1

Orcad Pspice Capture Fundamentals

1.1 Introduction
SPICE (Simulated Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis) is one of the
industry standards software for circuit simulation. It can be used among
other circuit analysis to perform alternating current, direct current, Fourier,
and Monte-Carlo analysis. SPICE continues to be the standard for analog
circuit simulation for the electronics industry over the past decades. There
are several SPICE-derived simulation packages. Among these are ORCAD,
PSPICE, Meta-software HSPICE, and Intusoft IS-SPICE.
PSPICE has additional features as compared to classical SPICE. Among
some of the useful features are:

1. PSPICE has a post-processor program, PROBE, which can be used

for interactive graphical display of simulation results.
2. Current flowing through an inductor, capacitor, resistor, can be easily obtained without inserting a current monitor in series with the
passive elements.
3. PSPICE has analog behavioral model facility that allows modeling
of analog circuit functions by using mathematical equations, tables,
and transfer functions.
4. PSPICE does not distinguish between uppercase or lowercase character. In SPICE, all characters in the source file must be uppercase.
(For example, rab and RAB are considered equivalent in PSPICE.)

1.2 PSPICE Schematics

1.2.1 Starting ORCAD Capture
The PSPICE discussed in this book runs under the Windows Operating
System. Examples and instructions in this book are based on PSPICE
1

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PSPICE and MATLAB for Electronics: An Integrated Approach

ORCAD Family Release 9.2 Lite Edition, provided by Cadence Design

Systems. If the ORCAD PSPICE is installed on your computer, you can
start the program by clicking on the Start icon, drag the cursor to All
Programs, then to ORCAD Family Release 9.2 program, and then to
ORCAD Capture.
For a circuit to be drawn by PSPICE, you must (i) create the circuit,
(ii)simulate it and (iii) print or plot the results. To create the circuit, select
File/New/Project from the Capture menu, as shown in Figure 1.1. A new
project dialog box will pop up and you will select Analog or Mixed A/D.
The New Project requires a project name and location. The location is the
name of the subdirectory where the project file should be stored. ORCAD
uses .opj as the file extension. Select OK in the New Project dialog box.
A dialog box under Create PSPICE Project will pop up. Select Create
a blank project. The sequence of steps for starting ORCAD Schematic is
shown in Box 1.1.

FIGURE 1.1
ORCAD capture opening screen.

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Orcad Pspice Capture Fundamentals

Box 1.1Sequence of Steps for Starting

ORCADSchematic
Open all Programs.
Go to ORCAD Family Release 9.2 program.
Click on Capture Lite Editor.
Open File/New/Project.
Select Analog or Mixed A/D.
Provide Name of the Project and location of the project file.
Click OK.
In the Create PSPICE Project (for new project) dialog box,
select Create a blank project.

1.2.2 Drawing a Circuit Using the ORCAD Schematic

The following three activities are needed to draw a circuit: (i) placing the
circuit elements in the Capture Workspace, (ii) adjusting the circuit elements
parameter values, and (iii) connecting the circuit elements by wires. The following example will illustrate the use of the ORCAD schematic capture.
Example 1.1: Schematic of a Simple Passive Circuit
Suppose we want to draw the circuit shown in Figure 1.2 and obtain the nodal
voltages of the circuit. Proceed with the following steps:

(a) Placing Circuit Elements in the Capture Workspace

Select Place/Part from the ORCAD Capture menu. A Place Part dialog box will show up, click on Add Library. ORCAD Capture has several
libraries. These include: analog.olb, breakout.olb, source.olb, and special.
olb. Select the library, analog.olb, and click on the Open button to have
the elements in the library available to you for drawing. In addition, select
the library, source.olb, to have its elements available to you.
To obtain a resistor from the libraries, select ANALOG from the libraries
list, and R from the Part List. Select OK to close the Place Part dialog
box. The resistor is placed at the desired location by using the left mouse click.
Table 1.1 shows some of the electrical parts and the corresponding libraries
where they can be found.
SPICE requires a ground node for each circuit. The ground can be selected
from Place/Ground from the ORCAD Capture menu.
(b) Adjusting Values of the Parameters of Circuit Elements
All the circuit elements have their default values. Left click on the part to
select the element and then right click to perform specific functions such as
edit properties, mirror vertically, and mirror horizontally. The suffix letters

PSPICE and MATLAB for Electronics: An Integrated Approach

5 K

24 V

10 K

15 K

8 K

12 V

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5 mA

FIGURE 1.2
Electric circuit with active and passive elements.

