A Comparative Study of Various Simulation Software

for Design and Analysis of Operational Amplifier

Based Integrator Circuits
Rafiya Hossain, Moonmoon Ahmed, Dr. Hasan U. Zaman, Mohd. Azfar Nazim
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North South University
Plot-15, Block-B, Bashundhara, Dhaka, Bangladesh
rafiya_2012@yahoo.com,moonmoon_tonimaeee@yahoo.com,hasan.zaman@northsouth.edu, azfar.nazim12@gmail.com

Abstract— A significant advancement in computational to stop the ongoing simulation, reconnect the new source and
science and the development of various simulation based software simulate it again.
have replaced the necessity of testing circuit construction
practically. This simulation software can model, design, analyze
II. THEORY AND BACKGROUND
and synthesize various complex circuitries. Usage of software in
basic designs has made the circuit building and testing process Operational Amplifier is the most widely used IC for
more convenient and less expensive. Software like PSpice, designing analog circuits. It is a very high gain differential
Multisim, MatLab, and LtSpice are the most widely used amplifier with high input impedance and low output
software for getting accurate results compared to the primitive impedance. Op-amp is used to change the output voltage level
way of building practical circuits directly. This paper focuses on and polarity of a circuit. It is typically used for constructing
analysis of graphical representations of different simulation oscillator, filter circuits and amplifying circuits. The block
based software and making a comparison among them with diagram of a 741 IC op-amp is given Fig. 1.
respect to the data collected from the hardware implementation.
An operational amplifier based integrator circuit has been
implemented here for the study purpose. The simulation of the Non-inverting
circuit is done using PSpice and Multisim and then the output input
voltage graphical value is compared with the data of practical
value from the oscilloscope. After comparing and evaluating the
simulation results, we came to the conclusion that Multisim is Input Intermediate Level Output
better suited for simulating this type of circuits. Stage- Stage- Dual Shifting Stage-
Dual Input Stage- Compliment
Keywords—PSpice; Multisim; Simulation; Integrator Input Unbalanced Emitter ary
Balanced Output Follower Symmetrical
Output Amplifier with push-pull
I. INTRODUCTION Amplifier Constant amplifier
In this modern era, hardware implementations are
replaced by the usage of software. To simulate various analog
circuits, we use different types of software such as SPICE, Inverting input Output
Electric VLSI design and Oregano [1][2]. To observe a circuit
behavior instead of implementing it practically, these software
and simulators are used. For instance, manufacturing Fig. 1. Basic block diagram of 741 op-amp [7]
companies test their new circuit model’s efficiency and
performance before going to the production level. Simulation
Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis (SPICE) is one of In a 741-op-amp input signal is given at pin no. 2 and 3.
the reliable simulation software to do various tasks like – AC However, to turn on the operation of the IC we need to give a
analysis, DC analysis, Transient analysis etc. PSpice is the biasing voltage at pin no 4 and 7. For the 741 model the
most common one among the SPICE software’s. However, biasing voltage limit is up to 30V. However, we measure the
Multisim is widely used software which has a version of output voltage from pin no. 6.
PSpice in it. For using Multisim, one doesn’t need to be
familiar with the usage of SPICE [3]. This is more user- A. Integrator Circuit
friendly and the virtual instruments in the software are more For developing an integrator circuit we need to develop a
similar to the practical instruments used in the laboratory. But feedback circuit where the feedback component will be a
one of the most remarkable advantages of using Multisim over capacitor [4][5]. In this circuit the output voltage changes with
PSpice is one can change the source signal without respect to the input voltage over time. Let us consider an
reconnecting the circuit all over again, but in PSpice one needs inverting integrator circuit.

978-1-5386-2215-5/17/$31.00 ©2017 IEEE

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 A. Multisim

At first, we have constructed the circuit in the MultiSim

Fig. 2. Circuit diargram of an inverting integrator
Here, the input signal is an ac input. Due to the virtual
ground the current, i(t) = Vi(t) / R will flow into the capacitor
and the charge will accumulate on it. The amount of the
charge will be œ i(t)dt, where the integration is done between
the interval t=o and t= any arbitrary time. If we denote the
initial charge at capacitor as Vc then we can write,
interface. For this, we went to the place section and selected
desired components and sources from the list. Then, we
connected the components by placing cursor at the corner of
one component and drag the wire to the edge of another
component. To set the frequency of 1kHz and peak-peak
voltage of 10Vp-p, we have used the positive terminal of the
function generator and Channel A of an oscilloscope and the
negative terminals were grounded. For the input voltage we
have chosen the amplitude as 5Vp and the wave shape as
square. From the basic understanding of an integrator circuit
we expected a triangular wave shape as an output. Moreover,
channel B was connected with output pin. Then, we turned on
the simulation switch and clicked the run button for staring the
simulation process.

