This session presents the essential role of simulation in the design and development ecosystem. The speaker draws on his own experience and shares some of his own simulation and the results to answer the fundamental questions. WHY do I need to simulate? WHAT should I simulate? And what is the recommended workflow for efficient simulation? With a focus on SPICE simulation, some of the limitations of SPICE are also discussed.
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:02:25 - Why Simulate?
00:05:25 - How I Got Here
00:08:53 - Used Properly, SPICE is an Essential Tool
00:11:40 - Workflow
00:13:08 - Troubleshooting
00:15:50 - Simulation Requires Appropriate Models
00:19:07 - Catch Big Issues Early
00:22:00 - Start with the Basics
00:23:12 - Adding an Accurate VRM Model
00:27:10 - The Right Fidelity - All System Impacts
00:28:20 - Models vs Pictures
00:34:20 - The PCB is an Essential Component
00:36:00 - Model What's Important, Not More or Less
00:38:35 - Verifying the Model
00:40:07 - Test Setups are Tricky
00:42:45 - Test Equipment Adds Errors
00:43:47 - Noise Creates Jitter
00:46:54 - Expect the Unexpected - Look Hard
00:49:16 - Trust Nothing and Nobody
00:52:20 - Can't Trust Vendor Models
00:54:30 - Time to Get Some Test Data
00:55:40 - Regulator Model Development - What Did We Learn
00:56:48 - Key Takeaways
01:00:24 - Q&A
Speaker Bio: Steve Sandler has been involved with power system engineering for more than 40 years. Steve is the founder of PICOTEST.com, a company specializing in power integrity solutions including measurement products, services and training. He frequently lectures and leads workshops internationally on the topics of power, PDN and distributed systems and is a Keysight certified expert for EDA software. Steve frequently writes articles and books related to power supply and PDN performance and his latest book, Power Integrity Using ADS was published by Faraday Press in 2019. Steve founded AEi Systems, a well-established leader in worst case circuit analysis and troubleshooting of high reliability systems.