Circuit Emulation Software

[WabbitPoo]

Does anyone know of free software to play around with emulating say lighting or power circuits? I'd love to get a clearer picture of wiring, parallel, series, switches, 2way switches, etc.

I have seen some circuit board emulators but not household circuit emulators. I guess it'd be like at school when we were given wires, croc clips, a battery and some bulbs to play with!

 

[electronicsuk]

There used to be a piece of software called Crocodile Clips that would have been ideal for you - it seems it's still around in one form or another:

http://www.yenka.com/en/Yenka_Electricity_and_Magnetism/

 

[Adam_151]

There used to be an electronics simulatin program called crocdile clips and there was a free evaluation version that was heavily cut down, but still do what you wanted.

Looking around, it appears to have been redevleoped as a package called yenka, and it would seem they give home licenses out for free, so is probably worth a look

 

[ericmark]

At the moment running windows but in Linux I know there are programs you can select which will emulate.

However I have Electronics Workbench so have not tried them.

 

[davelx]

When I was at uni we used a programme called ECAP running on our IBM 360 under HASP RJE (those were the days - punched cards and paper tape).

I see there is a shareware version called PC-ECAP available today that might be worth a look.

http://www.cdquickcache.com/pcecap.htm

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Does anyone know of free software to play around with emulating say lighting or power circuits? I'd love to get a clearer picture of wiring, parallel, series, switches, 2way switches, etc.

I have seen some circuit board emulators but not household circuit emulators. I guess it'd be like at school when we were given wires, croc clips, a battery and some bulbs to play with!

Why not buy some panel-mount SP & SPDT switches, lampholders, miniature Bulgin 3-pin sockets etc?

If you know anybody who understands it you could then get them to introduce some faults for you to find.

 

[olly_k]

We used crocodile clips at college then went onto Tina which was great for the more analytical stuff.

I would highly recommend Croc clips if still around it is simple, allows really simple voltage, current and waveform measurements (oscilloscope) and costs little. I think later versions incorporated electro-mechanical too!

BAn's idea isn't bad but restrictive compared to croc clips maybe the next step...

You try looking for open source or even freeware (be sceptical) stuff maybe but make sure you only download from a reputable site like softpedia, SourceForge etc..

 

[olly_k]

Just read your post again croc clips has mostly the same components as household just don't look the same and no junction box's lol...

e.g. you would use two Single Pole, Double Throw switches to create a 2 way lighting circuit then add a DPDT switch to make a three way circuit!

In fact I will show you right now...

[/img]

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Or get a piece of chipboard or MDF (look in the offcut area near the saw in your nearest shed - people often leave them behind and the store sells them a second time at bargain prices), and use real domestic switches and sockets etc. That will also give you practice in using T&E, wiring real accessories etc.

If you add in a few torch bulb holders you can still power it up with a battery and make it work.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

then add a DPDT switch to make a three way circuit!

Except an intermediate switch and a DPDT do not work in the same way. Yes, you can use a DPDT to get the same function, as you have shown, but that learning will not transfer to the use of intermediate switches in a domestic lighting circuit.

 

[plugwash]

has anyone here ever pulled apart an intermediate swtich? I was under the impression that internally they were just a DPDT with some of the terminals joined together.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

They could be - I can't be rsed to draw it out, but imagine a DPDT switch, call the two sides A & B, and the output terminals A1/A2 and B1/B2.

If you join A1 & B2 and A2 & B1, and present those joined terminals as 2 of the external ones so you only have 4, not 6, then you've got an intermediate equivalent.

But if someone knew that much about what switches do they wouldn't need to build models to see how it works.

 

[olly_k]

has anyone here ever pulled apart an intermediate swtich? I was under the impression that internally they were just a DPDT with some of the terminals joined together.

TBH I cannot see any other way of doing this without complicating things?

I suspect they are EXACTLY as in the diagram above!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

No they aren't - the diagram above shows a switch with 6 terminals on it. An intermediate has 4.

 

[olly_k]

No they aren't - the diagram above shows a switch with 6 terminals on it. An intermediate has 4.

I think you are knit picking tbh mate.
Ok so technically as far as the end user is concerned it is an intermediate switch however so is the example above - just had to make it using a DPDT and two links! I bet it is no different inside a 'real' one.