TABLE 1.1
PSPICE Parts and Corresponding Libraries
Description
Resistor
Capacitor
Inductor
DC voltage source
DC current source

PSPICE Name

PSPICE Library

R
C
L
VDC
IDC

ANALOG
ANALOG
ANALOG
SOURCE
SOURCE

TABLE 1.2
Abbreviations of SPICE Scaling Factor
Suffix Letter
T
G
Meg
K
M
U
N
P
F
Mil

Metric Prefix

Multiplying Factor

Tera
Giga
Mega
Kilo
Milli
Micro
Nano
Pico
Femto
Millimeter

1012
109
106
103
103
106
109
1012
1015
25.4 * 106

or multiplying factors may be used to adjust the values of parameters of

the circuit elements. Table 1.2 shows the PSPICE scale factors and their
abbreviations.
You can rotate the element by left clicking on it to select it, and then right
clicking on it to rotate it. The elements R2 and I1 were rotated to obtain the
figure shown in Figure 1.3.

Orcad Pspice Capture Fundamentals

R1

R3

R4

5K

10 K

15 K

V1
24 Vdc

R2
8K

l1
5 mAdc

12 Vdc

+ V2

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FIGURE 1.3
Circuit of Figure 1.2 as drawn in ORCAD capture.

Box 1.2Steps for Drawing Circuits by

UsingORCADSchematic

Select Place/Part from ORCAD Capture menu.

Click on Add Library.
Select library, Analog and click on open button.
Select library, source and click on open button.
Click on Open button.
Specific parts are selected from the appropriate library and place.
Select part (i.e., R, C, L) from the Analog Library.
Select part (i.e., V, I) from the Source Library.
Click OK to close Place/Part dialog box.
To rotate an element, left click on it to select it and right click
to rotate it.
To adjust the element values, right click on the value, and left
click to open the properties menu. Right click on the edit properties to change the element values, or double click on the value
and change the value.
To wire the circuit, select Place/Wire, left press the mouse on
one of the squares on the element and drag the mouse to the other
terminal. Release the mouse by left pressing the mouse again.
Continue this operation until all the elements are connected.
Right click to bring up the End Wire menu and click on end
wire when wiring is complete.
Double click on GND and the Property Editor menu will
show up. Under NAME, change GND to 0, but do not
change the entry in the source symbol.

(c) Wiring the Circuit

To connect the circuit elements, select Parts/Wire. Left press the mouse
on one of the squares on an element and drag the mouse to the other terminal and then release the mouse by left pressing the mouse again. Box 1.2
shows the steps for drawing circuits by using PSPICE schematics.

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PSPICE and MATLAB for Electronics: An Integrated Approach

(d) Simulating the Circuit

PSPICE/New Simulation Profile from ORCAD Capture menu is selected
to begin the simulation. A Simulation Setting dialog box will pop up. In
the New Simulation dialog box, type in the name for the simulation and
click on create. Select Bias Point for the analysis type and under options,
select General Settings. To run the simulation, select PSPICE /Run.
(e) Displaying Simulation Results
The results of simulations can be obtained in a text file or a plot. You can
examine the output text file by clicking on the third button on the left vertical toolbar. On the PSPICE A/D, the simulation results can also be seen from
View/Output File. You can also see node voltages displayed directly on
the schematic. To do this you exit the PSPICE A/D and return to the schematic. Click on the V symbol in the second row toolbar. The simulated
circuit is shown in Figure 1.4.