vc (t) = Vc + 1/C œ i(t)dt (1)

Therefore we can write the output voltage equation a steh

following:

Vo = -vc (t) (2)

Vo = -Vc – 1/(RC) œ Vi(t) dt (3)

Here, RC is the integrator time constant and the negative

sign implies that the circuit is an inverting integrator. Fig. 3. Circuit constrcution using Multisim

B. SPICE Simulator

SPICE stands for “Simulation Program with Integrated

Circuit Emphasis” which was originally developed as a thesis
work at University of California at Berkeley [6][7]. PSpice
and MultiSim are the commercial version of SPICE. SPICE
can perform various circuit analysis such as DC analysis, AC
analysis, transient analysis, bode plotting etc.

III. SIMULATION AND RESULT

For analyzing and comparing the simulated results from

Multisim and PSpice simulators, we have used an inverting
integrator circuit. After that we compared the results with the
practical values. The parameters we have used for the circuit Fig. 4. Waveform of input-output signal
construction are: resistance R1 = 5k-Ÿ, feedback resistor R2=
100k-Ÿ, capacitor C1 = 0.1 μF and the ac input with At that point, the input output graph window for the
frequency f=1kHz and peak-peak voltage Vp-p=10V. oscilloscope pops up. The sensitivity was set at 5v/Div for
However, we have set the biasing voltage to ±12V. vertical axis and 500μs/Div for horizontal axis for both input

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and output channels. The output was 2.5 Vp that means 5Vp-
p to be exact. For stabilizing the waveform we kept it in single
mode and set the trigger level accordingly.
1) Mathmetical calculation

Here we can derive the equation for solving the output.

We know,
i =Vin/R = C dVc/dt
or, œdVc = 1/(RC) œVin dt
or, Vc(t)-Vc(0) = 1/(RC) œ5dt
or, Vc(0.0005)= Vc(0) +{1/(5*1000*0.1 *e-6)} * 5*0.0005

Here, the initial voltage across the capacitor is -2.5V when

time t=0. The charging period is half of the time period and
that is 0.0005second. However, the discharging starts when
the input reaches -5v. Therefore, the output voltage can be
written as,
Fig. 6. Input-output waveform for triangular input
In case of sinusoidal sine input, it gives a cosine
function as output where the phase shift is 90 degree.

Vc(0.0005) = -2.5v + 5v = 2.5v (4)

.
Hence, the output voltage is Vout= -Vc =-2.5V (peak
value). However, in our calculation we have ignored the shunt
resistor across the capacitor which may slightly affect the
result because a small amount of current will flow through the
resistor.

Fig. 7. Input-output waveform for sinosoidal input

For the frequency response curve for a integrator circuit the

corner frequency,

fa = 1/ 2*ʌ*Rf* C (5)

Fig. 5. Waveform of input-output signal

Now, we have given a triangular input signal and as

expected it gave a parabolic function as output.

Fig. 8. AC analysis of the integrator circuit

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 For our circuit, theoretically we got the value of fa= 15.92Hz
using the equation no.5. The frequency response is linearly
dropping between the frequency fa and the unity gain
frequency. However, this is the actual integration range of the
circuit. Therefore, we can conclude that, it only integrates the
frequencies higher than fa.

B. PSpice

For PSpice we went to File-> New->Project and a dialogue

appeared where we needed to choose create a blank project
option. After that we needed to click ok and the schematic
editor window appeared. The tool bar was at the right side of
the schematic window. From the tool bar, we selected the
“place part” and a window appeared where we selected library
-> Add library->Ctrl A-> Select->Open. Then, all the
components were visible in the place part. For resistance, we
have to use RANALOG, for capacitance CANALOG, op-amp
uA741, for source voltage pulse (VPULSE). Here, we have set
Fig. 10. Input-output waveform for square input
the value of V1= -5V and V2=+5V. For setting the frequency
to 1k-Hz we have used the pulse width, PW= 0.5ms. As the We can see from the waveform that the output for the
relationship between frequency and pulse-width are the integrator circuit was 4Vp-p.
following:

C. Experimental Data

Frequency = 1/ (2 * PW) (5) In laboratory, a similar circuit as used in the simulation

software was implemented. After constructing the Integrator
circuit, we set +VCC = +12V, –VCC = –12V as biasing voltage.
Then, we applied a square wave of amplitude =10Vp-p and
frequency= 1kHz. We observed the wave shape through
oscilloscope and a triangular shaped waveform appeared as we
expected.

