Following on the heels of its acquisition of SimLab Software GmbH, Computer Simulation Technology (CST) has moved quickly to incorporate SimLab's simulation technology into its design environment. This news bodes well for designers who run simulations of printed-circuit boards (PCBs) and cable harnesses. After all, CST has successfully integrated two products based on SimLab technology into CST Studio Suite: CST PCB Studio and CST Cable Studio. These products are used to study signal propagation on PCBs and cable harnesses with high efficiency.
CST PCB Studio is a specialist tool for the investigation of signal and power integrity as well as the simulation of electromagnetic- compatibility (EMC) and electromagnetic-interference (EMI) effects on PCBs. Applications include high-speed digital, analog/mixed-signal, and power-supply circuits. CST PCB Studio integrates into various design flows, calculating parasitic crosstalk effects and simulating the electronic network in either the time or frequency domain. For example, the interface with CST Microwave Studio enables PCB simulations to be linked with subsequent full 3D analysis of electromagnetic emissions. CST Microwave Studio is a time-domain simulator that promises to enable the fast, accurate analysis of high-frequency (HF) devices like antennas, filters, couplers, planar and multi-layer structures, and signal-integrity and EMC effects.
In contrast, CST Cable Studio is focused on the analysis of signal integrity, EMC, and EMI effects in cable-harness systems. Applications include the optimization of shielding, weight, and space consumption on single wires, twisted pairs, and complex cable harnesses with an unlimited number of cables. Typical analyses include voltage distributions on probes, current flow through components, scattering parameters, impedances, and emissions simulation through CST Microwave Studio. CST Cable Studio and CST PCB Studio are both available as part of CST Studio Suite 2009.