Improving Prototype Validation with NI Multisim and LabVIEW Bhavesh Mistry, Product Manager National Instruments bhavesh.mistry@ni.com 1
Modern Design Having to Do More Time to market continues to shrink [ More in less time ] Budgets continue to contract [ More with less money ] Teams are getting smaller [ More lone-wolf innovation ] Design complexity is increasing [ More sophisticated validation required ]
Modern Design The Ballad of Improvement 45 to 64%* of products miss cost targets [Aberdeen Group] 21 to 39%* of designs require as many as 3 respins [Aberdeen Group] There remains opportunity to improve the design flow based on missed cost targets and respins.
Modern Design The Ballad of Improvement Experts have estimated that board designers dictate 75% of the cost of final printed boards solely based on design choices made before the designs leave the CAD stations. Given today s business climate where work projects grow in complexity, the role of the designer has become more crucial in helping his or her company outperform the competition. IPC, August 21, 2008
Agenda 1. NI Multisim, Ultiboard, and LabVIEW 2. The Traditional Design Flow 3. NI Approach to Prototyping 4. Improving Performance with Simulation 5. Prototype Layout and Routing 6. Customer Successes
NI Multisim Circuit Design Cost-effective and easy-to-use design solution Integrated capture and simulation environment Multisim Automation API ActiveX connection to Multisim through any COMaware programming language including LabVIEW Easy Access to Industry-Standard Design Features Spreadsheet view, quick part placement, modeless wiring, and easy export to layout Integration to LabVIEW LabVIEW Multisim Connectivity Toolkit (Beta) Interactive simulation instruments Advanced analysis of design behavior Ability to export to Ultiboard or mentor layout 16,000+ Database Components Analog and digital components from Analog Devices, Texas Instruments, ON Semiconductor, and Christope Basso Simple Access to Simulation 20 advanced analyses and 22 interactive simulation instruments
NI LabVIEW Validation Graphical Programming Language Program through block diagram code with this easy-to-use intuitive approach NI Multisim Circuit Design Connectivity Connect to the thousands of physical measurement devices and use advanced analysis functions Graphical Cost-effective programming and easy-to-use language design for validation solution and Integrated measurement capture applications and simulation environment Intuitive Interactive and simulation easy to use instruments for rapid development Connectivity Advanced analysis to real measurements of design behavior Quickly Export to define Ultiboard user interface or Mentor for layout prototype test User Interface Quickly define an interface to code, control, and visualize the acquisition and analysis of data
NI Approach to Prototyping National Instruments end-to-end design flow and free online technical content, cost-effective software, and quick prototype turnaround Step 1: Free resources and white papers on ni.com Step 2: Capture and simulate a design with Multisim Step 3: Layout and route the design with Ultiboard Step 4: Easy fabrication through online path to sunstone.com Step 5: Prototype test and validation with NI software and hardware
NI Approach to Prototyping In this seminar we will focus on improving a design with Multisim simulation and completing a design in Ultiboard Step 1: Free resources, and whitepapers available at ni.com Step 2: Capture and simulate a design with Multisim Step 3: Layout and route the design with Ultiboard Step 4: Easy fabrication through online path to sunstone.com Step 5: Prototype test and validation with NI software and hardware
Improving Performance with Simulation Capture and Simulation Layout and Routing Prototype Fabrication Test and Validation Feedback and iteration throughout the design flow means that there needs to be effective transfer of measurements and data Improving validation can be accomplished by having design stages integrated Majority of cost associated in development comes from research stages
Improving Performance with Simulation 1. Increase accuracy of circuit simulation through improved device and stimulus modeling Increased accuracy ensures fewer errors introduced into prototype 2. Enhance analysis of simulated data with advanced visualization Enhanced analysis allows for improved performance earlier in design 3. Improve prototype verification through real and simulated measurement comparison Improved verification reduces iterations and shortens time to manufacture
Increasing Accuracy Step 1 Create a real signal and connect to LabVIEW Step 2 Save as signal to the LVM format and transfer to Multisim Step 3 Simulate in Multisim with a real signal LabVIEW Measurement Design Environment Multisim Part Evaluation, Schematic Capture, and Simulation Ultiboard Layout and Routing Step 4 Improve the design in Multisim BEFORE prototyping
