DC Power Architect — Design & Simulate Power Systems

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Total Median Power

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Total 99th %ile Power

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System Median Efficiency

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System 1st %ile Efficiency

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Select a component to view histograms

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Welcome to DC Power Architect! This guide walks you through every feature, from placing your first component to running advanced Monte Carlo analysis.

1

Getting Started

Interface overview and first steps

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DC Power Architect helps you design, analyze, and optimize DC power distribution networks. Here's the layout:

Component Library (left sidebar) — Drag components onto the canvas: voltage sources, loads, LDO regulators, SMPS converters, op-amps, passives, and more.
Canvas (center) — Your design workspace. Place components, draw wires, and build your power tree.
Toolbar (top) — Quick actions: undo/redo, zoom, save/load, export, alignment tools, and analysis modes.
Analysis Panel (below components) — Live power budget, efficiency breakdown, and system warnings.
Properties Panel (floating, right side) — Edit the selected component's voltage, current, thermal, and other parameters.

lightbulb Press ? at any time to view all keyboard shortcuts.

2

Placing & Connecting Components

Drag-drop components, draw wires, select and move

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Building a power tree is as simple as drag, drop, and wire:

Add a component — Drag any item from the sidebar and drop it onto the canvas. You can also double-click a component in the sidebar to place it.
Draw a wire — Click the output port (small circle on the right side of a block), then click the input port of another block. The wire snaps automatically.
Select — Click a component to select it. Hold Shift to multi-select, or drag a selection box on empty canvas space.
Move — Drag selected components to reposition them. Use the Align tool (T) in the toolbar to tidy up placement.
Delete — Select a component or wire and press Delete or Backspace.
Pan & Zoom — Scroll to zoom. Middle-click drag or Alt+drag to pan the canvas.

lightbulb Hold Shift while placing wires to snap them to a routing path.

3

Available Components

Power sources, converters, loads, and passives

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The component library includes everything you need to design a complete DC power network:

Component	Description
Voltage Source	DC power input (battery, wall adapter, USB). Set voltage and max current.
Load	Single-port current sink. Set required voltage and current draw.
Multi-Port Load	Complex IC/SoC load with multiple supply rails (e.g. Vcore, Vio, Vaux).
Linear Regulator	Linear dropout regulator. Low noise, simple, but less efficient at large Vin-Vout drops.
SMPS (Buck/Boost)	Switching converter. High efficiency. Supports buck, boost, and buck-boost topologies.
Op-Amp	Operational amplifier for signal conditioning blocks.
Resistor	Standard resistor. Used for modeling voltage dividers or drop resistors.
Inductor	Inductor for LC filter or energy storage modeling.
Fuse	Protection fuse with configurable current rating.
Diode / Zener	Standard and Zener diodes for rectification or voltage clamping.
Ground	Ground reference node. Connect to define return paths.
Off-Page Connector	Links signals across sheets in multi-sheet designs.

4

Editing Properties

Configure voltage, current, thermal, and tolerance settings

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Click any component to open the Properties Panel on the right side of the screen:

Name — Give each component a descriptive label (e.g., "Main 3.3V Rail").
Electrical parameters — Set voltage, current, power based on the component type.
Thermal parameters — Set junction temperature limit (Tj Max), thermal resistance (θJA), and ambient temperature. The simulation will warn if the component overheats.
Tolerance — Add ±% tolerances to any value for worst-case or Monte Carlo analysis.
Efficiency — For regulators (LDO/SMPS), set the conversion efficiency to model real-world power dissipation.

lightbulb Invalid inputs (e.g., negative voltage) are caught automatically — the field flashes red and the value is clamped.

5

Power Analysis

Live power budget, efficiency, and thermal warnings

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The analysis panel (below the component library) updates in real time as you build:

Power Budget — Shows total source power, load power, dissipation losses, and system-wide efficiency at a glance.
Efficiency Breakdown — A per-stage table showing each regulator's input/output voltage, output current, dissipation, and individual efficiency.
Warnings — Flags issues like thermal limit violations, voltage drops below thresholds, or missing connections. Green checkmark (✓) means the system is healthy.

lightbulb Overheating components glow orange or red on the canvas. Click them to see thermal details.

6

Finding Real Parts

Search for real components, compare options, and apply to your design

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Select a regulator (LDO or SMPS) and click 🔍 Find Parts in the Properties panel to search for real components:

Automatic requirements — The search pre-fills Vin, Vout, and Iout from your component's properties.
Trade-Space Sliders — Balance your priorities: size, weight, power efficiency, cost, and availability. The search results re-rank in real time.
AI Recommendations — If you configure an AI API key (Settings → AI Provider), you'll get intelligent part suggestions based on your full design context.
Apply a Part — Click "Apply" next to any search result to populate the component with real-world parameters (MPN, manufacturer, package, etc.).

