Free SPICE Simulator, PCB Autorouter & 89 Engineering Calculators

Showing 25 of 89 from the live probe.

• Fspl

  Calculate free-space path loss (FSPL) in decibels using the ITU-R P.525 standard formula. Given a frequency in MHz and distance in kilometres, returns the expected signal attenuation in an ideal line-of-sight radio link with no obstacles, reflections, or atmospheric absorption. Also computes the RF wavelength. Use this to estimate baseline path loss before adding fade margins, antenna gains, or environmental corrections. Feeds directly into link_budget for full end-to-end analysis.

• link budget

  Compute a full RF link budget from transmitter power, frequency, distance, and antenna gains. Calculates EIRP, free-space path loss (ITU-R P.525), received power at the receiver, and link margin relative to an optional receiver sensitivity threshold. Use this to determine whether a wireless link closes with adequate margin. Accepts output from noise_figure_cascade and feeds into snr_margin for full receive-chain analysis.

• Dipole

  Calculate physical dimensions of a dipole antenna for a given frequency. Returns half-wave or quarter-wave element length in metres, feet, and inches. A half-wave dipole is the most common resonant antenna with approximately 2.15 dBi gain. A quarter-wave monopole (ground plane antenna) is half the length and is widely used in handheld radios and vehicle-mounted systems. Use this before building or purchasing an antenna to verify element length for your operating frequency.

• Microstrip

  Calculate PCB microstrip trace width for a target characteristic impedance using the Hammerstad-Jensen closed-form equations. Given target impedance (Z0), substrate dielectric constant (er), substrate height, and copper weight, returns the required trace width and effective dielectric constant. Optionally computes effective wavelength at a given frequency. Essential for RF PCB layout to achieve controlled impedance traces (e.g. 50 ohm for SMA connectors). References IPC-2141.

• dbm convert

  Convert a power level in dBm to milliwatts, watts, dBW, and RMS voltage across a given impedance. dBm is the standard unit for RF power referenced to 1 milliwatt. This tool is essential when interfacing datasheets (which use dBm) with circuit analysis (which uses volts and watts). Default impedance is 50 ohms, matching most RF systems. Use this to quickly verify power amplifier output, receiver sensitivity, or regulatory EIRP limits.

• noise figure cascade

  Calculate the cascaded noise figure of a multi-stage receiver chain using the Friis formula. Each stage has a noise figure and gain in dB. The first stage dominates overall system noise, which is why low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) are placed at the front of the chain. Returns total cascaded noise figure, total gain, and equivalent noise temperature. Feeds into link_budget for complete receive-chain sensitivity analysis.

• Vswr

  Convert between VSWR, return loss, and reflection coefficient — provide any one parameter and get all related impedance-mismatch metrics. Computes VSWR (voltage standing wave ratio), return loss in dB, reflection coefficient (gamma), mismatch loss, and percentage of power reflected vs transmitted. Essential for antenna matching, transmission line analysis, and RF system budgeting. Feeds into link_budget for system-level mismatch accounting.

• attenuator pi

  Design a Pi-topology resistive attenuator pad. Given a desired attenuation in dB and characteristic impedance (default 50 ohm), computes the three resistor values for a symmetrical Pi-pad network. The Pi attenuator uses two shunt resistors (R1, R3) and one series resistor (R2). Commonly used in RF signal chains to reduce signal level while maintaining impedance match. Compare with attenuator_tee for T-pad topology.

• attenuator tee

  Design a Tee-topology resistive attenuator pad. Given a desired attenuation in dB and characteristic impedance (default 50 ohm), computes the three resistor values for a symmetrical T-pad network. The Tee attenuator uses two series resistors (R1, R3) and one shunt resistor (R2). Commonly used in RF signal chains to reduce signal level while maintaining impedance match. Compare with attenuator_pi for Pi-pad topology.