1.3DC Analysis
Under DC analysis, PSPICE can perform (i) DC nodal analysis and (ii) DC
sweep. In nodal analysis, PSPICE determine the values of the node voltages
and also the values of current in voltage sources. This type of analysis is also
described as Bias Point analysis in PSPICE. The two types of DC analysis are described below in Sections 1.3.1 and 1.3.2. Some of the circuits for
DC analysis might contain dependent sources. The list of PSPICE dependent
sources and the library they can be found in is shown in Table 1.3.
R1
5K
24.00 V
+ V1
24 Vdc

R3
22.69 V 10 K
R2

R4
48.41 V

15 K

l1
5 mAdc

8K

12.00 V
+ V2
12 Vdc

0V
FIGURE 1.4
Simulation results of Figure 1.2 (nodal voltages are shown).

TABLE 1.3
PSPICE Dependent Sources
Description
Voltage-controlled voltage source (VCVS)
Current-controlled current source (CCCS)
Voltage-controlled current source (VCCS)
Current-controlled voltage source (CCVS)

PSPICE Name

Library

E
F
G
H

ANALOG
ANALOG
ANALOG
ANALOG

Orcad Pspice Capture Fundamentals

1.3.1 Bias Point Calculations

In Bias point calculations, the DC voltages at various nodes and current
flowing through circuit elements are obtained. The following example illustrates the Bias point calculations.
Example 1.2: Bias Point Calculation of a Circuit with Dependent Source

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Consider the circuit shown in Figure 1.5. The dependent source is voltagecontrolled current source. Determine the nodal voltages.
Solution
The schematic drawing was done and the values of the circuit parameters were
adjusted by using the steps in Box 1.2. The circuit elements were wired together.
The gain of the voltage-controlled current source is changed in the Property editor, shown in Figure 1.6.
1K

1K

0.1 K

1K

+
1 mV

10 K

2K

Vx

FIGURE 1.5
Circuit with voltage-controlled current source.

FIGURE 1.6
Setting the gain of the VCCS.

10 Vx

100 K

20 K

PSPICE and MATLAB for Electronics: An Integrated Approach

Box 1.3Steps for Performing ORCAD

SchematicDCAnalysis

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Select PSPICE/New Simulation Profile.

Insert the name of the simulation in New Simulation menu.
Click on Create.
In the Simulation Settings, select Bias Point for analysis
type, and choose General Settings under option.
Select OK to close Simulation Settings dialog box.
To run the DC analysis, choose PSPICE/Run.
View the simulation results either by choosing View/Output
for the output text file or by going to ORCAD Capture and
selecting V to view the nodal voltages.

FIGURE 1.7
Simulation settings for bias point calculations.

To simulate the circuit for DC analysis, the sequence of actions shown in Box 1.3
is used to simulate the circuit. Figure 1.7 shows the simulation settings for the bias
calculations. Figure 1.8 shows the voltages at various nodes of Figure 1.6 upon
performing the DC analysis.

1.3.2 DC Sweep
In a DC sweep, one or more of the DC voltages are allowed to change and the
voltages at nodes and currents through devices are monitored. The analysis
type used is DC sweep. The following example illustrates the use of the DC
sweep.

Orcad Pspice Capture Fundamentals

1.000 mV R1

697.7 uV

1K
V1
1 mVdc

465.1 uV

R2

R3

1K

R4

10 K

2K

17.91 V R5 17.44 V
0.1 K

G1
+

1K

R8
10 K

0V

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R6

14.54 V

R7
5K

0V

FIGURE 1.8
DC analysis results.
10 K

1K

V1

5K

6lx

2K
lx

FIGURE 1.9
Circuit for DC sweep.

5 Vdc

V1

R1

R2

10 K

1K

F1

R4
2K

V+
R3

5K

V
FIGURE 1.10
Schematic drawing of Figure 1.9.

