[paper] eSim: An Open Source EDA Tool

Rahul Paknikar, Saurabh Bansode, Gloria Nandihal, Madhav P. Desai, Kannan M. Moudgalya, 

and Ashutosh Jha*

eSim: An Open Source EDA Tool for Mixed-Signal and Microcontroller Simulations

4th International Conference on Circuits, Systems and Simulation

(ICCSS), 2021, pp. 212-217,

DOI: 10.1109/ICCSS51193.2021.9464198.

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
* Vellore Institute of Technology Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract: The ability to carry out simulations before making a PCB can save a lot of time, effort and cost. This work explains the creation of an open source mixed-signal simulation software eSim that will be of great help to students, hobbyists, the SME sector and startups. Analog and digital components are respectively modelled using SPICE and a hardware descriptive language in eSim. Inclusion of AVR based microcontroller as a part of the digital circuit is demonstrated through its instructions implemented as a C code library. This methodology could be used to provide support to other microcontroller families, such as PIC, STM and also more sophisticated controllers. These concepts are demonstrated through a few examples.

Fig: Workflow of NGHDL

Acknowledgment: The authors would like to thank Prof. Pramod Murali, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Bombay and Mrs. Usha Viswanathan, FOSSEE, IIT Bombay for their guidance. We would also like to express our gratitude towards Powai Labs Technology Private Limited for their gratis contribution to the VHPIDIRECT package and Utility package of NGHDL. The FOSSEE project is funded by the National Mission on Education through ICT, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India.