

In this lesson, we’ll look at some of the basic circuit simulation tools you can use in ECAD programs, including in Altium Designer.

It’s important to know when to use circuit simulations and what they can tell you about your system. As you build up your circuits, there are times where you need to evaluate its behavior to ensure the components you choose will work properly. Most ECAD programs, including professional PCB design applications, include a circuit simulator that automates many calculations you might need to perform in circuit design. This is where simulations are very important. Some of the electrical behavior in your circuits can be calculated rather easily, but other circuits are more difficult and may require some tools to automate these calculations Sometimes, when you’re placing components in your schematics and you’re designing circuits, you don’t always know the best values to use for components, or if the circuit will produce the exact behavior you want to see. A lot of this relates to finding and selecting components, as well as how to place the components into your schematics. There’s a lot of information we’ve presented in the previous sections.
