Crash Course: DC Analysis of Power Planes using SIwave
This video provides a crash course in DC analysis using SIwave. Follow the steps below to perform a DC analysis effectively:
Step 1: Import Your File
Begin the process by importing your file using one of the supported formats within SIwave.
Step 2: Proceed to DC Analysis
Once your file is imported, go directly to the DC analysis section. Here, you will:
- Select your power plane.
- Analyze passive links, which can be a single net or a group of nets connected with passive components.
Passive Components
Passive components include:
- Capacitors
- Inductors
- Resistors
For power planes, you typically only have inductors and resistors.
Step 3: Setup for DC Solver
Provide the DC solver with sufficient information to calculate unknowns. You can configure the setup in various ways:
- Input voltage and output current at the load, allowing the solver to determine the voltage across the nets and at the output.
- Input voltage and multiple output voltages, to find the current across the entire network.
- Input voltage or current with only terminations on the other side.
Example Setup
In our example, we place a voltage source at the output of the voltage regulator and a current source at the CPU, which acts as our load.
Step 4: Configure, Validate, and Simulate
After setting up, proceed to:
- Configure the simulation parameters.
- Validate the setup.
- Launch the simulation.
Step 5: Analyze Results
Once the simulation is complete, you can:
- Plot the current and voltages.
- Display any parameter on any layer. For example, plot the voltage on the VCC layer.
Thank you for watching.
This is a crash course: DC analysis of power planes using SIwave. Start the process by importing your file using one of the supported forms within SIwave. Go directly to DC analysis. Select your power plane. In SIwave, you can only analyze what we call passive links.
One passive link could be made of one net or a group of nets connected together using passive components. We will talk about passive components, specifically capacitors, inductors, and resistors. Usually, for power planes, we only have inductors and resistors.
In the setup, give the DC solver enough information to calculate the unknowns. For example, you can give it the input voltage and the output current at the load. Then, the solver will solve for the voltage across the nets and at the output.
Alternatively, you can give it the input voltage and the output voltage, and you want to know the current across the whole nets. Or, you could have an input voltage or input current, and on the other side, you have only terminations.
In our case, we selected to put a voltage source at the output of the voltage regulator and a current source at the CPU, which is our load. After that, configure, validate, and simulate. Launch the solver, and you will get the results. You can plot the current and the voltages.
Display any parameter you want on any layer. For example, on the VCC, you can select to plot the voltage. Thank you for watching.