Example 1.3: DC Sweep Analysis

For the circuit shown in Figure 1.9, plot the output voltages as the voltage V1
changes from 5 V to 10 V.
Solution
The schematic diagram of circuit was drawn by using the steps outlined in Box 1.2.
You should note that the edit properties was used to change the scaling factor
of the current controlled current source to 6. The schematic drawing is shown in
Figure 1.10.
To perform the DC sweep simulations, the following steps are used. Select
PSPICE/New Simulation Profile. In the New Simulation dialog box, specify the

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PSPICE and MATLAB for Electronics: An Integrated Approach

simulation name and select create. In the Simulation Settings dialog, select
DC Sweep. For the sweep variable, use the voltage V1. Select the sweep type
to be linear, the starting value of 5 V, end value of 10 V, and increments of 0.5 V.
Figure 1.11 shows the simulation settings for the DC sweep simulation. The steps
for performing the DC Sweep simulation are summarized in Box 1.4.
If the DC sweep simulation is successful, a PROBE (to be discussed in the
Section 1.4) screen will open in the schematic window. To display the results of
the simulation, indicate the variables to be displayed and the manner of displaying
them. In this example, we want to display Vout versus Vin. In ORCAD schematic,
put the voltage difference marker at the nodes of interest. If we were interested in
current through an element, we place the current marker button on the element

FIGURE 1.11
Simulation profile for the DC sweep simulation.

Box 1.4Steps for Performing ORCAD Schematic

DCSweepAnalysis

Select PSPICE/New Simulation Profile.

In the New Simulation dialog box, specify Simulation name.
Select Create.
In the Simulation Settings dialog box, select DC Sweep.
Select the sweep variable.
Choose sweep type, start value, end value, and increment.
Select OK to close the Simulation Settings dialog box.
To run DC analysis, choose PSPICE/Run.

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Orcad Pspice Capture Fundamentals

0.8 V
1.2 V
1.6 V

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2.0 V
6V
5V
V (R3:2, )

7V

V_V1

8V

9V

10 V

FIGURE 1.12
Output voltage of Figure 1.9.

of interest. Another way to display the variables would be to select Trace/Add

Trace to pop up the Add Traces dialog box. You can then select the voltages or
currents of interest to you. The output voltage with respect to the input voltage is
shown in Figure 1.12.

1.4 PROBE
PROBE is a PSPICE interactive graphics processor that allows the user to
display SPICE simulation results in graphical format on a computer monitor.
PROBE has facilities that allow the user to access any point on a displayed
graph and obtain its numerical values. In addition, PROBE has many built-in
functions that enable a user to compute and display mathematical expression that models aspects of circuit behavior.
PROBE has several commands available for file accessing, plotting, editing, viewing, and adding or removing trace. PSPICE has several functions
that PROBE can use to determine various characteristics of a circuit. Table 1.4
shows the valid functions for PROBE expression.

1.5 Transient Analysis

Transient analysis is used to obtain the response of a circuit to a time varying input. Circuits with energy storage elements are of special interest with
respect to transient analysis. The capacitors or inductors should have initial conditions for transient analysis. PSPICE-supplied sources for transient
analysis are shown in Table 1.5. The details of the sources will be described
in Chapter 2.
The following example uses rectangular pulse as the input to a RC circuit.

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TABLE 1.4
Valid Functions for PROBE Expression

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Function
+

*
/
ABS(X)
SGN(X)
SQRT(X)
EXP(X)
LOG(X)
LOG10(X)
DB(X)
PWR(X,Y)
SIN(X)
COS(X)
TAN(X)
ARCTAN(X)
ATAN
d(X)
S(X)
AVG(X)
*AVGX(XO,XF)
RMS(x)
MIN(X)
MAX(X)
M(X)
P(X)
R(X)
IMG(X)
G(X)

