Anyone try LTSpice XVII - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: John Coloccia
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 22, 2016, 10:24:25 pm
content: I didn't even know they had a new major release. So far, the best thing about it:LEFT BUTTON PANNING!!!!You click the left button, and you can actually pan around the schematic.Overall better behaved too, with multi monitor support (though I haven't tried it...just installed on my laptop a few minutes ago, but apparently you can have the schematic and analysis on different monitors instead of a tiny little schematic at the bottom of your screen).The entire UI is really improved. Looks the same but it's all much smoother, and I think they even did something to the fonts as everything just seems much cleaner and easier to read. Maybe that last part is in my head, but it seems that way to me.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 22, 2016, 10:46:48 pm
content: I use it at work regularly.I agree, it's an overall improvement. The only problem I've had is it seems to be less stable: it's crashed before when the older version never has.

author: MK14
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 22, 2016, 10:51:42 pm
content: I was also taken by surprise by its sudden appearance. I knew nothing about it, until I demonstrated LTSpice to someone else, on their computer. I then found it as a download option, on their website. A number of months ago.I tend to find it is at least a little better, such as the GUI, you already pointed out. Selecting things to plot (for showing on the graph), is a bit better now, as well. After you get used to the changes (which is not hard to do).Amazingly powerful program, and I still find it amazing that it is completely free.My only real complaint is that it could do with a lot more, standard included components, in its libraries. Having mainly LT components, limits it, somewhat. But they have allowed some generic ones in it.But being realistic, it is free, to help them sell their components. So the partially limited components, are a necessary evil.But they do allow you to add your own Spice parts, which I hear are readily available (I don't think I've tried to install any, yet). So even that complaint, is not too bad.

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 01, 2016, 07:11:05 am
content: How is the performance compared to IV anyone ?Especially a complex heavy crunching simulation at a powerful benchtop PC as it says natively support x64 ?

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 01, 2016, 10:12:19 am
content: Wonder when the MAC version is coming out... :-/

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 01, 2016, 10:35:36 am
content: Just installed, check the control panel and found this new feature, yay, finally custom paths for symbol and library.May its just me, I just hate storing all symbols and libraries in a single folder.

author: ZeTeX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 01, 2016, 01:09:22 pm
content: Went to download LTSpice IV, suddenly LTspice XVII. it works great, did not see many differences.

author: AlfBaz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 01, 2016, 01:56:11 pm
content: LOL just found this threadJust went to the trouble of installing LTSpiceIV in a directory I own to avoid the having to run it as admin as it defaults saves in its install folderDownloaded XVII and they finally sorted it by creating an LTSpiceXVII folder in my docs folder, along with all the libs... and the multi-monitor support is long awaited

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 01, 2016, 10:09:01 pm
content: Quote from: timb on November 01, 2016, 10:12:19 amYou do realise that the existing Mac version is just a co-packaged version of Wine+LTSpice? I normally run the PC version under Wine on a Mac simply to gain a bit more control over the Wine settings and where things get put.LT have been very good about maintaining Wine compatibility in the past and I'd be surprised if that has changed in the new version. Big caveat though - I haven't tried it yet.

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 01, 2016, 10:25:58 pm
content: Update: Just downloaded and tried LTSpice XVII (the PC version, naturally) running under Wine on a Mac. Runs straight out of the box. No fiddling or special settings required.

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 01, 2016, 10:54:06 pm
content: Quote from: Cerebus on November 01, 2016, 10:09:01 pmI don't think the Mac version is using Wine... As far as I know it's 100% native. (That should be evident from the UI, which is entirely different from the Windows version.)In fact, I heard that development of the LTSpice IV engine took place on macOS. (Which makes sense; updates to the Windows version always trailed the Mac version by a bit.)

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 01, 2016, 11:50:07 pm
content: Quote from: timb on November 01, 2016, 10:54:06 pmMust just have been older versions then or I'm getting confused with something else. I switched to Wine to work around some problems long ago and just ignored the Mac packaged versions since. Anyway, the new one definitely works under Wine.

author: XFDDesign
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2016, 04:59:23 pm
content: I dislike that switching between simulation types is now a mess. It copies your old settings (say from transient) to the new (say AC), and when you 'correct' these, it blows out the old settings. The old one didn't do that. So now that's a new pain.Libraries are now more of a mess as well. You can edit, for example, the .bjt file, and find nothing changed. Now it's in your User folder, under documents and LTSpice XVII.Lots of little things which make using it more of a PITA.And now that Analog Devices owns LTC, I wonder what awful ideas are going to be penetrated into it by aimless, second-hander, mid level management folks.

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2016, 06:57:07 pm
content: Quote from: XFDDesign on November 02, 2016, 04:59:23 pmIf what I understand from what you say is correct I'd regard that as an improvement. I have a whole load of extra devices in my standard.bjt, standard.jft, etc. and tracking my changes when using "Tools/Sync Release" is a right PITA.

