The Source/Load/TL Toolbar

The Source/Load/TL toolbar is used to connect a source, load, or transmission line to a specific segment of a wire. It also provides tools to edit or remove existing connections.

Accessing the Toolbar

To open this toolbar:

• Right-click on any part of a wire and select Source / Load / TL (Ctrl + Ins) from the pop-up menu (Fig. 1).
• Alternatively, use the main toolbar or go to Edit > Source / Load / TL (Ctrl + Ins) from the main menu. Before using this command, click the Select Wire button (arrow icon on the main toolbar), then left-click the wire where you want to place the source or load.

Toolbar Components

Slider

• The slider lets you choose a specific wire segment.
• Each slider position corresponds to a segment along the selected wire.
• On the right side of the toolbar, you’ll see:
  • The segment number.
  • The segment’s relative position (in %) along the wire, measured from the wire’s starting point to the midpoint of the selected segment:
  Segment Position % = 100 × (segment position / wire length)

50% Button

• Quickly positions the slider at the center of the wire.
• Useful for placing sources or loads at the midpoint.

⚠️ Note: The wire must have an odd number of segments for an exact center segment to exist.

Add Source Button

• Opens a dialog box to add a source to the selected segment (Fig. 2).
• You can specify:
  • Source type
  • Amplitude
  • Phase
  • Internal impedance Zs

• Voltage sources have their internal impedance in series. To model an ideal (perfect) voltage source, set the impedance to zero.
• Current sources have their internal impedance in parallel. To approximate an ideal current source, use a very high impedance (e.g., 1 MΩ = 1E6 Ohm).
• To change the size of the source displayed in the workspace, go to Main Menu > Tools > Preferences > Workspace tab, and adjust the Source Size % setting.
• To customize the default color of sources, go to: Main Menu > Tools > Preferences > Workspace tab.

Add Load Button

• Opens a dialog to add a load to the selected segment (Fig. 3).
• Load types include:
  • Series RL (resistor + inductor)
  • Series RC (resistor + capacitor)
  • Fixed R + jX impedance (non-frequency-dependent reactance)
  • Series or parallel RLC
  • Trap (series RL + parallel C)

• To customize the default color of loads, go to: Main Menu > Tools > Preferences > Workspace tab.

Transmission Lines Button

• Opens a dialog to connect a transmission line to the selected segment.
• See the section Adding Transmission Lines for more information.

Delete Button

• Removes any existing source or load from the selected segment.

Modify Button

• Opens a dialog to edit the source or load on the selected segment.

Exit Button

• Closes the Source/Load/TL toolbar.