Tina is great for analyzing analog circuitry without having to break out the breadboard. It plays a big part in saving money during production, preventing errors, and perfecting schematics.

It is made by Texas Instruments with a free download available at:

http://www.ti.com/tool/TINA-TI

You will have to create an account with TI to download.

Tips and how-to guides below are based on Version 9.3.150.328 SF-TI, but there should be few discrepancies between versions.

Voltage Source vs a Voltage Generator…

A Voltage Source is used to supply a constant DC voltage, similar to a battery.

A Voltage Generator can supply an AC voltage signal, similar to audio and radio signals. The type of wave (sin wave, square wave, etc.), the amplitude, and the frequency can all be adjusted.

The Voltage Source is best when wanting to supply power to circuitry, and the Voltage Generator is best when you want to supply a type of signal to be analyzed or manipulated by the circuitry.

Using the AC Transfer Characteristic….

Top menu: Analysis -> AC Analysis -> AC Transfer Characteristic…

Can only be used if one input source is in circuitry, when more are present, use the Oscilloscope.

It does not use the Voltage Generator settings; any wave settings adjusted are ignored.

It will graph the voltages measured at each Voltage Pin.

Number of points means resolution.

Recommended settings:

Sweep type: Linear
Diagram: Amplitude

Using the Oscilloscope…

Top menu: T&M -> Oscilloscope

Can be used with multiple input sources.

Will graph voltages measured at each Voltage Pin.

Most default settings tend to work fine.

Under Storage, click the Run button to graph traces.

When multiple channels are used, channels will not be displayed until their settings are viewed. No settings actually have to be changed, they just have to be viewed.

In the “Time/Div” box, 100m stands for 100 milliseconds / .001 seconds. Pointing this out because generally milliseconds are denoted by ms.

The Auto button will automatically adjust the y-scale (Volts/Div) and offset (Position).

Calculate nodal voltages: a useful way to debug circuits…

Using the Calculate nodal voltages tool is a great way to debug circuits because it allows the designer to easily measure voltages at several different points throughout the circuit. It can quickly reveal unexpected results.

There is one for DC Analysis…

Top menu: Analysis -> DC Analysis -> Calculate nodal voltages

… and one for AC Analysis….

Top menu: Analysis -> AC Analysis -> Calculate nodal voltages

How to add a Voltage Pin…

Voltage Pins are meters used to measure voltages at different points in the circuitry. When using the AC Transfer Characteristic or the Oscilloscope, these will be automatically graphed.

They are found in the Meters tab.

Simply add to any wire at any point within the circuitry.

The beauty of the jumper…

The jumper allows for the connecting of wires without having to actually draw a wire showing the connection. In other words, it allows you to tie one line to another line without having to draw the wire.

Edit the line the jumper is tied by changing the Label: Right-click -> Properties OR double-click on the jumper.

It is found in in the Basic tab, fifth from the right.

Example usage: