Mixed-Signal Debugging Gets a Boost

Mixed-Signal Debugging Gets a Boost
by Daniel Payne on 03-30-2020 at 6:00 am

starvision pro

Having the right tool for the job at hand is always a joy, and when your IC project involves RTL code, gates, transistors and even parasitic interconnect, then you need some EDA tool help for debugging and finding out why your design behaves the way it is. An FAE named Sujit Roy did a conference call with me last week to show what StarVisionRead More


Debugging SoCs at the RTL, Gate and SPICE Netlist Levels

Debugging SoCs at the RTL, Gate and SPICE Netlist Levels
by Daniel Payne on 10-02-2019 at 10:00 am

Concept Engineering - auto schematic

Debugging an IC is never much fun because of all the file formats used, the levels of hierarchy and just the sheer design size, so when an EDA tool comes around that allows me to get my debugging done quicker, then I take notice and give it a look. I was already familiar with debugging SPICE netlists using a tool called SPICEVision Pro,… Read More


Webinar: Designing Complex SoCs and Dealing with Multiple File Formats

Webinar: Designing Complex SoCs and Dealing with Multiple File Formats
by Daniel Payne on 08-12-2019 at 10:00 am

StarVision Pro

In SoC design it’s all about managing complexity through modeling, and the models that make up IC designs come in a wide range of file formats like:

  • Transistor-level , SPICE
  • Interconnect parasitics, SPEF
  • Gate and RTL, Verilog, VHDL

Even with standard file formats, designers still have to traverse the hierarchy to find out… Read More


#56DAC Update – What’s New at Concept Engineering

#56DAC Update – What’s New at Concept Engineering
by Daniel Payne on 07-02-2019 at 10:00 am

Concept Engineering, DAC56

I first connected with Gerhard Angst of Concept Engineering over 15 years ago, because I was using their SpiceVision PRO tool to visual SPICE netlists received from customer designs to be debugged in a FastSPICE circuit simulator. The ability to visualize a transistor-level netlist was simply essential to quickly understanding… Read More


Starvision and SOS, a Perfect Match

Starvision and SOS, a Perfect Match
by Paul McLellan on 07-21-2015 at 7:00 am

SoC design these days is largely about assembling externally developed semiconductor IP with a small amount of differentiated content. Only companies who have to adopt new processes instantly develop a lot of their own IP. It makes more sense to license it. Partially because there is not a lot of differentiation in standards-based… Read More


Making Things Visible for 25 Years

Making Things Visible for 25 Years
by Paul McLellan on 06-03-2015 at 7:00 am

This year is most notably the 50th anniversary of Moore’s Law. It is also the 25th anniversary of Concept Engineering. They were founded in 1990 in Freiburg Germany. They started by providing automatic schematic generation from netlist. They sold primarily to other EDA companies and to internal development groups in semiconductor… Read More


Starvision Pro: Lattice Semiconductor’s Experience

Starvision Pro: Lattice Semiconductor’s Experience
by Paul McLellan on 04-09-2015 at 7:00 am

During SNUG I took the opportunity to chat to Choon-Hoe Yeoh of Lattice Semiconductor about how they use Concept Engineering’s Starvision Pro product. He is the senior director of EDA tools and methodologies there.

Lattice Semiconductor is a manufacturer of low-power, small-footprint, low-cost programmable logic devices.… Read More


Exploring IP You Didn’t Design Yourself

Exploring IP You Didn’t Design Yourself
by Paul McLellan on 03-17-2015 at 7:00 am

Starvision Pro from Concept Engineering is a bit like one of those Leatherman multi-tools, it has a huge number of different functions, some of them fairly specialized but nonetheless incredibly useful. Many of these functions are unique to Starvision Pro, with nothing else like it on the market. Some new videos, produced by EDA… Read More


Mixed Signal SOC verification Webinar

Mixed Signal SOC verification Webinar
by Daniel Payne on 07-16-2013 at 8:29 pm

When looking at the time to design and verify an SoC we’ve known for many years now that the verification effort requires more time than the design process. So anything that will shorten the verification effort will have the biggest impact on keeping your project on schedule.

A second trend is the amount of Analog content in… Read More


Visual AMS Debug, an update at DAC

Visual AMS Debug, an update at DAC
by Daniel Payne on 06-24-2013 at 4:07 pm

If you’re involved with AMS or transistor-level IC design then having visual tools will help you design and debug quicker. At DAC I met with Gerhard Angst, President and Founder of Concept Engineering to get an update.


Gerhard Angst (center), Concept EngineeringRead More