FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does MacSpice require netlists and not have graphical schematic entry?
MacSpice is a Spice simulator, not a schematic capture application. If you need schematic capture, you may wish to consider:
- DesignWorks Pro (Commercial)
- Electric VLSI Design System (Open Source)
- Magic VLSI Editor (Compiles for X Windows under Xdarwin)
- xcircuit (Open Source) also available as MacPorts or Fink packages
Is there a Windows version of MacSpice?
No, it has a half-sister called WinSpice which is also derived from Berkeley 3f4 but by a different developer – Mike Smith.
Why won't Disk Copy mount MacSpice-3f4-PPC.dmg?
For unfathomable reasons, OS X systems 10.1 and 10.2 sometimes refuse to mount .dmg files with 'Error 95 no mountable file system.'. Try the '.tar.gz' version on the Downloads page instead.
How do I interrupt an analysis?
Use the standard command-. key combination by pressing the 'Apple' key simultaneously with the 'full stop' key.
How do I close all the graph windows?
The 'Close' action changes to 'Close All' when the 'option' modifier key is pressed.
Why does this release run slower than another Spice?
It probably doesn't, at least not when the comparison is done fairly. Competitors often benefit because they contain bugs that have been fixed in MacSpice.
One example arises when the TMAX specification is omitted from transient analysis. MacSpice uses the smaller of TSTEP or (TSTOP-TSTART)/50.0, as specified in the Spice 3f5 User's Guide. The uncorrected Berkeley code uses the larger of these values, and therefore calculates at fewer time points. If this is what is required (and it often is) TSTART and TMAX must be specified explicitly.
Another example is that many Spice 3f5 ports, including the early versions of MacSpice, overlook the creation of internal nodes for devices. In the case of BSIM3 models when RSH!=0 there are typically four times as many internal nodes as there are external nodes, so not bothering with internal nodes gives a significant speed advantage, and unreliable answers.
What should I do in the event of a crash?
The next time it is run, MacSpice will ask for permission to transmit the crash log which will have been created in '˜:Library:Logs:' to the developer. Check you have the most recent version.
Why don't copied and pasted graphs ungroup in OmniGraffle?
MacSpice puts classic (PICT 2) structures on the clipboard and not all MacOS X applications can handle these.
Is MacSpice Free Software?
There is no charge made for non-commercial use of MacSpice, but it is not Free Software in the FSF sense.
May I have a copy of the MacSpice source?
The current version of MacSpice is not open source. However, the source code for a previous version of MacSpice 3f4 is on sourceforge.