DC circuit simulator with calculators, a PCB and a breadboard
Calculate with one of 15 calculators, pick parts from a library of 84 entries, draw a schematic and simulate it at DC. The PCB is checked against IPC-2221 and comes out as Gerber.
Part of Pro, 15 EUR a month.
- 15 calculatorsfrom Ohm’s law to the 555 timer
- 84 partsin 16 categories
- Circuit simulationDC, the voltage at every node
- IPC-2221trace width and spacing in the PCB check
What a DC circuit simulator is
A DC circuit simulator lets you draw a circuit and see the voltage and current at each node and element. Electronics from EduFacturing is part of Pro and brings calculators, a parts library, schematic drawing with simulation, a PCB and a 3D breadboard into one place. The calculations and the simulation run in the browser.
There are four modes and they connect: a library part goes into the schematic, a resistor, capacitor or LED (27 of 84) also fills in a calculator, and the current and voltage from the simulation become the input of the PCB check.
Calculator, schematic and PCB
15 calculators with the formula beside the number
Ohm’s law with power, resistors and capacitors in series and in parallel, an LED resistor, a divider, RC, AWG, voltage drop, a fuse, the 555 in two modes, battery life and temperature rise. Each shows its formula.
A library of 84 parts
Sixteen categories from power sources and resistors to relays, microcontrollers and sensors. It searches by name or MPN, and a part goes into the schematic.
Draws, checks and simulates a schematic
A wire is made by clicking two pins. ERC catches a duplicate id, an unconnected pin and a net with one pin. The simulation gives the voltage at each node, the current in each element and which LEDs light.
Makes a PCB and a 3D breadboard
The PCB is single-layer: placement, orthogonal routing, an IPC-2221 DRC, a 3D view and Gerber with a drill file. The 3D breadboard has 10 to 64 columns, jumpers, switches, buttons and relays.
When you need a calculator, a simulation or a PCB
A resistor, capacitor or LED from the library fills in the calculator, so values are not retyped by hand.
Ohm’s law in class
The student enters two of V, I, R and P and gets the other two. At 12 V and 4 Ω the current is 3 A and the power 36 W.
A resistor for an LED
At 5 V, a Vf of 2 V and 20 mA the calculator gives 150 Ω and 0.06 W, and the nearest E24 value is 150 Ω.
A check before soldering
The simulation says whether the LED lights and warns about overcurrent, a resistor over its power rating and a missing ground.
A PCB for a small project
A schematic of through-hole parts becomes a board and an archive with Gerber and a drill file.
How the calculators, schematic and PCB work
The calculators are formulas in SI units, and a schematic becomes a network of nodes solved as a linear system.
From schematic to nodes
Connected pins form a net. Ground is the Ground symbol, otherwise the minus of the first source. A capacitor is an open circuit, an inductor and a fuse are shorts.
Solving
Resistors and sources give a system for the node voltages. A diode is a threshold: above Vf it conducts as a Vf source with 0.1 Ω in series, otherwise it is a 10⁹ Ω resistor. An LED lights above 1 mA.
| Applies to | Formula | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 555 astable | f = 1.44 / ((R1 + 2·R2)·C) | at 1 kΩ, 1 kΩ and 1 µF it is 480 Hz, and the duty cycle is 66.7% |
| Trace by IPC-2221 | A = (I / (k·ΔT^b))^(1/c); width = A · 0.0254² / t | k = 0.048, b = 0.44, c = 0.725, A in mil², t in mm; at 1 A, ΔT = 10 °C and 0.035 mm copper it is 0.30 mm |
| Clearance by voltage | up to 50 V 0.1 mm; up to 150 V 0.4 mm; up to 500 V 0.8 mm | the steps are the tool’s, the values come from the rules; by the higher voltage of the two nets, above 500 V it stays 0.8 mm |
Reference
IPC-2221 trace width by current and clearance by voltage
| Parameter | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| electronics.trace width current external ipc2221 | ((I A / (k ext * (delta T)**b ext))**(1.0 / c ext)) * (0.0254 ** 2) / copper thickness mm | mm |
| electronics.trace width current internal ipc2221 | ((I A / (k int * (delta T)**b int))**(1.0 / c int)) * (0.0254 ** 2) / copper thickness mm | mm |
| electronics.creepage clearance 0 50V | 0.1 | mm |
| electronics.creepage clearance 100 150V | 0.4 | mm |
| electronics.creepage clearance 300V | 0.8 | mm |
| electronics.clearance b1 internal 51 100V | 0.1 | mm |
| electronics.clearance b1 internal 151 300V | 0.2 | mm |
| electronics.clearance b1 internal above 500V | 0.25 + 0.0025 * (voltage V - 500) | mm |
| electronics.ipc2152 current vs 2221 comparison | 1.2 .. 1.4 | dimensionless |
Width per IPC-2221 (current, temperature rise, copper thickness); minimum clearance by voltage.
The formula beside the number, rules from the core
The formula is beside the number
Every calculator shows its formula, and the warnings are specific: Vs not above Vf, division by zero, Tj above 85 °C.
Rules come from the core, not from memory
Clearance values, the 15 A ampacity for 14 AWG and the 1.25 fuse factor come from the electronics rules of EDi Brain, and the IPC-2221 constants are checked against them in a test.
The simulation is DC only: no AC and no transients. Integrated circuits, drivers, microcontrollers and sensors are not simulated, and relays, switches and buttons only on the 3D breadboard.
The PCB is single-layer with through-hole parts, with no vias. Routing is channel-based and traces can cross: the design rule check (DRC) reports every crossing or touch between traces of different nets as a short circuit, but it does not untangle it. It also checks width against the current from the last simulation, clearance between traces and unrouted nets. The AWG ampacity is approximate.
Questions about the simulator, calculators and PCB
How to calculate resistor for led?
R = (Vs − Vf) / If. At 5 V, a Vf of 2 V and 20 mA it is 150 Ω, and it dissipates 0.06 W. The tool also gives the nearest E24 value.
What is Ohm’s law and how does the calculator use it?
Ohm’s law links voltage (V), current (I), resistance (R) and power (P). You enter two of them and get the other two: at 12 V and 4 Ω the current is 3 A and the power 36 W.
Can the circuit simulator do AC?
No. The simulation is DC only: no AC and no transients. Integrated circuits, drivers and microcontrollers are not simulated.
How to calculate trace width?
By IPC-2221 at 1 A, ΔT = 10 °C and 0.035 mm copper on an external layer: 0.30 mm. The traces are 0.25 mm, so above about 0.88 A the DRC flags a width violation, but only from the current of the last simulation.
How to make a PCB from a schematic?
Draw the schematic with through-hole parts and switch to the PCB: parts are placed, traces routed and the DRC checks it against IPC-2221. Download Gerber with a drill file. The PCB is single-layer.
How much does Electronics cost?
It is part of Pro at 15 EUR a month. Pro also opens the other Pro tools in the catalog.
The Electronics tool is part of Pro
Pro costs 15 EUR a month and opens all 45 Pro tools.
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