ACS - what I have been doing in the last few months


To ng-spice-devel@ieee.ing.uniroma1.it, ng-spice@ieee.ing.uniroma1.it
From Al Davis <aldavis@ieee.org>
Date Wed, 24 Jan 2001 20:23:05 -0800
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Mostly IBIS support.  (http://www.eigroup.org/ibis)

I am involved with the development of the new standard, and a 
translator program to support it.  The first release will use an 
external translator and hooks in the simulator to use it, so it looks 
built in.  It is likely that soon after I will link it directly, or 
more likely through a shared library.  I am negotiating with someone 
to make the Spice modifications, which means NG-Spice can have it too.

For those not familiar ....   IBIS is an industry standard format for 
modeling buffers (drivers and receivers) for use in interconnect 
simulation.  Many chip companies use it, and all "signal integrity" 
simulators use it.  Some commercial Spice programs support it.

A year ago I made a proposal for a revision to the standard, which 
they liked, so I am working with the committee on a new standard 
("IBIS-X"), which is backward compatible with the old one.

I have it partially working, enough that I will show it off at the 
IBIS meeting coming up.  I hope to have a release of ACS with 
preliminary IBIS-X support in February or March.  This will enable 
the world, particularly the committee members, to try out the new 
preliminary standard, before it is formally approved, soon enough to 
make changes in it before they cause trouble.

Here's a little dig at standards.  Often standards are approved 
without being prototyped.  Vendors don't even start work on an 
implementation until after formal approval.  Problems are exposed too 
late, and delevery of a working system is at least a year after 
formal approval.  It might take two years for it to be universal 
enough to use.  This time, it will be useful right away!


So ...

ACS will be the first simulator to support it.

NG-Spice could be second.

The Big Industry players like this plan, and are participating in it. 
 There is a good chance this translator could become the industry 
standard that they all use.  It is a big win for Free software.




Also, I have put a little time in on improving the model compiler.  
The next release will do the device section, too.  This will make 
model addition really easy.

al.

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