• fresnel zone

  Calculate the Fresnel zone radius at the midpoint of a radio link. Given frequency in MHz, link distance in kilometres, and zone number (1-5), returns the Fresnel zone radius in metres and feet, plus the 60% clearance threshold used in practical link engineering. The first Fresnel zone defines the region where most RF energy travels; obstructions within 60% of this radius cause significant signal degradation. Feeds into link_budget for path clearance analysis.

• wavelength freq

  Convert between radio frequency and wavelength. Provide either frequency in MHz or wavelength in metres, and get the full set of equivalent values: frequency in MHz and GHz, wavelength in metres, centimetres, millimetres, and feet. Essential for antenna dimensioning, waveguide selection, and quick band identification. The fundamental relationship is lambda = c / f where c is the speed of light (299 792 458 m/s).

• spice template

  Generate a complete SPICE netlist from a parameterized template. Supports common circuit topologies: low-pass RC filter, voltage divider, common emitter amplifier. Returns a ready-to-simulate netlist string that can be passed directly to spice_simulate. Use this when an agent needs to construct a circuit from high-level parameters without writing raw SPICE syntax. Feeds into spice_simulate for AC/DC/transient analysis.

• spice simulate

  Run a SPICE circuit simulation directly in the worker. Accepts a standard SPICE netlist and performs operating-point (.op), DC sweep (.dc), AC frequency sweep (.ac), or transient (.tran) analysis using a built-in modified-nodal-analysis engine with Newton-Raphson nonlinear solving. Supports R, L, C, V, I sources (DC/AC/SIN/PULSE), diodes, BJTs (Ebers-Moll), MOSFETs (Shichman-Hodges level 1), controlled sources (E/G), .param expressions, .subckt/X hierarchical subcircuits, .measure and .four (Fou

• lora airtime

  Calculates LoRa packet time-on-air using the Semtech AN1200.13 formula. Computes symbol duration, preamble time, payload symbol count, effective data rate, and the minimum transmission interval for 1% duty cycle compliance. Essential for capacity planning in LoRaWAN and Meshtastic mesh networks. Accepts spreading factor (SF7-SF12), bandwidth (125/250/500 kHz), coding rate (4/5-4/8), payload size, header mode, CRC, and optional low data rate optimization. Feeds airtime_ms to channel_utilization f

• snr margin

  Computes LoRa link SNR margin by comparing received power against the noise floor and the spreading-factor-dependent demodulation threshold from the Semtech SX1276 datasheet. Calculates receiver noise floor from thermal noise (-174 dBm/Hz), channel bandwidth, and receiver noise figure. Returns margin in dB and a boolean link-OK indicator. Use to validate whether a LoRa or Meshtastic link will reliably decode packets. Accepts rx_power from link_budget tool output for end-to-end chain analysis.

• channel utilization

  Estimates Meshtastic or LoRa mesh channel utilization percentage based on node count, message rate, and per-packet airtime. Determines how much of the shared radio channel is occupied and computes the maximum number of nodes before exceeding a configurable duty cycle limit (default 10%). Returns utilization percentage, headroom, and total packet count. Chain from lora_airtime to get airtime_ms input. Essential for Meshtastic mesh deployment planning to avoid channel congestion and packet collisi

• lora range estimate

  Estimates LoRa maximum communication range by computing the free-space path loss (FSPL) link budget and applying terrain-dependent correction factors. Calculates total link budget from transmit power, antenna gains, and receiver sensitivity, then solves the FSPL equation for distance after subtracting terrain losses (0 dB open to 50 dB indoor). Returns estimated range in km, link margin at 1 km, and effective path loss. Useful for Meshtastic deployment planning and coverage mapping. Terrain corr