Improving Analysis Define a custom analysis that can automate a domain-specific analysis (for example worst case analysis, error/fault finding) Use Multisim as the source for measurements automated and visualized in LabVIEW
Improving Verification 1. Design schematic in Multisim; simulate and validate behavior 4. Immediate correlation and analysis of design 2. Using measurement technology, interrogate physical prototype 3. LabVIEW Multisim Connectivity Toolkit (Beta) VIs to automate simulation and prototype validation in LabVIEW
Improving Performance with Simulation 1. Increase accuracy of circuit simulation through improved device and stimulus modeling 2. Enhance analysis of simulated data with advanced visualization 3. Improve prototype verification through real and simulated measurement comparison
Improving Performance with Simulation Multisim Automation API allows COM-aware applications to automate simulation ActiveX controls are now wrapped in the LabVIEW Multisim Connectivity Toolkit (Beta) 80+ functions based on LabVIEW to completely integrate Multisim and LabVIEW Multisim Connection File Management Simulation Control I/O Configuration and Control Circuit Configuration Error and Utility
Prototype Layout and Routing Annotate schematic capture to the layout environment. Layout and route in Ultiboard; view the design in 3D to understand form factor
Prototype Layout and Routing RIO Product Example NI Single-Board RIO is a low-cost board-level prototyping platform, appropriate for OEM applications NI CompactRIO is a rugged, encased prototyping platform with off-theshelf I/O modules Embedded prototyping platform with FPGA and real-time processor LabVIEW graphical programming for rapid real-time development
Prototype Layout and Routing RIO Product Example Follow the Signal Follow the Signal Where do these signals go? Can you interface to the system with off-the-shelf components, PCBs? What is needed to complete your design? Biomedical signals? Automotive system? Robotic motion? Custom daughter cards for analog sensors? Custom daughter cards for digital sensors? Accessories and harnesses for modules? Custom I/O modules? Custom interface to existing I/O modules?
Prototype Layout and Routing Demonstration Design Develop custom circuitry Prototype Layout and fabricate PCB Validation Verify performance of PCB
Customer Successes 21
Online Resources NI Prototyping Software Custom Circuitry Design User Solution from STeP Product Development Prosthetic Analysis Development Database Update File Connectors for CompactRIO, NI R Series DAQ, M Series DAQ, and SCXI National Instruments Alliance Partner STeP designed a custom CompactRIO module for use in a military communication application. College Park Industries developed a 6-axis load cell for prosthetics. This design allows them to develop better prosthetics, which analyze motion and movement accurately. NI Single-Board RIO Reference Design Complete reference design to create a daughter card for NI Single-Board RIO (schematic, layout and additional database components)
Improving Design College Park We used these dynamic tools to design, simulate, and visualize the circuitry through multiple iterations. This resulted in a major size reduction of the device and increased package-size efficiency. Application and Challenge Small, lightweight, and unobtrusive device integrated into a prosthetic for gait analysis Key Benefits Powerful tools to design sensors for gait analysis Document forces and moments transmitted from the floor Improve prostheses selection and alignment to contribute to health and well-being of wearer
Improving Analysis Analog Devices Analog Devices required their customers to have the ability to accurately evaluate the behavior of their amplifiers online via www.analog.com. They needed an online interface to SPICE simulation. Application and Challenge Online interface to more than 300 amplifiers for approximately 15,000 Web visitors to evaluate Key Benefits Multisim API allowed a LabVIEW front end to dynamically call Multisim to simulate amplifiers Implemented by Boston Engineering for Analog Devices
Improving Validation National Lab A system was required to effectively simulate and verify the validity of design decisions before prototyping. Using Multisim, National Lab could also correlate simulated and real measurements of the final prototype design. Application and Challenge Satellite flight and camera equipment Needed quick and accurate circuit prototypes Key Benefits Rapidly capture, simulate, and verify circuit behavior during design with Multisim Directly compare simulated results to prototype measurements with LabVIEW, Multisim, and PXI
Improving Prototyping By expanding the use of real measurements throughout the design flow, you can improve the design and validation of prototypes. 1. Increase accuracy of circuit simulation with virtual prototyping 2. Use LabVIEW to enhance analysis of simulated data 3. Streamline validation with measurement comparison in LabVIEW and Multisim