The 3D Smith Chart tool, meant to help understand and use both the 2D Smith chart and the 3D Smith chart, has now been made available free of cost for all undergraduate, masters and PhD students. The improved tool now enables, full 3D visualization, intuitive user interface, easy installation as well as state of the art concepts. Click here to learn more about the 3D Smith Chart.
The Smith chart is fundamental tool used by RF engineers to assist in solving problems with transmission lines and matching circuits. Since its invention in the early to mid 20th Century the Smith Chart has been a 2D tool that can be printed out on paper and used to display multiple parameters like impedances, admittances, reflection coefficients etc.
The 3D Smith Chart tool is an educational tool for easy and fast understanding and use of both 2D and 3D Smith charts in Z/Y configurations when using resistances, capacitors, inductors, in series or shunt configuration, transmission lines or stubs. The tool also has an advanced analysis mode for S-parameters, stability circles, power levels, group delays and quality factors making it a new software for the measuring stage or design stage of microwave devices. The simultaneous display of a variety of parameters form imported touchstone files speeds up the analysis phase and helps in the optimizations of the high frequency devices.
Key Features of the 3D Smith Chart
Active & Passive Circuits
Works for all active & passive microwave circuits, even with negative resistance! South hemisphere for negative resistance, North hemisphere for positive resistance, East inductive, West capacitive
Amplifier Stability Circles
Unconditionally stable: south hemisphere. Infinity becomes compact. Circles which are never closed on the Smith chart get together in the South hemisphere.
3D Unilateral Transducer Gain & Group Delays & Quality Factors
3D Space surrounding the chart is used to plot power gains too. Can be displayed over the constant gain circles which are on the surface.
2D & 3D Mode, Z-Y Smith Charts
Match circuits on 5 constant resistance, reactance, conductance, susceptance and constant reflection coefficient’s magnitude circles. Choose from the 5 paths (r,x,g,b,lat) and add normalized r,x,g,b, /stubs equivalents or lossless transmission lines
S Paramters
Any s1p and s2p files can be imported (touchstone format). Parameters are plot on both 2D& 3D Smith charts in Z/Y reconfigurable format. 3D frequency sweeping - orientation visualization. Inductance and quality factors visualization in 3D
Dynamic Frequency Sweep & Complex Ports
The tool proposes a dynamic frequency sweep to tune live the device under study. The ports have complex characteristic impedances too. The tool can deal with voltage reflection coefficient / power.
Click here to learn more about the 3D Smith Chart.
