Modelling with GENIE

Without the confidence to understand how components work, both on their own and in combination with other components, there is a real risk that mistakes will creep into your design. If you are unlucky, you might only discover those mistakes after you have begun making your project, when it could already be too late.

This is where Circuit Wizard 3 really shines, with its ability to model the whole design, from the GENIE programming, circuits and power supply to all of the input and output components, on the screen — a process known as circuit simulation.

Unlike simple multimedia or pre-scripted animations, Circuit Wizard 3's circuit simulation is an accurate mathematical model of the properties of the circuit, down to the individual components and the voltages and currents going between them.

By simulating the entire electronic circuit, and not just your flowchart or BASIC program, you can have confidence that if the simulation works on the screen, it will work when you make it. In a classroom full of eager learners and designers, this ability for students to fully test their own work becomes invaluable. Only software offering the true simulation of life-like circuits can provide that level of support.

However do not fear that all this power has made Circuit Wizard 3 too complex. It was created by us over many years specifically to assist those teachers and students without any prior knowledge of electricity or electronics.

Because Circuit Wizard 3 allows you to model the behaviour of a circuit using a set of components that both look and act like the real thing, you can benefit from their simulation without ever having to understand circuit diagrams or printed circuit board design. Indeed, all you have to do is connect up your circuit on the screen just as you would normally and then click on the Run button to see it go!

To see the power of the circuit simulation for yourself, why not take a look at our freely downloadable Circuit Wizard 3 demonstration software.

Another very big advantage of being able to model a circuit on the screen before you make it is that it allows you to quickly and easily try out different ideas. Realise that your design needs a toggle switch rather than a push switch, an extra red LED, or a stepper motor rather than a standard DC motor? No problem. Just amend your designs and programs on the screen and try again!

To help, we have included a whole range of different components within Circuit Wizard 3, from switches, lights and motors to keypads, loudspeakers and displays, putting you in control and allowing you to find the best solution for your project.

This ability to investigate different solutions is a vital part of the iterative design process. As you explore and better understand the particular problem that your design is attempting to solve, you will find new avenues for investigation and come up with new ways to apply embedded control. But time is precious, which is why rapid on-screen modelling through Circuit Wizard 3 is so essential.

A good example of this can be seen when trying to select a particular GENIE Board or Kit to be embedded within your design. Although all include a programmable GENIE component, they do vary in the number and types of inputs and outputs that can be connected. Without specialist knowledge of electronics this can be often be a hard thing to do, however by modelling them on the screen you can easily discover for yourself which one of them is right for your particular project.

Because Circuit Wizard 3 is built around accurate modelling, you can be confident in the knowledge that it will be there to assist should you choose to progress your understanding of the underlying mathematical and scientific principles that lie at the heart of all electrical and electronic circuits.

At the click of a button you'll be able to see the electricity flowing around the circuit or take voltage and current measurements with a range of virtual instruments. Built-in teaching resources are also there to help get you started, covering a wide variety of topics, from simple electrical circuits to Ohm's law and beyond.

Progressing even further still, the software enables you create your own electrical and electronic circuits from scratch, with support for the design and simulation of circuit diagrams, breadboards and printed circuit board (PCB) layouts.

For more detail on Circuit Wizard's circuit design and PCB layout tools, click here (please note that this link will take you to our new-wave-concepts.com website).

This seamless bridging of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) teaching is what makes Circuit Wizard 3 so ideally suited to all abilities and types of learners, from those just starting out or with a practical bent, to those looking to progress into further academic or vocational study.