[sdiy] Qspice, anyone tried it?

[Ben Bradley]

I've used Qspice, but not extensively. It looks good, but the UI
changes from LTspice are big enough to make it annoying to learn, even
if they're improvements. While I mention that, the LTspice schematic
entry/edit interface is "unique" and non-standard, and like many
others I had a hard time learning and getting used to it (I forget
exactly when, but it was well over 20 years ago). I'm only comfortable
with it now because I've been using it consistently and for so long..A
"previous" version from Linear Technology in the 1990s was called
SwitcherCad - I downloaded it but never learned/used it. The idea was
remarkable, it was "not just for switching regulators" but was a
general electronic simulation program, given away for free. It was
probably based on Spice, but I forget.

In the 1990s I used Pspice (a commercial package based on spice, too
expensive for hobby work but the price was in line with engineering
software at the time) at work, it seemed good to me, and had a good
schematic entry interface (which helped ruin me for learning LTspice).
The product was eventually canceled (and/or the company folded), but I
recall since then some version being free to download and run.

One improvement one doesn't see in the interface (but does get
mentioned in the documentation) is in the simulation code. I'd much
rather use the latest LTspice or Qspice (which I presume does
simulation even better) than older versions in regard to circuit
simulation. I've used Kicad, but only for its schematic entry and PCB
layout, I haven't tried its simulation. but it would be interesting to
compare.

Here's a long tutorial/thread on LTspice on diyaudio. Qspice has been
discussed in a short thread on the forum, but doesn't appear to have
caught on.
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/installing-and-using-ltspice-iv-now-including-ltxvii-from-beginner-to-advanced.260627/

On Sat, 28 Dec 2024 at 13:02, Ben Stuyts via Synth-diy
<synth-diy at synth-diy.org> wrote:
>
> For one thing it’s windows-only, so no, I can’t use it. Still use the somewhat outdated Mac version of LTspice. I now tend to use KiCAD’s built in ngspice every now and then, as it’s already in KiCAD. (https://www.kicad.org/discover/spice/)
>
> Ben
>
>
> On 28 Dec 2024, at 18:39, Steve via Synth-diy <synth-diy at synth-diy.org> wrote:
>
> Hey list,
>
> the guy who originally made LTspice, IIRC, some time ago started a supposedly improved, in several regards, simulator named Qspice. Working for a different company, I heard rumors stock models are hence not by LT but the other vendor... perhaps not super important to everyone.
> Supposedly, you can code simulated elaborate functionality in C++ and Verilog.
>
> Here's something about what's different, and an article geared towards LTspice users.
>
> If anyone on here is familiar with both to feel like commenting anything the articles don't mentionm, please do.
>
>
> https://hackaday.com/2023/08/25/qspice-picks-up-where-ltspice-left-us/
>
>
> Introduction to QSPICE for LTspice Users, Part 1
> https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/technical-articles/introduction-to-qspice-for-ltspice-users-part-1
>
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