Meaning

Example

Addition of current or voltage

Subtraction of current or voltage
Multiplication of current or voltage
Division of current or voltage
X, Absolute value of X
+1 if X>0; 0 if X=0; 1 if X<0
X1/2 , square root of X
eX.
Ln(X), log base e of X
Log10(X), log base 10 of X
20 * log10(X), magnitude in decibels
XY, X to the power Y
sin(X), X in radians
cos(X), X in radians
tan(X), X in radians
tan1(X), X in radians
tan1(X), results in radians
Derivative of X with respect to X-axis variable
Integral of X over the X-axis variable
Running average of X over the range of X-axis
variable
*Running average of X from X-axis value, XO, to
the x-axis value, XF.
Running RMS average of X over the range of the
X-axis variable
Minimum of real part of X
Maximum of real part of X
Magnitude of X
Phase of X, result in degrees
Real part of X
Imaginary part of X
Group delay of X, results in seconds

V(3)+V(2,1)+V(8)
I(VS4) I(VM3)
V(11)* V(12)
V(6)/V(7)
ABS(V(9))
SGN(V(4))
SQRT(I(VM1))
EXP(V(5,4))
LOG(V(9))
LOG10(V(10))
DB(V(6))
PWR(V(2),3)
SIN(6.28 * V(2))
COS(6.28 * V(3))
TAN(6.28 * V(4))
ARCTAN(6.28 * V(2))
ATAN(V(9)/V(4))
D(V(12))
S(V(15))
AVG(V5,3))
AVG V(5,4)(2e-3,20e-3)
RMS(VS2)
MIN(VM3)
MAX(VM3)
M(V(5))
P(V(4))
R(V(3))
IMG(V(6))
G(V(7))

TABLE 1.5
SPICE-Supplied Sources for Transient Analysis
Name

Application

PULSE
EXP
PWL
SIN
SFFM

For periodic pulse waveforms

For exponential waveforms
For piecewise-linear functions
For sinusoidal waveforms
For frequency-modulated waveforms

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Orcad Pspice Capture Fundamentals

Example 1.4: Transient Analysis of RC Circuit

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For the RC circuit shown in Figure 1.13, the input signal is a pulse. Plot the voltage
vo(t) with respect to time.
The pulse is described by VPULSE. The parameters for the VPULSE are described
by V1, V2, TD, TR, TF, PW, and PER,
where
V1 is the initial value of pulse. There is no default value for V1.
V2 is the final voltage of the pulse. There is no default value for V2.
TD is delay time, its default value is zero.
TR is the rise time. Its default value is the printing or plotting increment.
TF is the fall time. Its default is also TSTEP.
PW is the pulse width. The default value of PW is TSTOP, the final time of the
transient analysis.
PER is the period. Its default is also TSTOP. The period does not include the
initial delay, TD.
In this example, V1=0, V2=5 V, TD=0, TR=10 -6 s, TF=10 -6 s, PW=5 ms,
and PER=20 ms.
Solution
Using the steps outlined in Box 1.2, the circuit is drawn using ORCAD capture. For
the voltage source, use the ORCAD property editor to edit the list of parameters
for the PULSE voltage source. The schematic is shown in Figure 1.14.
5K
+
+

Vs

10 uF

15 K

Vo(t)

FIGURE 1.13
RC circuit with an input pulse voltage.
R1
V1 = 0 V
V2 = 5 V
VS
TD = 0
+
TR = 1 ns

TF = 1 ns
PW = 5 ms
PER = 20 ms

5K

FIGURE 1.14
ORCAD capture drawing of Figure 1.13.

V
C1

R2

2u

10 K

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PSPICE and MATLAB for Electronics: An Integrated Approach

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To simulate, select PSPICE/New Simulation Profile, specify the simulation

name and select create. In the simulation settings dialog choose Time Domain
(Transient). The simulation starts at time equal to zero and ends at run to time.
Select skip the initial transient bias point calculations (skip BP). Figure 1.15 shows
the simulation profile for the transient analysis. Box 1.5 shows the steps for performing the transient analysis.
If the simulation is successful, the PROBE window will open up automatically.
Select trace/Add Trace and choose the output. The output voltage is shown in
Figure 1.16.

