[sci.electronics] Graphics display program PROBE

jensting@diku.dk (Jens Tingleff) (03/27/90)

	Common Simulation Data Format		What is that ??

The circuit analysis program PSPICE comes with a graphics viewing
program PROBE. The PROBE program accepts data as -1 Binary format
or -2 ASCCI text in CSDF format. In the PROBE section of the PSPICE
manual it goes

	".. create a text-format file using the Common Simulator
	 Data Format (CSDF), which has been proposed as a standard
	 format for results from simulation programs."

My question is simply WHAT IS CSDF, where can I find descriptions 
of the format ?


My reason for asking is that I'm assisting in the port of an other
circuit analysis program (from IBM mainframe to PC), and need 
graphics viewing. Using PROBE seems a farily simple way of
achieving this (PROBE is distributed as part of a free demo-version
of PSPICE, thus I hope to get out of trouble with licensing..).

Initial experiments (using a PSPICE generated CSDF format file)
indicates that the format is VERY strict, not allowing leading 
zeros in the hex numbers used as indexes, different floating point
format (4 significant digits wanted), extra spaces or anything.

Thanks in advance

	Jens

-- 
jensting@diku.dk is
Jens Tingleff MSc EE, Research Assistent at DIKU
	Institute of Computer Science, Copenhagen University
Snail mail: DIKU Universitetsparken 1 DK2100 KBH O