We are pleased to announce the release of the new Multisim Demos page on the Electronics Workbench website. 

Visit regularly to see new interactive demonstrations of key capture, simulation, and layout technology in the Multisim product family.  Whether you are a long-time user of Multisim evaluating an upgrade or you are new to interactive simulation with Multisim, there are demonstrations for you.

The Flash-based demos include:

• The Multisim Environment
• Intro to the Component Browser
• Part Placement & Wiring
• Intro to the Spreadsheet View

Simulate

• Intro to Virtual Instruments
• SPICE Analysis in Multisim
• Monte Carlo Analysis
• AC Analysis

Visit the Multisim Demos page.

• Ultiboard Transfer

Integration with NI LabVIEW

• Integrated Simulation & Measurement

New Product FAQs Available
Find answers to common questions about Multisim and Ultiboard with the frequently asked questions. 
Multisim | Ultiboard | Ultiroute

Read the Latest Application Notes & Tutorials
Find example code, technical presentations, and tutorial information for completing your development projects - new items added regularly!
Multicap | Multisim | Ultiboard | Ultiroute | Student Edition

Events

Multisim & Ultiboard Training Classes Available
Looking for the fastest way to become productive with Multisim or Ultiboard? Sign up for a professional training course that will help you capture, simulate, and lay out your designs. These hands-on courses let you immediately apply and practice what you learn.
Learn more.

Development Resources


Multisim: New LabVIEW Virtual Instrument -- Phasor Diagram
As a designer, you may sometimes wish to use a phasor diagram representation of AC voltage rather than a Bode plot. To do so, we have created a custom LabVIEW instrument for use in Multisim 9 that has an oscilloscope projection of the phasors, including phase measurements.

Download the Phasor Diagram LabVIEW Instrument.

Multisim: How to Create Hierarchical Blocks
Modularization in circuit design is an advantageous design methodology for an engineer. An engineer can take a circuit that is implemented many times in a design and save it in a modular and repeatable format known as a Hierarchical Block.

Hierarchical Blocks along with Sub-Circuits are one of two features offered in Multisim to easily organize and modularize any schematic design. They are both similar in that they take sections of a circuit and replace its representation on a design with a block that can be repeated. This block can be treated as a component and has input and output pins based upon the net-connections of the original section of circuit it represents. The circuit represented by the block is listed in the design box as a child to the original design project.
Read full application note.

Ultiboard: How to Repeat Common Layout Circuits
Frequently, designers need to reuse a particular set of circuitry. For maximum efficiency in these cases, it's desirable for a PCB design tool to have the capability of easily creating re-usable sub-circuits both at the schematic and layout levels.

Electronics Workbench Ultiboard provides a simple method for repeating the common circuit elements (known as Hierarchical Blocks in Multisim (HBs)). For a detailed description on how to create Hierarchical Blocks within Multisim, please see the related Developer Zone article Creating Hierarchical Blocks in Electronics Workbench Multisim.

For example, if in your design you were to use eight digital synthesizer circuits and each synthesizer circuit had the same components (resistors, capacitors, and logic chips), you would create a Hierarchical Block at the schematic level. When your board was ready for layout in Ultiboard, you would be able to easily repeat the traces and footprints of the components.

The process of repeating circuit elements in Multisim consists of four steps:

• Create a unique group in Ultiboard for each repeated Hierarchical Block in the Multisim schematic.
• Using the spreadsheet view, assign all the components of each HB to their corresponding groups.
• Lay out and route one of the HBs and automatically duplicate using Group / Replica Place.
• Use copy routes to copy routing information.

Read full application note.

Academic Resources


New Circuit Design Resource Page on ni.com
National Instruments tools help students learn the complete experience in designing, prototyping, and testing circuits. LabVIEW is now tightly integrated with the industry-standard circuit simulation SPICE environment, Electronics Workbench Multisim. With its virtual 3D NI ELVIS environment, students can complete their prelab assignments, design their circuits using Multisim and NI ELVIS, export the simulation results to LabVIEW, and, finally, prototype the circuit using Ultiboard.

Investigate the academic product offerings for circuits and electronics through the resources to the right and below.
Visit ni.com/academic/circuits.

Combining the use of Multisim and LabVIEW for Circuit Design and
Analysis in Undergraduate Electronics Curriculum
Over the last 20 years there has been a significant evolution in electronics curriculum in overall content, application, and pedagogy. Emphasis has shifted from discrete components to integrated circuits to systems. Affordable integrated circuits and high-performance components are in widespread use in instructional labs. Computer-based design, simulation and measurement tools are as equally valued and commonly used as the traditional benchtop lab.

A typical introductory circuit design sequence begins with AC/DC theory and circuits based on diodes, transistors, opamps, and digital logic. Advanced courses cover active filters, phase-locked loops, A/D and D/A converters, RF circuits and communication electronics. A good overview of the status of current electronics curriculum may be found in a recent Resource Letter by Dennis Henry. Hands-on lab experience with today’s expanding and diverse curricula requires use of modern engineering education tools. Growing demand from industry to apply these modern tools in the undergraduate curriculum has also resulted in corresponding changes in pedagogy. Industry is looking for graduates who not only understand electronics and engineering concepts but must also be able to design circuits, understand layout intricacies, and plan for efficient testing of circuits. As students are building and experimenting with complex circuits, academia must provide the latest design, development, and testing tools and technologies.
Read full white paper.