FIGURE 1.15
Simulation profile for transient analysis.

Box 1.5Steps for Performing ORCAD Schematic

Transient Analysis

Select PSPICE/New Simulation Profile.

In the New Simulation dialog box, specify Simulation name.
Select Create.
In the Simulation Settings dialog box select Time Domain
(Transient) in the analysis type and select General Settings
under options.
Choose the start and end time of simulation.
Skip the initial transient bias calculations SKIPBP, if the initial bias points are known.
Select OK.
Select PSPICE/Run.

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Orcad Pspice Capture Fundamentals

2.0 V

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1.0 V

0V

0s

5 ms
V (R2:2)

10 ms

15 ms

20 ms
Time

25 ms

30 ms

35 ms

40 ms

FIGURE 1.16
Output voltage of Figure 1.14.

TABLE 1.6
PSPICE Switches
Description
Voltage-controlled switch
Switch is normally opened. It will close at time TCLOSE
Switch is normally closed. It will open at time TOPEN

R1

Tclose = 0
1
2
U1
R2

500

400

PSPICE
Name

PSPICE
Library

S
Sw_tClose
Sw-tOpen

ANALOG
EVAL
EVAL

L1

10 mH
V

V1 +
10 Vdc

R4
100

R3
100

FIGURE 1.17
RL circuit with a switch.

Transient analysis sometimes involves the use of switches. PSPICE has three
switches for time-domain analysis. They are shown in Table 1.6.
The following example illustrates the use of one of the switches.

Example 1.5: RL Circuit with a Switch

Figure 1.17 shows an RL circuit. The switch closes at t=0 seconds. Find the voltage
across the resistance R3.

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PSPICE and MATLAB for Electronics: An Integrated Approach

1.0 V

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0.9 V

0.8 V
0 us
10 us
V (R3:2)

20 us

30 us

40 us

50 us
Time

60 us

70 us

80 us

90 us

100 us

FIGURE 1.18
Voltage across the resistor R3.

Solution
Use ORCAD Capture to place the parts, adjust the parameter values and wire the
parts together (see Box 1.2). To simulate the circuit, select the steps in Box 1.5 to
perform the transient analysis. However, in the Simulation Settings dialog box,
do not skip the bias point calculation. You can use run time to be 100 s. The
simulation results are shown in Figure 1.18.

1.6AC Analysis
For time-invariant circuit, excited by a sinusoidal source, AC analysis can
be used to obtain voltages and currents in the circuit. For circuits with
more than one input, the superposition theorem may be used to obtain the
response. In AC analysis, the voltages and currents are transformed into the
frequency domain. The calculations are performed using phasors (magnitudes and phases of the voltages and currents).
PSPICE has voltage source (VAC) and current source (IAC) for AC analysis.
The voltage and current sources are available in the SOURCE library. The
magnitude and phase of the AC sources are set using the property editor.
However, the frequency of the AC sources is specified using the Simulation
Settings dialog box. The IPRINT and VPRINT are used to print current
and voltage, respectively. IPRINT is connected in series with the circuit to
measure current. However, VPRINT is connected in parallel across an element whose voltage needs to be obtained. The passive sign convention is
used to describe the polarity of the voltage and current printers (VPRINT
and IPRINT). The minus sign on the printer VPRINT indicates the negative
polarity of the voltage. For the IPRINT, the minus sign indicates the node the
current leaves the printer. The following example shows how to perform AC
analysis on a simple RLC circuit.

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Orcad Pspice Capture Fundamentals

Example 1.6: AC Analysis of a RLC Circuit

Figure 1.19 shows an RLC circuit. If v(t)=18cos(200t+60), find ic(t) and vR1(t).

