PSpice for Digital Signal Processing

PSpice for Digital Signal Processing is the last in a series of five books using Cadence Orcad PSpice version 10.5 and introduces a very novel approach to learning digital signal processing (DSP). DSP is traditionally taught using Matlab/Simulink software but has some inherent weaknesses for students particularly at the introductory level. The ‘plug in variables and play’ nature of these software packages can lure the student into thinking they possess an understanding they don’t actually have because these systems produce results quicklywithout revealing what is going on. However, it must be said that, for advanced level work Matlab/Simulink really excel. In this book we start by examining basic signals starting with sampled signals and dealing with the concept of digital frequency. The delay part, which is the heart of DSP, is explained and applied initially to simple FIR and IIR filters. We examine linear time invariant systems starting with the difference equation and applying thez-transform to produce a range of filter type i.e. low-pass, high-pass and bandpass. The important concept of convolution is examined and here we demonstrate the usefulness of the 'log' command in Probe for giving the correct display to demonstrate the 'flip n slip' method. Digital oscillators, including quadrature carrier generation, are then examined. Several filter design methods are considered and include the bilinear transform, impulse invariant, and window techniques. Included also is a treatment of the raised-cosine family of filters. A range of DSP applications are then considered and include the Hilbert transform, single sideband modulator using the Hilbert transform and quad oscillators, integrators and differentiators. Decimation and interpolation are simulated to demonstrate the usefulness of the multi-sampling environment. Decimation is also applied in a treatment on digital receivers. Lastly, we look at some musical applications for DSP such as reverberation/echo using real-world signals imported into PSpice using the program Wav2Ascii. The zero-forcing equalizer is dealt with in a simplistic manner and illustrates the effectiveness of equalizing signals in a receiver after transmission.

Paul Tobin graduated from Kevin Street College of Technology (now the Dublin Institute of Technology) with honours in electronic engineering and went to work for the Irish National Telecommunications company. Here, he was involved in redesigning the analogue junction network replacing cables with PCM systems over optical fibres. He gave a paper on the design of this new digital junction network to the Institute of Engineers of Ireland in 1982 and was awarded a Smith testimonial for one of the best papers that year. Having taught part-time courses in telecommunications systems in Kevin Street, he was invited to apply for a full-time lecture post. He accepted and started lecturing full time in 1983. Over the last twenty years he has given courses in telecommunications, digital signal processing and circuit theory. He graduated with honours in 1998 having completed a taught MSc in various DSP topics and a project using the Wavelet Transform and neural networks to classify EEG (brain waves) associated with different mental tasks. He has been a ‘guest professor’ in the Institut Universitaire de Technologie (IUT), Bethune, France for the past four years giving courses in PSpice simulation topics. He wrote an unpublished book on PSpice but was persuaded by Joel Claypool (of Morgan and Claypool Publishers) at an engineering conference in Puerto Rico (July 2006), to break it into five PSpice books. One of the books introduces a novel way of teaching DSP using PSpice. There are over 500 worked examples in the five books covering a range of topics with sufficient theory and simulation results from basic circuit theory right up to advanced communication principles. Most of these worked example circuit have been thoroughly ‘student tested’ by Irish and International students and should mean little or no errors but alas. . . He married Marie and has four sons and his hobbies include playing modern jazz on double bass and piano but grew up playing G-banjo and guitar. His other hobby is flying and obtained a private pilots license (PPL) in the early 80’s.