Creating a New SpiTran Project

Creating the Project Directory

Choose New from the SpiTran File menu, or click the  icon. The New Project Workspace dialog will appear:

The project Name entered is the name of a directory that will be created under the Location directory when the Create button is clicked. The new directory is initially empty. The default Location is the working directory, which is probably the SpiTran root directory. Click Browse to open a directory browser for choosing a different directory under which the new project directory will be created.

Copying SPICE Files into the Project Directory

The New Project Workspace dialog closes and the SpiTran Project Setup dialog appears:

Set the Buffer Technology popup to the technology of your SPICE buffer model. This will affect the audits performed on the SPICE buffer model, and default values for data items will be set accordingly. Click Browse to choose your SPICE buffer model file, or directly type the file path into the Import SPICE File to Project Directory field. If the selected file includes other files or libraries, these will be copied also.

Using SPICE Libraries

Some buffer models make use of external library files to provide model parameters for typical, best, and worst case operation. If the imported SPICE file contains .library statements, then the library file(s) will have to be imported also. To import the models for typical operation, first set the Show Models of Type popup to Typ. Click the ... button above the Libraries list to open a file browser. Select the file that contains the typical mode models. The Libraries list will show all models found in the library file. Select the required models and click Add Model. The added models will then appear in the Models list. Repeat this process for Best and Worst operating modes.
You may delete models by selecting a model in the Models list and clicking Del Model. You may also change the Show Models of Type popup at any time to review the models selected for each mode. When you click OK the required models will be imported into the project.

Fixing Up the SPICE File

Click OK in the SpiTran Project Setup dialog when finished, and SpiTran will open the Audit dialog.

All independent voltage and current sources found in the SPICE files are shown in the Audit dialog. It is important to verify that they are essential to the basic operation of the buffer model, and not part of a test fixture that exercises the buffer. Click the Edit SPICE button to open the SPICE file in a text editor. Locate the voltage and current sources, and modify the circuit as needed. The file you are editing is the copy that resides in the project directory, not the original SPICE file. After any changes are made, click Reparse in the Audit dialog to view the audit of the modified SPICE file. If the file is clean the audit will look like this:

It is not absolutely necessary to obtain a clean audit, as long as you are certain that the listed elements are required for normal operation of the buffer model, or that they are in subcircuits that will not be used. When it appears that the circuit is ready, click Continue to return to the SpiTran main window:

Saving the New Project

Once a new project has been created, be sure to save the project before quitting. To save, choose Save from the SpiTran File menu, or click the  icon. This will insure that settings such as the buffer technology are saved in the project file. The project file resides in the project directory. It will have the same name as the project directory, with a .spp extension.