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Solution
Using the information in Box 1.2, the circuit is drawn. The ORCAD schematic
drawing is shown in Figure 1.20. The IPRINT and VPRINT have been inserted to
obtain ic(t) and vR1(t), respectively.
The property editor can be used to change the property of AC voltage (VAC) to
be displayed by using the display button. To change the properties of each printer,
left click on the printer to select it, and then right click on the printer to bring up a
menu. Select Edit Properties and set the AC fields, IMAG, MAG, and PHASE to
y. If for some reason, one of the fields, REAL, IMAG, MAG, and PHASE, cannot
be found in the property editor, Add New Column dialog box will pop up and
the field can be added.
+

Vs(t) = Vs

VR1(t)

12 mH

50

5 uF
400

ic(t)

100

FIGURE 1.19
RLC circuit.

R1
50

18 Vac
0 Vdc

1
C1
5u

L1

12 m

V1
Iprint
R2
100

FIGURE 1.20
ORCAD schematic capture diagram of Figure 1.19.

R3
400

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PSPICE and MATLAB for Electronics: An Integrated Approach

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To simulate the circuit, select PSPICE/New Simulation Profile. A dialog box

will pop up. Under New Simulation dialog box, specify the simulation name
and click Create. Under Simulation Settings select AC Sweep/Noise as the
analysis type. Since the circuit needs to be simulated at one frequency, make the
start frequency the same as the end frequency. It is 1000 Hz. The start and end
frequencies should be in Hertz. Run the simulation using the PSPICE/Run. The
simulation profile for the AC analysis is shown in Figure 1.21. Box 1.6 summarizes
the steps needed to perform AC Analysis in ORCAD Capture.

FIGURE 1.21
Simulation profile for AC analysis.

Box 1.6Steps for Performing ORCAD

SchematicACAnalysis

Select PSPICE/New Simulation Profile.

In the New Simulation dialog box, specify Simulation name.
Click Create.
In the Simulation Settings dialog box, select AC Sweep/
Noise as the analysis type.
Enter the start and end frequencies.
Select OK to close the Simulation Settings dialog box.
Run the simulation using PSPICE/Run.
Select View/Output File to view the results of the AC Analysis.

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Orcad Pspice Capture Fundamentals

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The results of the simulation can be obtained from the output file. It is shown
in Table 1.7.
From the PSPICE results, we get

ic(t)=0.1086cos(2000t+73.24) A, and

vR1(t)=6.69cos(2000t+67.54) V.

Frequency response of circuits can be obtained by performing the AC analysis.

The AC sweep is used to simulate circuits over a range of frequencies. The
start and end frequencies determine the range of the AC sweep. The following
example illustrates the use of the AC sweep to determine the frequency response
of a filter.

Example 1.7: RLC Filter

The circuit shown in Figure 1.22 is a passive filter. Plot the magnitude of the output
voltage vo(t).
TABLE 1.7
AC Analysis Results from PSPICE Simulations
**** AC ANALYSIS

TEMPERATURE=27.000 DEG C

FREQ
1.000E+03

IM(V_PRINT1)
1.086E-01

I P(V_PRINT1)
7.324E+01

FREQ
1.000E+03

VM(N00491,N00525)
6.695E+00

VP(N00491,N00525) VR(N00491,N00525)
6.754E+01
2.558E+00

IR(V_PRINT1)
3.132E-02

2.5 K
2.0 K

1.0 K

0
100 Hz
1.0 KHz
VM (1)/IM (R1)
FIGURE 1.22
A passive filter.

10 KHz
100 KHz
Frequency

1.0 MHz

10 MHz

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PSPICE and MATLAB for Electronics: An Integrated Approach

800 mV
600 mV
400 mV

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200 mV
0V
10 Hz
100 Hz
ABS (V(R3:2))

1.0 KHz
10 KHz
Frequency

100 KHz

1.0 MHz

FIGURE 1.23
Magnitude response of output voltage vo(t).

