Flexible op amp design tool slashes product development time

Intersil has launched a highly flexible op amp design tool that it says will help slash the development time of new embedded products.  iSim v4.1 is an upgrade to its industry leading web-based non-inverting and inverting op amp design tools and builds on the previously released Active Filter Designer and expand the capabilties of Intersil's interactive online tools.

Both tools efficiently select and simulate the optimum precision or high-speed op amp device, resolving implementation issues that provide board ready solutions to the system designer. The approach is powered by online macro models which capture all critical second-order effects.

With up to six possible input interface options, the iSim op amp designer matches requirements to the optimally suited device and generates a complete design with immediate simulation capability.

Device selection flow and design algorithms provide guidance for designers during each step of the process, resulting in an easy-to-design, robust solution. Input impedance matching and DC blocking functionality are also available to the designer. Guard banded bandwidth and slew rates can be set for screening out op amps in order to achieve the targeted bandwidth while avoiding non-linear operation.

iSim also takes numerous second order effects into consideration including, total output noise, input bias current, total output offset voltage and slew rate limits. Once designed, the tools allow immediate simulation of small signal AC response, step response, and/or output noise. An immediate redesign feature is supported in each tool giving the design the option to override the suggested component values. Additionally, schematics generated by this online tool can also be downloaded and run on the iSim:PE desktop simulator.

http://www.intersil.com/iSim.

This article originally appeared on EE Times Europe.