OSCAD: An open source EDA tool for circuit design, simulation, analysis and PCB design

Salient Features of Oscad

• It is an acronym for Open source computer aided design
• It is a free and open source EDA (Electronic Design Automation) tool, developed at IIT Bombay
• It can be downloaded from http://oscad.in
• It is created using open source software packages, such as KiCad, Ngspice, Scilab and Python
• It can create circuit schematics, perform simulations and design PCB layouts
• It can create/edit new device models and subcircuits
• It has a Scilab based Mini Circuit Simulator (SMCSim) that is capable of giving the circuit equations
• It runs on GNU/Linux at present - efforts are underway to port it to Windows and Mac OS X
• It also runs on Aakash: The world’s lowest cost computing device

About this book

• It explains how to install Oscad and to use it
• It explains each of circuit schematic creation, performing simulations, design of PCB layouts and
• creation of models and subcircuits in separate chapters with screenshots and illustrations
• It demonstrates the use of Oscad through solved examples on the topics of Diode, BJT, MOSFET, Op-amp and CMOS
• It explains the porting of Oscad on to Aakash with a few photographs
• It explains how the academic and the professional communities can work together to use and to improve Oscad through (1) Spoken Tutorial based SELF workshops (2) Textbook Companion project (3) Lab Migration project and (4) Student and volunteer projects

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