CircuitSimulator

A public version of circuit simulator project

This project uses Windows Forms, so is only available for Windows

This repo does not include any images required for this project due to copyright reasons. The program will still work without the images

The images for the diagram mode will be added, the images for the drawing mode must be supplied by the user

This uses re-implemented data structures from my data structures library, as this was part of the project

Installation instructions

From compiled

1. Download the latest release from the releases tab on the right

2. Extract the zip file

3. The file CircuitSimulator.exe can then be run

4. Refer to Post Installation

From source

Dependencies

.NET SDK Download Here

This project is designed for .NET 6, but should work with newer versions, although it has not been tested

Clone repository

Clone the repository with

git clone https://github.com/anarchie347/CircuitSimulator.git

Alternatively download as Zip and extract

Build

1. In a terminal, navigate to the project directory

2. Restore the dependencies:

dotnet restore

3. Build in release mode

dotnet build --configuration Release

4. Execute

The program is locatated at:

/path/to/project/bin/release/net6.0-windows/CircuitSimulator.exe

Note: If using a different version of .NET, then the the directory will use the corresponding verasion number

Refer to Post Installation

Post Installation

1. Images

This step is optional but will improve the appearance of the program

Copy the img folder from this repository into the same directory as the program executable.

If you wish to add images for the drawing mode, , inside the img folder, create a folder called draw and place the images in there. The images must have the .jpg file extension. For the names, refer to the names used in the diagram images folder, they are case sensitive.

If images are not present in the draw folder, there will be error messages on startup

2. Shortcut

You may wish to create a shortcut to the application to add to your desktop or start menu

Usage and features

If when you load the program, you receive many pop-ups informing you of missing images, this can be fixed by creating image files in the paths specified (see images step of post installation)

Components

To use the program, you can drag and drop components from the left sidebar.

To connect components, left click and release on the connector, then left click and release on the other connector to form a wire

To delete a component, press the red bin button on the component when you hover over it

Some components (e.g fuses and switches) have an extra button for extra functionality (such as reconnecting a fuse or toggling a switch)

Some components (e.g. diodes) have boxes at the top of them to indicate state, such as the diode allowing current through

Lots of components have extra properties which can be edited by right clicking on them

Top Menu Bar

The Clear button clears all components

The Load button brings up a dialog box to select a circuit to either load or delete. IF a circuit doesnt appear, make sure the circuits.db file in the prorgams directory is the one that contains the circuit. Refer to Saves and databases

The Save button brings up a dialog box to select a save to overwrite, or to create a new save, where you will be prompted for a circuit name and author name. The program does not auto-save, so to update the circuit, open the save dialog and overwrite the save with the new one

The Diagram button opens a window and displays a generated circuit diagram of your circuit. If the diagram doesnt look right, move around components in your drawing as the diagram uses locations and orientations from the drawing. To use a different set of symbols, replace thje images in img/diagram directory

The Detailed Diagram button does the same as the Diagram button, except components have captions showing their properties. If there are visual issues, try moving around components in your drawing and try again.

The Environment button opens a dialogue box to edit the environment. This controls the environment dependent components (e.g. the thermistor and LDR). It is global to all components in the circuit.

The Simulate button simulates the circuit, and displays appropriate values on ammeters and voltmeters, as well as displaying on output components that they are powered. It does not live update, so you will need to press simulate again if you make changes.

Saves and databases

This program stores circuits in a database called circuits.db stored in the same directory as the executable. To export saves to another device, or another place where the program is, just move this database file. The program will always use a file called circuits.db in its directory, this cannot be changed. If one doesnt exist, then it will be created.

2 different database files cannot be merged or opened simulataneously by the same instance of the program.

To remove saves from a database, open either the Save or Load dialog and press the bin icon

The environment information is saved as part of the save file

Possible future features

The following are idea that may get added in the future. There is not guarantee that this project will recieve any updates

• Ability to combine multiple database files
• Auto simulate function that reruns the simulation when any changes are made
• Efficiency improvements to some of the algorithms (notably the matrix inverting algorithm)

Additional information

Troubleshooting: IF you encounter issues, please refer to Github isses section.

Contributing: Contributions are welcome. You may wish to refer to Github isses section or Possible future features

License: This project is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more details.

This README file may be updated between releases without a new release being published, so check the most up to date version in the reppsitory, rather than a download of a release