Spectrum Software was a software company based in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, whose main focus is electrical simulation and analysis tools, most notably the circuit simulator
Micro-Cap
Micro-Cap is a SPICE compatible analog/digital circuit simulator with an integrated schematic editor that provides an interactive sketch and simulate environment for electronics engineers. It was developed by Spectrum Software and is currently at ...
. It was founded in February 1980 by Andy Thompson. Initially, the company concentrated on providing software for
Apple II
The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-m ...
systems.
One of the earliest products was Logic Designer and Simulator. Released in June 1980, this product was the first integrated circuit editor and logic simulation system available for personal computers. In many ways it was the forerunner of the Micro-Cap products. Its primary goal was to provide a “circuit creation and simulation” environment for digital simulation.
In August 1981, the analog equivalent of the first program, Circuit Designer and Simulator, was released. Its integrated text editor created circuit descriptions for a simple, linear, analog simulator. September 1982 saw the release of the first Micro-Cap package as a successor to the Circuit Designer and Simulator. The name Micro-Cap was derived from the term Microcomputer Circuit Analysis Program.
As of July 4, 2019, the company has closed and the software is now free.
References
Micro-CAP: An Analog Circuit Design System for Personal ComputersSpice Programs: Computerized Circuit Analysis For Analog EEsModeling IIj Noise in HEMTS with SPICE-Based Micro-CapAC Analysis of Idealized Switched-Capacitor Circuits in Spice-Compatible ProgramsWhite Paper: A New Zobel Network for AudioGet more power with a boosted triode
External links
Spectrum Software HomepageAbout Spectrum SoftwareMicro-Cap Application Notes
Software companies based in California
Companies based in Sunnyvale, California
Defunct software companies of the United States
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