ah that is an awesome sounding program...too bad its totally visual.
73
Colin, V A6BKX
----- Original Message -----
From: "Howard Kaufman" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2005 4:09 PM
Subject: Re: arrl site and pdf


> Rich sent it, and here is what I got.
> Worked smooth as silk with updated adobee, and window-eyes 5.0.
> Was able to cut and paste the text as well.
> SHORT TAKES
> Steve Ford, WB8IMYQST [log in to unmask]
> By Don Coltrane, KJ4UC
> 1739 Cumberland Trace
> Acworth, GA 30102
> [log in to unmask]
> I have no formal training in electronics, but I love home-
> brewing. I=92ve always wanted to try a program that allowed me
> to model electronic circuits on the computer, both to see if my
> design worked, and to see what does not work. All the pro-
> grams I have tried in the past were either too complex, or didn=92t
> live up to my expectations. I recently downloaded a program
> called CircuitMaker Student Version that was mentioned in
> =93The Doctor Is IN=94 (QST, January 2004, page 53) and I have
> fallen in love with it. This is a small program for the Windows
> operating system (only 3.24 MB), so even with a dial-up con-
> nection it is no problem to download.
> Drawing It Out
> When I installed CircuitMaker on my computer, I was
> amazed at how easy it was to learn. You can begin building
> and testing your own =93virtual=94 circuits within minutes.
> When you click on the PARTS icon in the toolbar, a drop-
> down menu appears showing the parts that are available. If
> you want to put a transistor in the design area, click on the
> PARTS icon, select MAJOR DEVICE CLASS and scroll down
> to transistors. The MINOR DEVICE CLASS box then displays
> your choices. Everything from Darlingtons to enhancement-
> mode MOSFETs is available. Click on BJT, for example, and
> you=92ll see a list of 50 different transistors to choose from. If
> you double click on a 2N3904, you will be taken back to the
> design area. One more click at this point will place the tran-
> sistor in the design.
> Other parts can be placed in similar fashion. You can then
> drag the parts into position with your mouse. By right click-
> ing the parts, other parameters can be changed such as the
> orientation or the component value. An option to duplicate
> the part is also available, which saves a few steps when put-
> ting multiple parts of the same type in a circuit.
> All of the parts in the design area can be interconnected
> simply by clicking on the + icon and moving the cursor over
> the lead of the part you want to wire. When you do, a red box
> will appear. Click the box and, as you move the mouse, a blue
> line will trail behind. Think of this blue line as a =93wire.=94 As
> you reach another component lead, another red box will ap-
> pear. Just click again and the parts will be instantly connected
> between those two points. If you make a mistake before click-
> ing the second time, press the ESC (escape) key and the op-
> eration is aborted. (Another way to erase is by clicking on the
> DELETE TOOL. The cursor then becomes a lightning bolt.
> Touch the tip of the lightning bolt to the part or wire you want
> to remove and it will vanish with a single mouse click.)
> Modeling
> Now comes the fun part. Let=92s say that you=92ve completed a
> circuit for your project, or copied a circuit from QST, and you
> want to see how it works. No need to buy test equipment be-
> cause CircuitMaker will take the measurements for you.
> With the circuit displayed on screen, click on the RUN icon
> and multimeter will open. With the multimeter (PROBE tool),
> you can check voltage, current and power at any point. You
> can check waveforms with the CircuitMaker oscilloscope by
> making it active and then holding down the shift key and, for
> example, clicking the base and the collector of an amplifier
> circuit. You can see amplification taking place right before
> your eyes.
> The Verdict
> CircuitMaker is a boon to experimenters. You can use it to
> design, test and learn about the circuits you have been seeing
> in books and magazines for years. Don=92t be afraid to try new
> things. You can design a circuit on a whim, then change com-
> ponents and see what happens. This is all part of the learning
> process, and the more you use CircuitMaker the more you
> learn.
> The student version is free, but it has limitations. The help
> section in particular is truncated. The student version is also
> limited to a maximum of 50 devices per design (any type) and
> the device library is limited to 1000 models. The symbol edi-
> tor and macro features are disabled as well. Despite these limi-
> tations, CircuitMaker Student Version has more than enough
> power to keep you building=97and dreaming.
> Manufacturer: Altium Limited, 12A Rodborough Rd,
> Frenchs Forest NSW 2086, Australia. Download from the Web
> at www.circuitmaker.com/. System requirements: Windows
> 98/NT/2000/XP with a Pentium-class PC with 32 MB of RAM
> and 40 MB of hard disk space.
> CircuitMaker Student Version
> June, 2004
> Product Reviews:
> TS-480SAT and TS-480HX HF + 50 MHz Transceivers
> Short Takes:
> CircuitMaker Student Version
>