author: AlfBaz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 03, 2016, 01:46:47 am
content: Found a couple of interesting things. One good, one not so goodThe good:The new dot command editors. Handy for stuff you haven't used for a while. The prompts save you a trip to the help file.meas command.step commandI can't seem to find a way to invoke these without adding them to the schematic the old way, without parameter and then right clicking them. If you have existing commands and want to edit them without these new editors then simply click cancel and the original text editor pops upThe bad:Using step command causes data for each step to start later and later in the simulation.Changing the simulation time produces the same delays but in proportion to the overall time. For example if the sim run time is 10ms and the second run's data starts at 50us, changing the sim run time to 100m causes the second runs data to 500usThe .meas command returns a value of zero if the time at which it's commanded to read coincides with a time before the data startsSimple step and measure cctResultThe proportioanality I spoke of before with regards stepped runs and overall sim times goes out the window in the following simwith a meas taken at a reasonable half of the overall run time the data is eroneous at bestCode:Measurement: iresstepi(r1)at10.010.005200.005300.00540.009936150.00550.009980950.00560.01000720.005700.005800.005900.0051000.0051100.005120.009953860.005130.01000610.0051400.0051500.0051600.0051700.0051800.005190.00993810.005200.009972370.0052100.0052200.005230.009988050.005240.01002460.005250.01005150.005260.01001710.0052700.0052800.005290.009984220.0053000.005310.0100480.005320.009995210.0053300.0053400.005350.01002860.005360.009996860.005370.01003930.005380.01000560.0053900.0054000.0054100.0054200.005430.01003770.005440.00996120.005450.01002270.0054600.0054700.0054800.0054900.0055000.005510.01002390.0055200.005530.009957920.0055400.0055500.0055600.005570.01003640.005580.01000190.0055900.005600.009958390.005610.009984060.0056200.0056300.0056400.005650.01004150.005660.009964440.0056700.0056800.005690.0100480.005700.009975110.005710.01001070.0057200.005730.009966780.005740.01000820.0057500.0057600.0057700.005780.009969160.0057900.005800.01002520.0058100.0058200.0058300.005840.009952360.005850.01002760.005860.009973080.005870.01001830.0058800.0058900.0059000.005910.01001220.0059200.0059300.005940.00996660.005950.009999650.005960.01003060.0059700.005980.009961640.005990.009986930.0051000.01004210.0051010.009972310.00510200.00510300.0051040.009955580.0051050.01000780.00510600.0051070.009947750.0051080.009994520.0051090.0100230.00511000.0051110.01005080.0051120.009983760.0051130.01005720.0051140.01001290.00511500.0051160.009978270.0051170.01004320.0051180.01000830.00511900.0051200.009959910.00512100.0051220.01001790.00512300.0051240.009972010.00512500.00512600.00512700.00512800.0051290.01003480.0051300.009996450.00513100.00513200.0051330.01002750.0051340.00998570.00513500.00513600.00513700.00513800.00513900.00514000.0051410.009989340.0051420.01001650.0051430.009987130.00514400.00514500.00514600.0051470.01001560.00514800.00514900.00515000.00515100.00515200.00515300.00515400.00515500.00515600.0051570.009979750.00515800.0051590.01001960.00516000.0051610.01003450.0051620.01000730.00516300.0051640.009974620.0051650.01003780.0051660.01000890.0051670.009974330.0051680.009938850.0051690.01002650.0051700.009990010.00517100.00517200.00517300.00517400.00517500.00517600.0051770.009999090.00517800.00517900.0051800.01001980.00518100.00518200.00518300.00518400.00518500.0051860.01001840.00518700.00518800.0051890.00996690.00519000.0051910.01004190.00519200.0051930.009957750.00519400.00519500.00519600.0051970.009964270.00519800.0051990.010050.0052000.009973870.005

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 07, 2016, 02:23:51 pm
content: Quote from: John Coloccia on October 22, 2016, 10:24:25 pmThat's nice, too bad you still can't pan while moving or placing a part, though.QuoteIn the hopes of saving others some head-scratching: You have to right click either in the plot pane or in the schematic drafting area and select "Float Window" to break one or the other out of the main window. Because having it under "View" or "Window" or on the window tabs or even on the sub-window title bars would have made too much sense, I guess. Works pretty well, though--much better than trying to stretch the main window across multiple monitors!

author: MK14
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 07, 2016, 03:55:14 pm
content: Quote from: ajb on November 07, 2016, 02:23:51 pmIt seems to pan when placing components or moving them, just fine for me (LTSpice XVII). You just bang against the side, and it pans in the direction you're trying to move to. Automatically, WITHOUT any keys being pressed on the mouse.

author: AlfBaz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2017, 01:34:28 am
content: Just did a "sync" with the latest version and all of the problems below have been fixedQuote from: AlfBaz on November 03, 2016, 01:46:47 am

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2017, 01:08:53 pm
content: Quote from: John Coloccia on October 22, 2016, 10:24:25 pmYou can - finally! - also pan around results windows too. Just hold down CTRL and move the mouse pointer.Also, CTRL + scroll wheel zooms the results window in and out.

author: sdguy12
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2017, 12:40:54 am
content: Sigh....I installed LTSpiceXVII and all the icons were tiny....I have one of those 4k high resolution screens on my laptop and sometimes the programs don't take that into account and i get really tiny icons...How can I poke the running man for my sim if I can't even see him? Simulate -> Run? That's barbaric.I switched back ltspiceIV.

author: neil t
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2017, 12:58:02 am
content: Quote from: Hero999 on October 22, 2016, 10:46:48 pmJust been using the new version for a couple of weeks and have to agree about it's stability, a few more crashes and an occasional loss of responsiveness although that could be the way i'm using it.regards Neil

author: grouchobyte
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2017, 01:04:46 am
content: pros: floating windows.....finallyseems fasternicer fonts...cons: Crashes on occasion

author: anatolii
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 18, 2017, 12:07:26 am
content: Did you try it on Windows 10? it seems to handle high resolution screens better than other versions, LTSpice XVII runs ok on my 4K screen in Windows 10.Quote from: sdguy12 on February 07, 2017, 12:40:54 am