by Mike Donnelly
1 February 2016
Updated 27 Sept. 2018 10:21 PM US-EDT
We used to be asked: “Why doesn’t the PartQuest Explore design environment have a Voltage Controlled Voltage Source (VCVS), or a Current Controlled Current Source (CCCS)?”. These are common behavioral modeling blocks in many circuit simulators, but we didn't provide them because we had something better, more powerful/flexible. We eventually came to our senses and said "We should have both!" ... So now you can find those old friends in our Analog Electronics Category, or just by searching for VCVS, CCCS, etc. in the component search window.
But we still have that more powerful/flexible controlled source modeling capability too! PartQuest Explore provides a fully compatible framework for the user to graphically create any “X controlled - Y source” by simply placing and connecting a few key building-blocks right on the schematic. It is well suited for a multi-discipline simulation environment.
You can easily select any voltage, current, force, temperature, etc. to be the control variable, by placing a converter block model on the schematic to detect it and make it a continuous control quantity. Next, you can choose any math function or behavioral model to process that control variable, including gains, filters, limiters, etc.; you can even use binary operators, like sum or multiply, to model multi-input controlled sources. Finally, the processed control quantity can be converted to any desired voltage, current, flux, heat-flow, etc. as the controlled source’s output.
If that sounds complicated, it’s not. Just watch the short video below to learn how you can use this easy but powerful approach for your behavioral modeling needs. Also, you can find the design example used in this video here:
Creating Controlled Sources and Sensors
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