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Multisim
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Getting started with National Instruments Multisim Multisim is the preferred SPICE circuit simulator for use in EE-331. The current version that is installed on the general purpose computers in the EE Department is 11.0. Multisim was originally developed by Electronics Workbench in Canada, along with the companion printed circuit board (PCB) layout tool Ultiboard. Electronics Workbench was bought by National Instruments in 2007, and the Multisim and Ultiboard products are now marketed and supported by National Instruments. Multisim and Ultiboard also couple closely to LabVIEW when needed. Several separate tasks comprise the overall process of circuit
simulation. These include: (1) schematic capture, (2) device
modeling, (3) setting up and running the simulation, and (4) output
analysis. A quick, step-by-step tutorial has been created to help
learn Multisim and how to accomplish each of these four tasks. The
tutorial works through the schematic entry, device modeling, DC transfer
curve analysis, and transient analysis of a full-wave bridge rectifier
with capacitive filtering. One of the best places to get help on Multisim is within Multisim itself. Multisim has a fairly good, indexed, and complete set of help files. Another important resource is the collection of built-in example files. There are two toolbar buttons (or menu items) for opening a file: the regular open file button, and a blue colored open example file button right beside it. Clicking on the blue open example file button will allow selecting an example from a rather extensive set that is organized by circuit and analysis category. A circuit file can be opened using either of the buttons, but the blue open example file button automatically opens up the file selection dialog within the directory of the example files. Very often one of these examples has most of the analysis set up, and only the circuit itself needs to be modified. These examples generally illustrate best practices, and can be very useful for learning how to set up a new type of analysis or use some less common feature. Ultiboard also features the blue open example file button, although the number of examples that it has are far less than in Multisim. In addition, National Instruments has several useful tutorials on their web site. The best starting one is: Introduction to Multisim: Learn to Capture and Simulate in Less
Than 30 Minutes: A PDF manual can also be downloaded, "NI Circuit Design Suite - Getting
Started with NI Circuit Design Suite": The Circuit Design Technical Library offers a number of different
example circuits and analysis methods and also some tutorials on prototype
layout and routing using Ultiboard: The Multisim Schematic Capture and Circuit Design Glossary is a short
introduction to the terminology and graphics cues which are used in
Multisim. It is also helpful for understanding the organization of
the Select Component window and how that interacts with the various part
databases:
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