7

Tolerance & Monte Carlo Analysis

Worst-case analysis and statistical simulation

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Real components have manufacturing tolerances. DC Power Architect lets you model these:

Tolerance Mode (toolbar dropdown) — Switch between Nominal (Nom), Minimum (Min), and Maximum (Max) to see how your design performs at the extremes.
Component Tolerances — In the Properties panel, add ±% tolerances to voltage, current, and resistance values.
Monte Carlo (MC) button — Runs thousands of randomized simulations. Each run varies every tolerance within its range. You'll see:

Summary Cards — Median power, 99th percentile power, median efficiency, and worst-case efficiency.
Histograms — Voltage, current, power dissipation, and temperature distributions for each component.
Export — Download results as CSV for further analysis, or as a formatted PDF report.

8

Saving & Exporting

Local files, cloud storage, PDF, images, and BOM export

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Multiple ways to save and share your designs:

Local Save/Load — Save as a .JSON file to your computer. Works without an account.
Cloud Save (requires sign-in) — Save designs to the cloud and access them from any device. Free tier: up to 3 designs. Pro tier: unlimited.
Export BOM — Generate a Bill of Materials spreadsheet listing all components, their values, MPN, manufacturer, and quantity.
Export Image — Download your power tree as a high-resolution PNG or SVG. Configurable to match the current theme or force light/dark mode.
Print / PDF — Print your design or save as PDF via the browser's print dialog. Supports document settings (page size, orientation, margins).

lightbulb Use Page Setup (gear icon in toolbar) to configure the page size, orientation, and export theme before printing.

9

Sheets & Organization

Multi-sheet designs and off-page connectors

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Large designs can be split across multiple sheets for clarity:

Sheet Tabs — The tab bar at the bottom of the canvas lets you add, rename, and switch between sheets.
Add Sheet — Click the + button in the tab bar. Right-click a tab to rename or delete it.
Off-Page Connectors — Use the Off-Page connector component to link signals between sheets. Name them identically on each sheet to establish the connection.
Presentation Mode — Click the presentation icon in the toolbar to enter a clean, full-screen view of your design for reviews or demos.

10

Account & Billing

Sign in, Free vs Pro, and subscription management

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Sign in to unlock cloud features and personalize your experience:

Sign In — Click "Sign In" in the top-right toolbar. Supported methods: Google or email/password.
Free Tier — Up to 3 cloud saves, ad-supported, access to all core design and analysis features.
Pro Tier ($9/mo) — Unlimited cloud saves, no ads, priority support, and advanced analysis features.
Manage Subscription — Go to Account Settings → Customer Support → Manage Subscription to view billing, update payment, or cancel.
Delete Account — Account Settings → Customer Support → Delete Account. This permanently removes all data including cloud designs.

11

Keyboard Shortcuts

Quick reference for power users

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Action	Shortcut
Select all	`Ctrl`+`A`
Copy / Paste / Cut	`Ctrl`+`C` / `V` / `X`
Duplicate	`Ctrl`+`D`
Undo / Redo	`Ctrl`+`Z` / `Y`
Delete selected	`Delete`
Zoom in / out	`Scroll` wheel
Pan canvas	`Middle-click` drag or `Alt`+drag
Fit to view	Click fit icon in toolbar
Align to grid	`T`
Show shortcuts	`?`

12

AI Analysis

AI-powered design explanations and architecture suggestions

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DC Power Architect includes AI-powered analysis tools to help you understand and improve your designs:

✨ Explain My Design — Click the Explain button in the toolbar to get an AI-generated summary of your power architecture, including efficiency analysis, thermal concerns, and improvement suggestions ranked by severity.
💡 Suggest Architecture — Click the Suggest button to receive AI-recommended topology changes, alternative component choices, and reliability improvements.
Suggestion Cards — Each suggestion is displayed as a card with a severity badge (info, warning, critical), a confidence score, and a detailed explanation. Dismiss cards as you address them.
Enable / Disable — Toggle the AI features on or off from the Settings panel (gear icon in toolbar) using the "AI Features" switch.

lightbulb Free accounts include 3 AI analysis calls. Pro subscribers get unlimited AI analysis. Your remaining call count resets if you upgrade.

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Keyboard Shortcuts

Selection

Edit

History

Canvas

🔍 Find Parts

Part Filters

⚙️ Settings

📄 Document Settings

Export Options

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📈 Monte Carlo Analysis Report

Select a component to view histograms

Voltage (V)

Current (A)

Power Dissipation (W)

Junction Temp (°C)

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Getting Started

Placing & Connecting Components

Available Components

Editing Properties

Power Analysis

Finding Real Parts

Tolerance & Monte Carlo Analysis

Saving & Exporting

Sheets & Organization

Account & Billing

Keyboard Shortcuts

AI Analysis

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