Current revision is 2.12; revision history is at the bottom of this page
SVCfilter™ is a program designed to expedite the design and analysis of lowpass (and highpass) filters with
nearest 5% Standard-Value Components.
Here are some pertinent features:
- SVCfilter is 32-bit Windows® electrical filter design software nicely written to help the radio amateur,
technician or engineer design and analyze lumped-element lowpass and highpass filters.
- Order, topology and family are all entered by clicking on buttons.
- If the Chebycheff or Cauer family is chosen then three options for passband ripple (.01, .044 and
.200) are available.
- If the Cauer family is chosen then four options for stopband depth (30, 40, 50 and 60 dB) are available.
- Cutoff frequency is entered in the usual text box and can be from audio through UHF.
- Cutoff frequency can be as low as 0.1 Hz, allowing the value of .159155 [ i.e., 1/(2*PI) ] to be
used. This, in conjunction with a termination value of one ohm, yields parts values for the textbook classic
"normalized" design.
- System impedance by default is 50 ohms but a textbox allows entry of any value of your choice, for example 600 ohms
for audio.
- Inductor Q values are set by default to a value of one million. A textbox allows entry of any value of your choice
in the range of 10 minimum to one million maximum.
- The graphic output draws the schematic of the filter you have designed, and also plots the responses of that filter
(both transmission and reflection). It selects the nearest 5% values for the capacitors and shows those values as well
as the exact values and overlays the response plots for the nearest values on top of the original exact-value plot.
- Tuning buttons allow stepping the cutoff frequency up or down in 1% steps and immediately seeing the new
performance of the redesigned filter on the plot.
- Place the cursor anywhere on the plot and see the transmission, reflection, VSWR and envelope delay values for that
frequency.
- Inductors are retuned as necessary to maintain the response of Cauer filters after nearest capacitors are
chosen.
- To maintain the high level of quality of the graphic output, the outputs to the printer are not "screen dumps" but
instead are from a set of dedicated routines which write directly to the printer. The quality of the graphics as
delivered by the printer will be limited only by that printer, commonly several hundred pixels per inch. The printer
output on one sheet contains the schematic with parts values along with the set of responses.
- Click on the "Write Elsie File" button to write a file to drive Elsie the filter design and analysis program for
followup filter examination in even greater detail.
- Click on the "Write Spice schematic" button to write a file to drive the LTspice simulator. (Tonne Software has no
connection with Linear Technology Corporation.)
- This program was written to simplify the sometimes difficult task of lumped-element lowpass (and highpass) filter
design by automating or setting as default some of the more frequently-encountered options. But it also includes
analysis, uncommon for such an application.
Design screen:
Output screen:
Updated to
2.12- fonts and buttons upgraded
Updated to
2.11- interface upgrades
Updated to
2.10- add Exit button to Display page
Updated to
2.09- upgrade Design page appearance, improve Spice schematic file writer
Updated to
2.08- lowered minimum bandwidth down to .1 Hz so that "1/PI" can be used for the bandwidth. This allows
"normalized" (one ohm impedance level, one radian/second bandwidth) values to be obtained.
Updated to
2.07- extensive Design page formatting revisions
Updated to
1.06- improved plot capabilities
Updated to
1.05- extensive max/min value limits, updates to error traps and screen headers
Updated to
1.04- add schematic with ideal parts values to the top of the design page, Bessel family, time display
to cursor on plot
Updated to
1.03- add Cauer 30 dB stopband depth option, tuning buttons, cursor-controlled data readout, Bessel and
Tonne families
Updated to
1.02- add hardcopy output and Elsie filewriter
Released as
1.01 1 August 2006
