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PHYS 3330

Physics Undergraduate Labs

Resources

• Prelab Expectations and Recommendations
• Data Sheets and Instrument Manuals
• Complex Number Review
• LTspice on macOS
• Final Project Considerations
• Lab Notebook
• Lab Safety
• Soldering Resources

LTspice on macOS

Installing LTspice via Wine

Warning

This method is experimental. Using Wine to run Windows applications on macOS can introduce instability and unexpected behavior. Not all LTspice features may work correctly, and updates to macOS, Wine, or LTspice may break this installation.

This document outlines the steps to install the Windows version of LTspice on macOS using Wine. This allows you to run the updated version of LTspice even if you don’t have a Windows machine available.

Prerequisites:

• macOS (tested on macOS with Apple Silicon)
• Internet connection

Installation Steps:

1. Install Homebrew:

   • Homebrew is a package manager for macOS that simplifies the installation of software.
   • Download and install Homebrew from the official website: https://brew.sh/
   • Follow the instructions on the website to complete the installation. (This was tested with the .pkg installation method.)
   • Add Brew to Path:
     • After installing Brew, you may need to add it to your system’s PATH variable.
     • Refer to this Stack Overflow answer for guidance: https://stackoverflow.com/a/70575716

2. Install Wine:

   Wine is a compatibility layer that allows you to run Windows applications on macOS. Open Terminal and execute the following command:

   brew install --cask --no-quarantine wine-stable

3. Rosetta 2 (Potentially Required):

   During the Wine installation, you may receive a message indicating that Rosetta 2 is required. If so, run the following command. However, this was not needed during our testing, so we recommend trying without it first.

   softwareupdate --install-rosetta --agree-to-license

4. Install GStreamer Framework:

   GStreamer is a multimedia framework that may be required by Wine. Open Terminal and execute the following command:

   brew install --cask gstreamer-development

5. Download LTspice for Windows:

   • Visit the Analog Devices website to download the Windows version of LTspice: https://www.analog.com/en/resources/design-tools-and-calculators/LTspice-simulator.html
   • Download the latest .msi installer file (e.g., LTspice64.msi).

6. Install LTspice via Wine:

   Open Terminal, navigate to the directory where you downloaded the installer, and execute the following command:

   wine msiexec /i LTspice64.msi

   Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. Use the default install location.

7. Run LTspice:

   To run LTspice, open Terminal and execute the following command:

   wine users/YOUR_USERNAME/AppData/Local/Programs/ADI/LTspice/LTspice.exe

   Replace YOUR_USERNAME with your macOS username. You may want to create an alias or script to simplify launching LTspice.

Helpful References

• LTspice Keyboard Shortcuts
• Tips for LTspice on Mac
• LTspice Shortcuts for macOS