WRspice Circuit Simulator
IC Design Software for Unix/Linux and Windows
Whiteley Research Inc., 456 Flora Vista Avenue, Sunnyvale CA 94086    wrcad.com
WRspice Circuit Simulator
Whiteley Research Inc.,     wrcad.com

Click here to browse the on-line WRspice manual.
Click here to enter the on-line WRspice help system.

WRspice  is a powerful and flexible circuit simulation and analysis tool. While WRspice is being developed to include new features, it will continue to support those capabilities and modes which remain in extensive use with the Berkeley Spice2 and Spice3 programs. It also has extensions for compatibility with other commercial SPICE simulators (meaning HSPICE).

WRspice is available Linux, Apple MacOS, and Microsoft Windows.

Unlike traditional batch-mode SPICE, WRspice makes extensive use of input graphics and the point and click metaphor for program control. About a dozen different control panels are available from a toolbar for controlling various aspects of simulator operation. The user can open a selection of control panels and arrange them according to preference. An "update" command saves the arrangement for future WRspice sessions. WRspice does not contain an internal schematic capture front-end. Instead, it is designed to work in conjunction with the powerful Xic graphical editor.

Of course, WRspice is highly effective in batch-mode and non-graphical applications as well.

WRspice includes several unique features, including a built-in Verilog parser and language extensions for mixed-mode (analog/digital) simulations, and random noise sources.

Context sensitive help is provided throughout. The HTML-based help system functions as a web browser (though only HTML-3.2 compliant so will not properly display most web pages), making internet resources conveniently available. The help database can be easily augmented with site-specific information.

WRspice works seamlessly with the Xic graphical editor program, providing the illusion of a single application to the user. Xic provides a graphical framework for generating input from a schematic, initiating the simulation run, and plotting output. WRspice is also highly effective as a stand-alone application, where input is supplied in ASCII files using a superset of the industry standard SPICE syntax.

A powerful graphical plotting facility is available for plotting simulation results, with hard copy support for Postscript (mono and color), HP PCL, HPGL, and others.

A powerful scripting language and interpreter are provided, so that automated simulation and data manipulation can be employed. The syntax used is an efficient but easy to learn C-like scripting language representing a superset of the capabilities of the scripting language used in Berkeley Spice3.

Commands exist for certain repetitive analysis types, such as Monte Carlo and operating range analysis. A "loop" command analyzes a circuit while varying circuit parameters, producing multi-dimensional output vectors. WRspice has the capability of parceling out tasks to other machines on a network, greatly reducing the time required for a multi-analysis job.

WRspice provides the following basic analysis types:

  • DC Operating Point
  • DC Sweep (two dimensions)
  • AC
  • Noise
  • Distortion
  • Transfer Function
  • Sensitivity
  • Transient
  • Operating Range
  • Monte Carlo
The ac, noise, transfer function, and transient analyses can be performed at every point of a dc sweep using the "loop" analysis mode.

WRspice includes a Verilog parser and support for "verilog blocks" embedded in circuit descriptions. This facilitates mixed-mode simulation, and instrumentation for stochastic analysis.

The device model library provides the following devices:

  • Capacitor
  • Inductor and Coupled Inductors
  • Resistor
  • Switch (current-controlled and voltage-controlled)
  • Dependent and Independent Current and Voltage Sources
  • Transmission Lines (lossless, lossy convolution model, lossy Pade approximation model, lumped element URC model)
  • Bipolar Transistor (standard and VBIC models)
  • Junction Diode
  • JFET
  • Josephson Junction
  • MESFET
  • MOSFET
  • Run-time loadable/Verilog-A device models are now supported.
The on-line documentation provides up-to-date information on currently available built-in device models. In particular, the built-in MOS models currently included are listed here.

Some Additional WRspice Features

Installation

WRspice has built-in capability for automatically checking for update availability, and for actually downloading and installing updates at the user's request. After installing for the first time, the passwd command should be run to enable these features.

Compatibility

Many changes were made to provide direct support for the IBM and TSMC foundry PDK models, which make extensive use of HSPICE-specific constructs and features. Keyword and comment handling have been extended to support syntax used by other simulators.

Flexible Expression Syntax

The syntax accepted by the expression parser is more flexible and C-like, but is 100% backward compatible with Spice3/Jspice3 and earlier WRspice input. The parser understands ternary conditionals and other advanced constructs found in the expressions of PDK models, as well as providing built-in math functions and random generators consistent with HSPICE.

Parameter Handling

Parameter (.param) handling was enhanced to provide quicker circuit loading when large numbers of parameter definitions are present. User-defined functions can be defined in .param lines. The code that handles the initial input file parsing was rewritten, to better handle both parameter and shell expansion.

Strong Support for Verilog-A Device Models

A compiler produces run-time loadable modules from Verilog-A source. Pre-compiled modules are provided for popular device models such as hicum2, mextram, psp102/103, and flavors of bsim, or you can build your own.

Strong Support for CMC QA Validation

A script set and QA data are provided, in accord with the Compact Modeling Council (CMC) standards, for Verilog-A and some other models used in WRspice. The framework is available as a separate download.

Extended-Precision Arithmetic

WRspice can use extended-precision floating-point to solve circuit equations, which for some models/circuits allows convergence and provides greatly improved accuracy.

Copyright © Whiteley Research Inc. 2017