Introduction
SimCAS is a free, open source, simple and very flexible analog simulator. The goal of this project is not to build a simulator as powerful as Spice or Qucs but to try solving electric networks by using a CAS approach. CAS means "Computer Algebra System".
SimCAS uses symbolic equations to define components and solves the systems without using matrix. It uses the Taylor Expansion Diagrams theory.
The advantages compared to a matrix approach are :
- low memory consumption ( no use of huge sparse matrix full of '0' ). Equations are stored as stacks with elements and operators.
- once compiled in a simple form, the equations are easy to compute. You can modify a parameter value and re-evaluate the equations without doing complex computation as matrix solving.
Possibility is given to users to define their own components by using symbolic equations.
SimCAS can handle nonlinear DC, nonlinear transient and linear AC analysis.
SimCAS is built with wxWidget 2.8.10 ( www.wxwidgets.org ) and uses the framework library wxAUI.
It is delivered in two parts :
- GUI source code based on the wxWidget set of classes,
- The mathematical kernel source code which is toolset independent. It uses standard and built-in C++ classes.
SimCAS runs on Windows2000 / XP and Linux( Tested on Ubuntu ). It can be compiled through Visual C++ ( Native Windows ) or through a makefile ( Cygwin / Linux ).