Dec. 2011

ISSN : 2230-7109 (Online) | ISSN : 2230-9543 (Print)

Tanvir Singh is pursuing his bachelors degree in Electronics and Communication from I.E.T., Bhaddal, Ropar (Punjab Technical University), Punjab, INDIA. He is working as a budding researcher in field of research on topics Green Computing and Sustainability with a dream to create a Technical Advanced and eco- friendly world. He has published many papers in International Journals and conference proceedings. Amritpal Singh is pursuing his bachelors degree in Electronics and Communication from C.I.E.T., Rajpura, Patiala, (Punjab Technical University), Punjab, INDIA. He is working as a researcher in field of Green Computing and Sustainability with a dream to create a Technical Advanced and ecofriendly world. Amit Kumar received his bachelors degree in Mathematics from the Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, India, in 2002 and Masters degree in Computer Application from Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, India, in 2006. He completed his M.Phil. in Computer Science from Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, Tamilnadu, India, in 2010. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Computer Science. He is working as a Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science, College of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China. He has many publications in National /International Conference proceedings and International Journals. He is a reviewer for many international Journals. His current interest includes Techno-Economic Analysis of Broadband Wireless Networks viz. WiMAX, HSPA, EV-DO and LTE. His future focus is to explore the Green Wireless Technologies and Sustainable development. Rakesh Khanna has completed M.Tech. from PTU Jalandhar, Punjab, India and currently pursuing his Ph.D. from PTU Jalandhar, Punjab, India. He has a vast experience (Technical and Academic) in the field of Electronics and Communication Engineering as well as Instrumentation. He is presently working as Head of Department at IET, Bhaddal, Ropar, Punjab, India.

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