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TINA-TI

Other Parts Discussed in Thread: TINA-TI

I never did receive an answer to this question that I submitted years ago.

About 15 years ago Burr-Brown/TI, together with DesignSoft, offered a very good analog simulation tool, TINA-TI. It was easy to learn, intuitive, versatile and powerful. Burr-Brown/TI offered macromodels and circuit symbols for new analog products that allowed users to easily evaluate and then design those new Burr-Brown/TI products into their circuits. Other semiconductor companies had nothing comparable to offer their customers at that time. It was a big competitive advantage that TI squandered. New product schematic symbols that had been colored yellow with a blue outline (the color scheme of the TI data books at that time) easily distinguished the TI products from any other symbols on a TINA schematic. The op amp symbols were drawn in the conventional manner- the inverting input on the top left and the positive supply connection at the top. Gradually this degenerated to a colorless symbol with inputs and supplies inverted. Substituting another op amp into a circuit often required the circuit layout to be re-drawn.

As time went on, new analog products were introduced without TINA models or even schematic symbols. Some models were introduced as encrypted, preventing a user from knowing what parameters were modeled. It is as if TI lost interest in helping their customers design-in new analog products. As TI acquired NSC, they adopted their "Lab Bench" software, a clumsy, simulation effort that was far inferior to TINA-TI.

Now, for some inexplicable reason TI has pushed TINA-TI even further toward oblivion with the introduction of "P-SPICE for TI" from Cadence. This software is powerful but extremely user-unfriendly, as were all of the commercial Cadence software offerings. Although I have been advised by TI support people that TI has no intention of discontinuing TINA-TI, and they may have been told that, any rational person can see the handwriting on the wall. 

That TI has clearly mismanaged their analog marketing support is evident- even the TI website is a chore to navigate. Of course, when TI buys all the analog semiconductor companies this won't matter much but for now, TI is handing over market share to Analog Devices. Why?

  • Hi Neil,

    We have a lifetime license for TINA-TI (V9.0), so we are not abandoning it. I've heard that fear expressed for at least 3 years now. However, it won't get the support that PSpice for TI gets. 

    Yes, we've decided to engage more with PSpice, but most devices (op amps, etc) are released with both PSpice and TINA (as TINA is almost completely compatible with PSpice). If you find a model missing that you need for TINA, please submit a note on the E2E with the device name. That way the product line can support that request.

    If you have specific concerns regarding the web site, I can personally direct that to the digital marketing group responsible. I know that they've spent considerable time and resources updating and improving the product folders and if there are gaps, then I'm sure they'd want that feedback.

    In regards to encrypting, there was the perception that that was needed to protect TI IP. A major effort was made to re-direct to unencrypted models. That mostly worked.

    As to why, well, that's well above my pay-grade. I too find TINA-TI easy to use. While a little primitive, it does everything needed for the basic user.

    Regards,

    David