Setting up SmartSPICE to be driven from Schemata

1) Ensure SmartSPICE is starting in the SPICE working directory.

In the Schematic go to Tools > Preferences and click the Spice tab. Check the SmartSPICE Working Directory. It is typically C:\temp. Make sure SmartSPICE will start in that directory - to do so right click on the SmartSPICE shortcut (either on your desktop and/or on the Quick Start bar) and choose properties. Modify the Working directory field to be same as above - ie typically c:\temp

2) Make sure SmartSPICE is set to read the initialization file.

By default the newer versions of SmartSPICE do NOT read the initialization file. To ensure that it does, again in the properties dialog box you used in step one - modify the end of the command line to have "-oldini". Typically it will look like this:

C:\Silvaco\etc\GuiAppStarter.exe -lib-dir-name smartspice -exe-name smartspice -oldini

3) Copy these lines into the smartspice.ini file.

The smartspice.ini file is in a different place for each different version of SmartSPICE that you have installed. It is in <silvaco-installation-directory>\lib\smartspice\<version-number>\x86-nt\. So for example, on my machine this directory is used: C:\Silvaco\lib\smartspice\2.24.3.R\x86-nt\

Please note that on some machines the smartspice.ini file may be called smspice.set. You can verify this by reading the first few lines when SmartSPICE starts up

In the appropriate directory for your installation add these lines to the smartspice.ini (or smspice.set) file:

.control

set gui_control_handles = C:\Silvaco\lib\smartspice\2.16.9.R\x86-nt\gui_control_handles.ini

set noaskquit = true

set rawfiletype = binary

alias dplt 'write dplt.raw !:* ; shell start /min plot dplt.raw'

set noaskquit=true

set createsubcircuitnodemap = true

version

.endc

However, it is essential that the first line is a blank line. SmartSPICE reads the first line as a comment. ie the line above .control, the first line in the file, is a blank line....

Now shut down SmartSPICE and the Schematic if they were running and start Schemata again. Click right on any of the Simulation scripts (in the top right area of the Schematic such as Spice Simulaitons > DC > Debug > OP click right on OP) and choose Run. This should start SmartSPICE. In the SmartSPICE window you should see these lines: (or something very similar):

SmartSpice

Version 2.24.3.R

Analog Circuit Simulator

(408) 567-1000; http://www.simucad.com

Loading C:\Silvaco\lib\smartspice\2.24.3.R\x86-nt\smspice.set

--> set gui_control_handles = C:\Silvaco\lib\smartspice\2.16.9.R\x86-nt\gui_control_handles.ini

--> set noaskquit = true

--> set rawfiletype = binary

--> alias dplt 'write dplt.raw !:* ; shell start /min plot dplt.raw'

--> set noaskquit=true

--> set createsubcircuitnodemap = true

--> version

SmartSpice

Version 2.24.3.R

Analog Circuit Simulator

(408) 567-1000; http://www.simucad.com