Fig. 9. Circuit diargram of an inverting integrator in PSpice

We then go to the PSpice menu and choose NEW

SIMULATION PROFILE. In the Name text box, we type a
descriptive name, for example-integrator. From the Inherit
from list, select-> none->create. Then a window appeared
where we selected time transient analysis as analysis type. We
needed to set the starting time, ending time and the delay time.
Then pressed ok and run the simulation and PSpice have
generated an output file. After that we have used a voltage
differential marker at input at the starting and ending node. At
the output we have used a voltage marker. Then we opened
the output file and the input output voltage were visible. To
plot the graph in a different window, we go to plot->add plot Fig. 11. Practical circuit
to window->trace->add trace.

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TABLE I Representation of Voltage values in two different software simulation software tools and made a comparison between
them from the user-friendliness and usability points of view.
From our analysis, it was inferred that Multisim is more
suitable and user-friendly for adoption for simulating circuits
Software Input Voltage (peak-peak) OutputVoltage(peak-peak) of moderate complexity compared to PSpice.

Multisim 10 V 5V
REFERENCES
PSpice 10 V 4V
[1] S.Fuada and F.T.Aquari,”International Journal of Engineering Sciences
and Research Technology”,vol 2, issue 2, pp. 371-382, 2013.
[2] S.K. Tupe, S.S.B. and B.S.H., “ International Journal of Recent Trends
in Engineering and Technology”,vol 2,issue 6, pp. 26-29,2009.
IV. DISCUSSION [3] R.Kumar and K. Kumar, “ International Journal of Electronics and
Electrical”, vol 3,issue 1, pp. 34-37,2015.
Both PSpice and Multisim are able to simulate the typical
[4] S.V.Wunnava, T.Marcus, R.Romero and M. Heimer, , “ International
op-amp based integrator circuits, but design and experiment Latin American and Caribbean Cpnference for Engineering and
setup is much easier in Multisim compared to PSpice. Result Technology (LACCET’06)”, Mayaguez, Puertorico.
analysis process is also less involved in Multisim. Overall, [5] V.Kalyani and A.Arya, “ International Journal of Advanced Research in
Multisim is much more user-friendly and easier for a new user Electronics and Communication Engineering (IJARECE’14)”, vol
to adapt for simulation of typical circuits of lower to moderate 3,issue 8, pp. 947-955,2014.
complexity. From usability point of view, the level of [6] S.S.Raghuwanshi, A. Singh, Y. Mokchariwale , “ International Journal
accuracy is higher in Multisim when the default experiment of Advanced Research in Computer Science and Software
setup is used. Multisim also provides a laboratory like Engineering”, vol 2,issue 3, pp. 187-191, 2012.
experience during simulation, because the equipment and [7] R.Kumar and K. Kumar, “ International Journal of Modern Electronics
and Communication Engineering (IJMECE)”, vol ,issue 1, pp. 6-11,
components provided by Multisim are very similar to actual 2013.
laboratory equipment. Therefore, a student or a researcher can
design and synthesize a circuit initially using Multisim and get
an experience like working in a laboratory. In contrast, PSpice
is a bit complicated in terms of placing components and doing
basic circuit analysis. For instance, in Multisim if we want to
change the source value we can simply double click in the
source and rewrite the value, but in PSpice changing of design
and component parameters is a more involved process where
the user must have some degree of experience to be able to
effectively navigate through the details of PSpice design and
experiment setup. For example, one needs to delete the source
and use a new source with different parameters to accomplish
the above-mentioned task in PSpice. Another example of the
necessity of prior user knowledge in PSpice is that if one
wants to generate a sine wave, one need to use VSINE and
similarly for square wave one would use VPLUSE. On the
other hand, these kinds of experimental setup change are much
more intuitive and effortless in Multisim. The sophisticated
graphical user interface provided by Multisim is a very
positive feature of this software, which makes it an easy
learning tool for beginning to moderate level learners and
circuit experimenters.

V. CONCLUSION
The advent of many simulation software and tools in
recent times has made the work of an engineer much easier.
Engineers can design various complex circuitries in software
in no time and thus get a quick and good idea about the circuit
behavior and its efficiency. Students and experimenters can
use the software tools in their projects when it is expensive to
buy costly equipment but quickly want to get can experience
about the characteristics and response of a circuit. In this
paper, we have presented two most widely used circuit

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