Using the information in Box 1.2, Figure 1.22 is drawn using ORCAD Capture. In
addition, by using the steps in Box 1.6, you can perform the AC analysis. However,
the start frequency and end frequency are selected to allow the sweep over a
range of frequencies. The frequency response is shown in Figure 1.23.
Problems

1.1

Find the nodal voltages of the circuit shown in Figure P1.1.

10 Vdc

+ V1

R1

R3

R5

10

20

40

R2
20

R4
40

R6
80

FIGURE P1.1
Resistive circuit.

1.2 Use PSPICE to determine the currents flowing through the 20 V

source and the resistor R6.

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Orcad Pspice Capture Fundamentals

R1

R5

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20 Vdc

120

R2

+ V1

R6

10

40

R3

R4

R7

R8

20

20

80

80

FIGURE P1.2
Resistive circuit.

1.3 Find the current Is.

5

10

2V

10

Is
10 V

40

8Is

20

FIGURE P1.3
Passive circuit with dependent sources.

1.4 For the resistive capacitive circuit shown in Figure P1.4, the
source is a pulse with amplitude of 5 V and pulse duration of
10ms. Determine the voltage across the capacitor.
R1

V1 = 0
V2 = 5 V
TD = 0
TR = 1.0e9
TF = 1.0e9
PW = 0.1e3
PER = 1.0e3

V1

FIGURE P1.4
Resistive capacitive circuit.

1K
R2
4K

V
C1
0.01e6

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PSPICE and MATLAB for Electronics: An Integrated Approach

1.5 Find the current flowing through the inductor if the source is
a periodic pulse signal with pulse duration of 0.4 ms, period of
1.0 ms, and pulse amplitude of 10 mA.
R2

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120

I1

R1

L1

80

10 mH

FIGURE P1.5
Resistive inductive circuit.

1.6 For the circuit shown in Figure P1.6, the current flowing
through the inductor is zero at time t 0. At t=0, the switch
moved from position a to b, where it remained for 10 ms. After
the 10 ms delay, the switch moved from position b to position
c, where it remained indefinitely. Sketch the current flowing
through the inductor versus time.
500

20 V

100 mH
c

500

1500 nF

FIGURE P1.6
RLC circuit.

1.7 For the voltage shown in Figure P1.7, plot the magnitude
response of the voltage across the inductor.
R2
R1
500
1 Vac

FIGURE P1.7
RLC circuit.

V1

8K
2

C1
4000 nF

R3
10 K

L1
0.5 H
1

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Orcad Pspice Capture Fundamentals

1.8 The input voltage is given as v1(t)=50cos(1000t), determine

the voltage vo(t).
C1

R1

0.1 uF

1K
1
50 Vac

V1

L1
0.6 H

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0 Vdc
2

1
L2
0.6 H

Vo(t)

R2

4K

FIGURE P1.8
RLC circuit for AC analysis.

Bibliography

1. Nilsson, James W., and Susan A. Riedel. Introduction to PSPICE manual Using
ORCAD Release 9.2 to Accompany Electric Circuits. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005.
2. OrCAD Family Release 9.2. San Jose, CA: Cadence Design Systems, 19861999.
3. Rashid, Mohammad H. Introduction to PSPICE Using OrCAD for Circuits and
Electronics. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2004.
4. Soda, Kenneth J. Flattening the Learning Curve for ORCAD-CADENCE
PSPICE, Computers in Education Journal, Vol. XIV (AprilJune 2004): 2436.
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Sons, Inc., 2007.
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Portugal, September 37, 2007.
7. Tobin, Paul. PSPICE for Circuit Theory and Electronic Devices. San Rafael, CA:
Morgan & Claypool Publishers, 2007.
8. Tront, Joseph G. PSPICE for Basic Circuit Analysis. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004.
9. Vladimirescu, Andrei. The Spice Book. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1994.
10. Wyatt, Michael A. Model Ferrite Beads in SPICE. In Electronic Design, October
15, 1992.
11. Yang, Won Y., and Seung C. Lee. Circuit Systems with MATLAB and PSPICE.
New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2007.