Mixed-Signal Analyzer

You can extract simulation data from Cadence ADE Simulation run (Interactive or Ocean). You can save data from a specific simulation run or all simulation runs. The intermediate waveforms generated by the SKILL expressions and signal with alias names are also saved in a folder.

Simulation data are saved in a .mat file.

You can first extract the data from Cadence to a .mat file, then launch the Mixed-Signal Analyzer app. This allows you to run the app from any operating system: Linux^®, Windows^®, or Mac. For more information, see Export Cadence® Simulation Data to MAT File.

Alternatively, you can export the data from Cadence directly in the Mixed-Signal Analyzer app. This allows you to export multiple interactive runs at the same time. But you must be in the Linux environment. For more information, see Import Cadence® Database to Mixed-Signal Analyzer.

When extracting data from Cadence, you can select what type of data to extract:

You can import simulation data to Mixed-Signal Analyzer app in three ways:

To import data from Adeinfo database, use the adeinfo2msa function. The function extracts the Cadence simulation information, converts the data to a .mat file, then launches the Mixed-Signal Analyzer app with the generated .mat file.

You can select to import only the metrics data for faster performance. When you select to import the waveform data as well, you can select only the probed signals you are interested in. All expression-based waveform data are also imported if you select to import waveform data. The waveform data are saved in a folder with multiple .mat files.

You can define which type of run result to process (Interactive or Ocean), the simulation run name, and the test name mentioned in Cadence ADE Maestro view. You can also specify the file name of the .mat file to be generated. For more information, see adeinfo2msa.

Use the Mixed-Signal Analyzer to perform various analysis to get a better understanding of the system. Supported built-in analysis functions are:

You can also add your custom analysis using the Add Analysis button. This opens the Mixed-Signal Analyzer - Add Analysis dialog box. You can create custom analysis function in two ways:

You can access your saved custom functions by clicking the arrow beside the Add Analysis button in the add toolstrip, then clicking the Open Analysis Function button.

The app supports analysis of both current and voltage signals. You can also combine different simulations results such as data with only waveforms, only metrics, or a combination of both.

You can focus on the waveforms and metrics you are interested in by filtering out the unwanted data nodes.

To filter out the waveform and metrics nodes before plotting them, select the waveform or metrics in the Data panel, then click the Filter button in the app toolstrip. This actions removes the deselected nodes from the plots altogether, reducing the number of cases plotted. To undo this action, you have to create a new plot.

To filter out parameters from a plot, click the Filter... button in the Plot Options panel, then deselect the nodes you want to filter out. This removes the deselected nodes from the current plot from now. You can bring back the nodes any time by clicking the Filter... again and reselecting them. You can also filter out datasets from the trend chart.

The Mixed-Signal Analyzer app reports the analysis results and metrics both as a plot and a metrics table in the Plot Options panel. If you select any data point in the figure, the corresponding data point in the metrics table is highlighted. Alternately, if you select any data point in the metrics table, the corresponding data point in the plot is highlighted.

You can select multiple data points and add legends to gain insight into their correlation. To select multiple data sets, hold the CTRL or the SHIFT button in your keyboard while selecting the data points.

This allows you to easily map the data point in the figure to the data point in the metrics table for better insight about your design.

You can update a waveform file in the current session with a similar waveform file by clicking the Update button in the app toolstrip. To match the waveforms in the current session versus those in the updated file, you must ensure that both the current session and updated file has the:

To customize the plots display, right click on the inactive area of the plot. This allows you to customize the text font, style, and size. You can customize the fonts for x and y axes, and the legends (trend chart only).

You can export the analysis results from the app as a report in either ppt, pdf, doc, or html file format. You can also rename each plot for your convenience while generating the report using the Plot > Rename Plot option from the app toolbar. You can also select the format, name, and location of the report file. By default, the report is saved in the maestro/documents folder of the design.