The iSim circuit simulation tool is now part of Intersil's online Technical Design Center, where power supply engineers can find documentation, design resources, other design tools and product information. In addition, Intersil supports designers with reference designs, evaluation platforms, a technical support line and world-class applications engineers.

"iSim has really hit a homerun with our customers' engineers," said Dale Klotz, senior manager of one of Intersil's Design Centers. "Design engineers appreciate the intuitive interface and the fact that there is nothing to download and install on their PC. Designers can store multiple designs in their online account for later recall or further analysis and the engineer can print a complete schematic and bill of materials once finalized. What could be simpler and more convenient?"

"The new iSim tool went live on the Intersil Web site on September 5, 2003," said Jack Clark, director of Intersil's Technical Support Center. "Word-of-mouth has spread the news about iSim, and we already have over 75 design engineers registered as users. Feedback from engineers has been very positive. They especially like being able to quickly and easily optimize power designs online before going to the prototype stage."

Each designer logs in to a personal account in which simulations can be stored and retrieved as needed. Components in schematics can be edited in place and even parasitic components can be modified. Detailed spice-based execution parameters are available for inspection. Simulation results are shown directly in the browser and multiple host servers run the simulations without any need for users to download and install software on their computer. An interactive waveform viewer provides post-simulation data analysis for any selected node and includes interactive marker functions along with data readout. Optimized circuits can be captured with a complete bill of materials ready for hardware prototyping. The iSim tool is supported online with a brief overview and robust FAQs.

Intersil currently has 10 of its most popular PWM controller ICs modeled and ready for online simulation:

• ISL6225—Dual PWM Controller
• ISL6520A—simple +5V PWM controller with shoot-thru protection
• ISL6528—PWM and linear power controller
• ISL6556A, ISL6558, ISL6559 and ISL6561—2- to 4-phase PWM controllers
• ISL6569—2-phase PWM controller
• ISL6721—PWM controller with synchronize and advanced fault protection features
• HIP6301—2- to 4-phase sync buck PWM controller

More ICs will be added over time. Designers are invited to visit Intersil's iSim Web site, register and login for a test run at www.intersil.com.

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© 2007 Penton Media, Inc.