Many of the design exercises this semester involved writing software. Our tools for this aspect of design are conveniently packaged in a single box: the MSP430 IDE allows us to write, compile, simulate, download, and debug a program, all from the same keyboard.
We also have powerful design tools for the hardware aspect of our designs. The Cadence PCB layout software and the T-Tech milling machine allow us to realize a circuit in a relatively short period of time. However, the cycle time for making a change in the hardware of our design is considerably longer than that for software. The need for such changes could be reduced if we were able to explore ideas, refine component values, and examine tolerance effects before having to commit the design to a PCB.
One way to do this is to build a breadboard version of the portion of the circuit which needs refinement, then perfect that portion before including it in the complete design. Another is to simulate that portion of the circuit, or even the entire circuit, optimizing parameters and topology before realizing the circuit in hardware. This week we will take a brief look at both of these approaches.