SLiCAP

SLiCAP#

color coded resistors

Symbolic Linear Circuit Analysis Program#

NEW: SLiCAP Python!

MSWindows installation

  1. Install or upgrade KiCad before installing SLiCAP and completely remove older kicad files and folders from your computer.

  2. Install the Anaconda python environment OR upgrade your current Anaconda installation to Python version 3.12 or higher

  3. Install SLiCAP

    Open an Anaconda command terminal and enter:

    pip install slicap

  4. Obtain help: SLiCAP HTML User Manual

MAC and LINUX installation

  1. Install KiCad before installing SLiCAP.

  2. Be sure you are unning a Python 3.12 or higher environment

  3. Install SLiCAP

    Open a terminal and enter:

    pip install slicap

  4. Obtain help: SLiCAP HTML User Manual

SLiCAP examples

Download or clone the SLiCAP examples

Note: Examples may require KiCad version 9

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 the 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 install Lepton-EDA, MS-Windows: use gSchem for MS-Windows as described above)

  • SLiCAP integrates with ngspice

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