Why Simulate?

When considering what simulation software is right for you some good questions to contemplate are, “can it help me accomplish my objectives and goals?” and “how well can the software help me test my design for failures and maximize my performance without increasing costs?" We may be biased, but our answer to those questions is…PSpice. 

PSpice provides the ability to verify circuit operation in a virtual lab before any hardware is developed, making it simple to change the design of a circuit and test alternatives quickly. With this method, you save time, money, and materials in the long run. Essentially, PSpice provides the flexibility to virtually create and test various designs at the drop of a hat. It gives engineers the ability to identify design flaws and potential for error ensuring overall product reliability.  

The Cost of Failure

So then, what is the risk of not simulating? Well, not simulating can lead to further increases in cost, either in liability claims or later down the road during the manufacturing process. For families, the cost of companies not simulating can be dangerous and deadly. Household products can malfunction at any time and cause fires and damages to the home, creating an unsafe environment for you and your loved ones (our marketing manager had experienced this, you can read his blog post about it here). 

Just this year alone there have been several recalls on products including Microsoft Surface Pro, Hoverboards, and the most notorious of 2016-the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. For the Microsoft Surface Pro, their power cord was recalled due to reports of overheating, and electric shock hazards, leaving Microsoft with over 2.5 million units short. Hoverboards were also recalled by the U.S. government (over 500,000) this past year, due to fire hazards.  Last but not least, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7- the most talked about malfunctioned device this year. Cars being caught on fire from charging their phone in the car, pictures of burns customers received from their devices, and stories spread throughout social media of their phones blowing up in their pants pockets, backpacks, and even while the device was still in their hands.

With these damages come liability claims and the vow to never buy a product from your company again in fear of malfunctions or mistakes repeating themselves. In the age of social media and online reviews of practically everything, you can bet you don’t want a review of your product or company to have the words, “liability” “damage” “fire” or “malfunctioned” associated with it.

Prevent Errors with PSpice

Engineers can  prevent these types of company and brand damaging outcomes with PSpice technology, because it gives options for companies to further optimize and qualify design for yield, cost, and reliability. You can analyze and explore circuit performance and “what if” scenarios, helping to find problems before they wind up in the customer's hands. 

With PSPICE, you can analyze the end result, make changes, and create 1,000’s of virtual prototypes to test for design failures-creating a safe and reliable environment for end users.  PSpice enables full system level analysis, unmatched speed, and convergence with multicore, has access to the most advanced post simulation analysis environment, and provides the broadest model availability of any spice simulator on the market. PSPICE also seamlessly integrates with OrCAD Capture, allowing you to use the same schematic for both simulation and PCB layout, which reduces rework and errors.  The integration also allow for easy setup and simulation runs as well as cross-probing of simulation results. 

You can learn more about PSpice here.