qucs_s VS clash-ghc

When talking about open source tools, here are some:

KiCad may be used as a schematic entry tool for ngspice, especially for discrete or PCB-based electronics. You may watch several simulation examples (including oscillators) here: https://forum.kicad.info/t/simulation-examples-for-kicad-ees.... KiCad integrates ngspice internally, but may also provide external ngspice with netlists for simulation.

Another GUI to ngspice is XSCHEM, especially useful for IC design work (see https://xschem.sourceforge.io/stefan/index.html). Device models are available by the Open Source PDKs from Google/Skywater, Google/GF, or IHP. A growing community is supporting digital, analog or mixed-signal design flows.

QUCS-S (https://ra3xdh.github.io/) is a GUI for ngspice or XyCE.

Indeed device models have to be added manually to the devices in the circuit schematic, when invoking ngspice via KiCad or QUCS-S, except for some basic devices with integrated models. Models are provided by device makers, distributors or web sites like this one: https://ngspice.sourceforge.io/modelparams.html .

https://ra3xdh.github.io/ (QUCS-S - seems to be active)

​https://ra3xdh.github.io/

https://ra3xdh.github.io

It's still missing a comprehensive component library like LTspice does, though.

KiCad can also simulate circuits through NGSpice, but it's missing a library and suffers from a lot of quirks.

Also see Qucs-S, which is a GUI for ngspice and a few other engines.

https://ra3xdh.github.io/

Try https://github.com/ra3xdh/qucs\s)

> You'd be better off with a higher-level or more modern HDL that compiles to Verilog/VHDL. "Chisel" is one such.

As is Clash :) https://clash-lang.org/

You can take a look at https://clash-lang.org/. There is also a book for it. https://gergo.erdi.hu/retroclash/

I don't know much about FPGAs, but Clash lang compiles to VHDL, and might do the trick: https://clash-lang.org

if you need inspiration there is a full UART core available in clash: https://github.com/clash-lang/clash-compiler/blob/master/clash-cores/src/Clash/Cores/UART.hs

Perhaps peripheral (the original site has been hugged to death).

Both clashlang: https://clash-lang.org/

And Hardcaml: https://github.com/janestreet/hardcaml

have personally fueled my interest in hardware.

Dan Luu speaks eloquently and at length about how better options are needed for logic design. I would recommend both of the above to the enthusiastic novice.