Mentor Blogs

In my last post I talked about using modeling and simulation to preserve design and technical expertise within a company. This seems a valuable methodology for preventing technical ‘brain drain’ within a corporation. Recently, however, I ran into another simulation dilemma related to sharing simulation knowledge: how to share simulation expertise between companies. Often when I talk with … Read More

Mixed-Signal

Lately I’ve been working with customers interested in using SystemVision to simulate either a real production design, or some sort of evaluation test circuit. To a customer, however, each ran into the “don’t have a simulation model” challenge for one or more devices in their system. Despite SystemVision’s large VHDL-AMS and SPICE model libraries, we didn’t have a … Read More

Mixed-Signal, analog modeling

One of the most important things I’ve learned during my 20+ years working with simulation tools is simply this: my simulation results will only be as good as my models. While not a revolutionary concept, it’s none the less a fact of system simulation that anyone using a simulator in their design process knows. But there is an equally important companion principle: my model will only give me the … Read More

Mixed-Signal, IEEE 1076.1, Modeling

I’ve mentioned before that I travel some on business. My business trips are usually pretty routine: catch a flight to some “exotic” destination, land and pickup a rental car, visit a customer or attend a Mentor Graphics meeting, spend the night in a hotel, eat fast food, then press the “repeat” button until it’s time to go home. Sometimes I’m on the road for a quick day trip; sometimes I’m away from … Read More

Mixed-Signal

Using simulation, engineers can analyze a system’s performance prior to building and testing a hardware prototype. Doing more simulation at the front end of the design process reduces prototype and test costs at the back end. Simulating an electrical design, for example, means tracking voltages across, and currents through, system components – just like testing a hardware prototype. But improving system … Read More

IEEE 1076.1, Mixed-Signal

I could quickly answer the question posed in this post’s title with four words: Analog and Mixed-Signal. But as with most concepts worth understanding, especially in the engineering world, you need to dig a little deeper to understand some of the finer details, and maybe the larger significance. First, a quick history lesson. IEEE Standard 1076 defined a standard language for logic modeling, which … Read More

IEEE 1076.1, Mechatronic, ieee 1076, Mixed-Signal

I remember my early days in the EDA industry. SPICE was little more than a teenager (I suppose this dates me a bit). I had recently finished a 5-year stint working for the United States Air Force and had just joined a young company as an Applications Engineer to help promote the features and benefits of system design using Hardware Description Languages (HDLs). Though HDL use for semiconductor design … Read More

SPICE, HDL, IEEE 1076.1, Multi-Level Design, Mechatronic, Mixed-Signal

More and more digital processing functions isolated into multiple power domains, hundreds or thousands of analog-digital interconnections, operating frequencies always closer to pure RF — clearly, genuine full-chip verification of complex mixed-signal systems-on-chip (SoCs) calls for careful planning and organization, as well as flexible simulation technologies. Whether you are verifying a power-management … Read More

Mixed-Signal, IC Design