Active filter design software AktivFilter 3

The usual problem

You are an electronic engineer, have to develop an electronic device and need an active filter circuit, which meets your specification. After the test of your built circuit, you observe that the frequency response deviates from your specification. So, you try to adjust the circuit, measure the frequency response and repeat this very often. This matching can be a quite time-consuming process.

The new solution: Software AktivFilter 3

The software AktivFilter 3 is able to design active filters, which are tuned on the operational amplifier and on the standard series (E12, E24, E48 or E96) of resistors and capacitors. This tuning works so good, that a manual matching of the designed filter circuit becomes superfluous. AktivFilter 3 can design active bandpass filters, highpass filters, lowpass filters and notch filters. For many applications AktivFilter enables you to use inexpensive (slow) opamp types instead of expensive (fast) opamps. AktivFilter supports many special high-quality audio opamps, which are used in audio electronics - in consumer products, studio equipment and high-end equipment.

AktivFilter can create filters with the characteristics Bessel, Butterworth and Chebychev. Additionally, you can specify an individual characteristic by setting the parameters pole quality Q and the normalized pole frequency for each stage of your active filter. This can be a useful feature, e.g. if you want to develop a special active crossover network for loudspeakers.

While AktivFilter is able to co-ordinate filter designs on opamp types, it is important, that the program supports all ordinary opamp types. Here is a list of all supported opamps:

AD648, AD711, AD712, AD713, AD741, AD743, AD797, AD8031, AD8032, AD8047, AD8057, AD8058, AD8099, AD817, AD822, AD823, AD825, AD826, AD845, AD847, CA3140, CA3160, EL2245, EL2445, HA-2600, HA-2602, HA-2620, HA-2622, HA-2841, HA-2842, HA-5020, HA-5101, HA-5102, HA-5104, HA-5112, HA-5114, HA-5127, HA-5137, HA-5147, HA-5190, HA-5221, HA-5222, HA17082, HA17083, HA17084, HA17558, HA17741, LF351, LF353, LF356, LF357, LF411, LF412, LF441, LF442, LF444, LF451, LM107, LM118, LM124, LM139, LM148, LM158, LM193, LM218, LM224, LM239, LM258, LM2902, LM2904, LM293, LM307, LM318, LM324, LM3302, LM339, LM358, LM393, LM6118, LM6142, LM6144, LM6152, LM6154, LM6161, LM6162, LM6164, LM6165, LM6171, LM6172, LM833, LMC6062, LMC662, LMH6624, LMH6626, LMH6642, LMH6643, LMH6644, LMP7701, LMP7702, LMP7704, LMV771, LMV772, LMV774, LMV821, LMV822, LMV824, LT1013, LT1013D, LT1014, LT1028, LT1055, LT1056, LT1115, LT1151, LT1211, LT1212, LT1213, LT1214, LT1352, LT1353, LT1355, LT1356, LT1357, LT1358, LT1359, LT1361, LT1362, LT1363, LT1364, LT1365, LT1413, LT1462, LT1463, LT1464, LT1465, LT1492, LT1493, LT1494, LT1495, LT1496, LT1635, LT1638, LT1639, LT1677, LT1792, LT1793, LT1801, LT1802, LT1815, LT1816, LT1817, LT1884, LT1885, LT2078, LT2079, LT2178, LT2179, MAX410, MC1458, MC1558, MC33078, MC33272, MC33274, MCP6001, MCP6002, MCP6004, NCV33274, NE5532, NE5533, NE5534, OP-07, OP-15, OP-16, OP-160, OP-20, OP-21, OP-27, OP-270, OP-275, OP-37, OP-467, OP-470, OPA130, OPA132, OPA134, OPA2107, OPA2132, OPA2134, OPA2227, OPA2228, OPA227, OPA228, OPA2340, OPA2369, OPA2604, OPA2652, OPA2725, OPA2726, OPA340, OPA369, OPA4132, OPA4134, OPA4227, OPA4228, OPA4340, OPA604, OPA606, OPA627, OPA637, OPA650, OPA655, OPA725, OPA726, OPA820, OPA842, OPA843, THS4001, TL031, TL032, TL034, TL051, TL052, TL054, TL061, TL062, TL064, TL071, TL072, TL074, TL081, TL082, TL084, TLC2201, TLC2202, TLC2272, TLC2274, TLE2071, TLE2072, TLE2074, TLE2081, TLE2082, TLE2084, TS902, TS904, TS912, TS914, TS924, TS951, TS952, TS954, uA741

AktivFilter 3 is a program for Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

AktivFilter 3 is available in 3 editions:

The free Demo Edition, which can be downloaded here.
The Personal Edition for one user with one computer.
The Professional Edition for one user with one computer. The Professional Edition has, compared to the Personal Edition, one additional feature: the user can add his own opamp-models to the software. To do this, we deliver the Professional Edition together with the tool OpAmp-Modell.

The Personal Edition as well as the Professional Edition can be installed on just one computer. The installation of the software must be registered within 30 days.

The following table clarifies the features of these editions:

Feature	Personal or Professional Edition	Demo Edition
Filter types and filter circuits	Highpass and lowpass with Sallen-Key circuit and with multiple feedback; bandpass filter with multiple feedback; active twin-T-bandreject	Highpass and lowpass with Sallen-Key circuit and with multiple feedback
Filter order	Bandpass 2. to 30. order; highpass and lowpass 1. to 30. order	Highpass and lowpass 1. to 2. order
Filter characteristic	Bessel; Butterworth; Chebychev with given ripples in the range 0.01 dB .. 20 dB; individual characteristic	Bessel; Butterworth; Chebychev with given ripples in the range 0.01 dB .. 20 dB; individual characteristic
Supported opamp types	Every opamp in above list (more than 250 opamp types) and the ideal opamp	LF411, uA741 and the ideal opamp
Graphical output	Amplitude response in dB after each calculation	Amplitude response in dB after each calculation
Store the design	As HTML file with circuit diagram as PNG file	As HTML file with circuit diagram as PNG file
Spice interface	Call interface for AC analysis with output of the amplitude response in dB, the phase response of the group delay; transient analysis for step response	Call interface for AC analysis with output of the amplitude response in dB, the phase response or the group delay; transient analysis for step response

A sample that shows how to use AktivFilter 3 is available here.