• lora sensitivity

  Calculates LoRa receiver sensitivity from spreading factor, bandwidth, and noise figure using the Semtech SX1276 datasheet SNR thresholds. Computes the noise floor from thermal noise density (-174 dBm/Hz), channel bandwidth, and receiver noise figure, then adds the spreading-factor-dependent minimum demodulation SNR. Returns sensitivity in dBm, noise floor, required SNR, and thermal noise reference. Essential for link budget planning in LoRaWAN and Meshtastic networks. Feeds sensitivity_dbm to l

• duty cycle budget

  Calculates LoRa duty cycle budget for EU868, US915, AS923, and AU915 regulatory regions. Computes maximum messages per hour, minimum transmission interval, and effective data rate under regional duty cycle constraints. EU868 and AS923 enforce 1% duty cycle (ETSI); US915 has no duty cycle limit but a 400 ms dwell time per channel (FCC); AU915 has no duty cycle limit. Flags dwell-time-limited regions where packet airtime must not exceed the dwell time. Chain from lora_airtime to get airtime_ms inp

• meshtastic range

  Estimates Meshtastic node communication range using real hardware profiles and firmware channel presets. Combines device-specific TX power and antenna gain (Heltec V3, RAK WisBlock, T-Beam, T-Beam Supreme, Station G2) with firmware modem presets (Long Fast, Long Slow, Very Long Slow, Medium, Short) to compute receiver sensitivity and FSPL-based range with terrain correction. Automatically populates LoRa parameters from device and channel selection, with optional overrides for custom antennas or

• eirp compliance

  Checks EIRP (Effective Isotropic Radiated Power) compliance against regional regulatory limits for LoRa and Meshtastic operation. Computes EIRP from transmit power, antenna gain, and cable loss, then compares against FCC (US, 36 dBm), ETSI (EU, 16.15 dBm), ACMA (Australia, 30 dBm), IC (Canada, 36 dBm), and ARIB (Japan, 13 dBm) limits. Returns compliance status, margin in dB, and a warning message if over the limit. Critical for Meshtastic deployments using aftermarket high-gain antennas which ca

• meshtastic power

  Calculates Meshtastic node power consumption and battery runtime using device-specific power profiles and firmware role-based duty cycling. Models sleep, RX, and TX current draw for Heltec V3, RAK WisBlock, T-Beam, T-Beam Supreme, and Station G2 with GPS, BLE, and display peripheral toggles. Role selection (client, router, repeater, client_muted) controls the duty cycle model: routers stay in RX mode continuously while clients sleep between events. Returns average current, runtime in hours/days,

• lora param optimizer

  Recommends optimal LoRa spreading factor, bandwidth, and TX power based on target range, terrain, and optimization priority. Iterates through all SF (7-12) and BW (125/250/500 kHz) combinations, computing achievable range, airtime, data rate, and battery impact for each. Ranks candidates by priority: 'range' maximizes distance, 'speed' minimizes airtime, 'battery' minimizes power consumption, 'balanced' penalizes extremes. Respects regional TX power limits (FCC/ETSI/ACMA) and duty cycle constrai

• zfs capacity

  Calculate usable ZFS pool capacity for any RAID level including stripe, mirror, raidz1, raidz2, and raidz3. Computes raw capacity, parity overhead, data disk count, usable terabytes after ZFS metadata overhead (checksums, block pointers, uberblocks), and storage efficiency percentage. Essential for planning NAS builds, TrueNAS/ZFS server storage, and estimating how much usable space a given disk configuration will provide. Supports variable disk sizes and configurable metadata overhead.

• zfs ram

  Calculate recommended RAM and ARC sizing for a ZFS storage pool based on workload type, pool size, deduplication status, and L2ARC cache size. Computes minimum and recommended RAM in gigabytes, ARC target size, and dedup table overhead. Accounts for workload-specific IO patterns: NAS (sequential, 1GB/TB), database (random, 2GB/TB), virtualization (mixed, 1.5GB/TB). Deduplication adds approximately 5GB per TB for the DDT. L2ARC index requires 1GB RAM per 10GB of L2ARC. Essential for TrueNAS, Free