Contemporary Electronics with LTSpice and Mathematica

This paper presents a new concept of teaching analog and digital electronics courses to electrical engineering students, which uses a computer algebra systems and numeric solvers. The fundamentals of analog measurements, analog data collection, and digital data collection are included in this one-semester course. Computer algebra system (CAS) is used to formulate circuit equations and prepare for symbolic solving and thus completely specify an electrical circuit using Mathematica as CAS. Exercises introduce diodes, transistors, operational amplifiers, and their use in simple real-world circuits. Using the symbolic expressions, it is possible to design and optimize specific circuits. LTSpice is used for simulating final solutions based on large collection of existing circuit models. In such a way, the students are exempt from manual solving of large systems of equations and are focused on understanding the functional models and simulation of complex electrical systems with complex devices. Finally, LABVIEW programming allows each student to create a virtual instrument for data collection and analysis.