LIVEWIRE

Livewire Educational edition Introduction

Livewire is a sophisticated software package for designing and simulating electronic circuits. Switches, transistors, diodes, integrated circuits and hundreds of other components can all be connected together to investigate the behaviour of a circuit. There are no limits to what can be designed and no loose connections or faulty components to worry about. However, if the maximum ratings for any components are exceeded, they will explode on screen!                                     click here to download Guided Tour Designing Circuits—Livewire's simple, direct user interface helps you to build circuits quickly and easily. Just grab the components youneed and connect them together using Livewire's intelligent wiring tool. Make any final adjustments to your circuit by moving components – Livewire will preserve all connections and re-route as necessary – and then press the 'play' button to begin simulation. Livewire is tightly integrated with PCB Wizard. This means that when you have drawn and simulated a circuit, you can transfer it to PCB Wizard 3 with the click of a button. PCB Wizard 3 will then automatically place all components and route the circuit.                                                                          click here to download Features Feature   Edu  Circuit diagram Circuit diagram design Yes Component library (# of models, view list) 1500+ ANSI and DIN symbols Yes Virtual instruments 7 Automatic wiring Yes Nets and virtual connections Yes Interactive circuit diagram simulation Yes On-screen animation Yes True analogue/digital simulation Yes Simulation of component destruction Yes Component fault simulation Yes Interactive component and pin hints Yes Link to PCB output via PCB Wizard 3 Yes General Multi-level zoom (25%-1000%) Yes Multiple undo and redo Yes Copy and paste to other software Yes Multiple document support Yes Automatic save Yes Integrated text and drawing tools Yes Courseware authoring tools Yes Network support (click here for details) Yes 1  Questions                 General Q. How is Livewire different to Bright Spark? A. Bright Spark is primarily aimed at teaching electricity and basic electronics to students who may not have any previous experience of the subject. Bright Spark can be viewed as a junior version of Livewire, which is a more sophisticated circuit simulator. Q. Can Livewire generate a PCB layout? A. Yes. If you have PCB Wizard 3, Livewire can convert a circuit diagram into a PCB layout. Q. Can I use Livewire with PCB Wizard 2? A. No. You will require PCB Wizard 3. Q. I already use Crocodile Clips and PCB Wizard 2. Why should I upgrade to the new Livewire and PCB Wizard 3? A. There’s more components to design with, better simulation accuracy, wires that don’t break when you move components, enhanced translation from circuit design to circuit board and much improved component placement and automatic routing. Q. What components does Livewire support? A. Over 1500 analogue and digital components are available. Clickhere for a full list. Q. Can I add my own components? A. No. However, you can let us know which components you would like to see, so that we can consider adding them to future versions of the software. Q. Do you plan to release a Mac or Linux version? A. We currently have no plans to port Livewire to either the Apple OS X or Linux operating systems. Requirments You will need at least the following specification to run Livewire: IBM-compatible PC with an x86 processor (CPU) Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, NT 4.0 (with SP6), 2000, XP, Vista, 7 or later Operating System (OS) 64 MB of (RAM) memory; 128 MB of (RAM) memory recommended (memory requirement excludes that required by your OS) 10 MB of available hard-disk space CD-ROM drive VGA or higher-resolution monitor Microsoft mouse or compatible pointing device Livewire has been designed to work with all Windows® compatible networks, including Research Machines Connect 2 and 3. A multi-user (5 users or above) Education version is required. Click here for more detailed information about networks.