and click on it. The simulator window should now appear.The program is written in Java. To use this program, you need to have Version 5 of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installed on your computer. Once you have Version 5 installed, you may run the simulator as an applet from Prof. Duchon's web site (easiest, but less versatile), or download the simulator program and run it as an application (more setup work, but more versatile).
Part A of this note explains how to find out if you have Version 5 of the JRE, and how to get it if you don't. Part B explains how to run the simulator as an applet. Part C explains how to download the simulator and run it as an application. Part D provides some guidence on using the simulator, and explains how to transfer a circuit image into your assignment Word document. You can find more information about the simulator, including the Java source code, at http://nova.umuc.edu/%7Educhon/CIRCUITS/.
User feedback to Prof. Duchon at duchon@nova.umuc.edu will be appreciated.
Open http://java.com/en/download/installed.jsp, and click Verify Installation. You see a page that tells you what version you have. If you see the message You do NOT have the latest version of Java, then you need to install Version 5 in order to run the simulator.
Open the web site http://nova.umuc.edu/~duchon/CIRCUITS/v6/runBasic.html. You should see the simulator window open; it looks like this:
If you don't see it, the simulator may be hidden behind another window. Look in the system tray for and click on it. The simulator window should now appear.
Open Windows explorer, navigate to the folder where you put the jar file, and double-click on it. You should encounter one of four results:
1. The simulator window appears (see above picture). You are off and running! Go to Part D, Using the Simulator.
2. You do not see the simulator window, but you do see in the system tray. Click on it. The simulator will appear. Go to Part D, using the simulator.
3. You see the "Open Width" window:
Check the "Always use this program to open these files box. Then click Other... and navigate to C:\Program Files\Java\jrel1.5.0_06\bin\java.exe. Select that file, then Open, This takes you are back to the "Open With" window. Enter "Java Runtime" in the Description box, then click OK. The simulator will start. Go to Step 1 or Step 2 above, as appropriate. (By the way, you only have to go through this step once.)
4. The jar file opens with the wrong program, typically WinZip. Close WinZip (or whatever), then RIGHT-click on the jar file. The "Open With" window will appear. Go to Step 3.
Start by clicking Lessons. Play around with a few of the examples. Then read the Help page and make a circuit of your own. Once you have sketched a circuit, you may want to transfer it directly into your assignment Word document. How to do this depends on whether you are running the simulator as an applet or as an application.
If you are running the simulator as an applet, hold down the Alt key and press PrtScrn. This transfers an image of the simulator window, including your circuit, to the Windows clipboard. Now you may switch to your Word document and click Paste. The image of the simulator window - including all the buttons and decorations (this is the disadvantage) appears in your document.
If you are running the simulator as an application, click the ToClip button. This copies an image of your circuit - just the circuit, not the entire simulator window - to the clipboard. Now you may switch to your Word document and click Paste. The image of circuit appears in your document.