group faq?

K

Kenneth Sundby

Guest
Does this group have a FAQ or a archive somewhere?
Does it containt links to sites aimed at teaching newcommers like myself?

Regards,
Kenneth Sundby
 
Kenneth Sundby wrote:
Does this group have a FAQ or a archive somewhere?
Does it containt links to sites aimed at teaching newcommers like myself?

Regards,
Kenneth Sundby
Click to expand...

Use Goggle groups to look for old posts.

<http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&group=sci.electronics.basics>
--


Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida
 
Kenneth Sundby wrote:

Does this group have a FAQ or a archive somewhere?
Does it containt links to sites aimed at teaching newcommers like myself?

Regards,
Kenneth Sundby


Kenneth,
Click to expand...

I dont know of one. Maybe the guys here can start one. Here is my
contribution.....

Q: "How can I do 'xyz' (something really complicated), using only
hardware logic gates, relays, and transistors?"

A: Its time to join the microcontroller generation - learn how to
program and use them in complex projects like this.

--
Luhan Monat, "LuhanKnows" At 'Yahoo' dot 'Com'
http://members.cox.net/berniekm
"The future is not what it used to be."
 
"Luhan Monat" <shootspammers@random.com> wrote in message
news:A_5sb.22742$mb5.20232@fed1read02...
Kenneth Sundby wrote:

Does this group have a FAQ or a archive somewhere?
Does it containt links to sites aimed at teaching newcommers like
myself?

Regards,
Kenneth Sundby


Kenneth,

I dont know of one. Maybe the guys here can start one. Here is my
contribution.....

Q: "How can I do 'xyz' (something really complicated), using only
hardware logic gates, relays, and transistors?"

A: Its time to join the microcontroller generation - learn how to
program and use them in complex projects like this.
Click to expand...
I didn't realize you could program a microcontroller to produce a faq ;-)
 
Baphomet wrote:
"Luhan Monat" <shootspammers@random.com> wrote in message
news:A_5sb.22742$mb5.20232@fed1read02...
Kenneth Sundby wrote:

Does this group have a FAQ or a archive somewhere?
Does it containt links to sites aimed at teaching newcommers like
myself?

Regards,
Kenneth Sundby


Kenneth,

I dont know of one. Maybe the guys here can start one. Here is my
contribution.....

Q: "How can I do 'xyz' (something really complicated), using only
hardware logic gates, relays, and transistors?"

A: Its time to join the microcontroller generation - learn how to
program and use them in complex projects like this.

I didn't realize you could program a microcontroller to produce a faq ;-)
Click to expand...
Sure, and its cleaner than a room full of monkeys at keyboards, too!


On a serious note, if there is enough interest in a FAQ, I am will to
compile the data and put it online.
--


Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida
 
It would be a nice touch for it to happen, but the group tends to be rather
broad. It would also be nice (and quite realistic) to post a page of
"frequently requested projects". The FRP page would probably have LED
modulators, game show pushbutton circuits, a taser or two, a Knight Rider light,
some power supplies...
I wouldn't mind contributing a handful of schematics for that.

Cheers!

Chip Shults
My robotics, space and CGI web page - http://home.cfl.rr.com/aichip
 
Michael A. Terrell wrote:


I dont know of one. Maybe the guys here can start one. Here is my
contribution.....

Q: "How can I do 'xyz' (something really complicated), using only
hardware logic gates, relays, and transistors?"

A: Its time to join the microcontroller generation - learn how to
program and use them in complex projects like this.

I didn't realize you could program a microcontroller to produce a faq ;-)


Sure, and its cleaner than a room full of monkeys at keyboards, too!


On a serious note, if there is enough interest in a FAQ, I am will to
compile the data and put it online.
Click to expand...
Michael,

This posting was a bit 'tounge in cheek'. I dont know if a FAQ for this
type of group is possible. FAQ's usually contain specific questions and
answers that come up very often. That does not mean that we could not
do something very useful in one, like general guidelines for asking
questions - such as including what the overall goal is, and being
specific about all the requirement.

Thanks for your interest.

Anyone have general information that could be put in our FAQ?

--
Luhan Monat, "LuhanKnows" At 'Yahoo' dot 'Com'
http://members.cox.net/berniekm
"The future is not what it used to be."
 
Sir Charles W. Shults III wrote:

It would be a nice touch for it to happen, but the group tends to be rather
broad. It would also be nice (and quite realistic) to post a page of
"frequently requested projects". The FRP page would probably have LED
modulators, game show pushbutton circuits, a taser or two, a Knight Rider light,
some power supplies...
I wouldn't mind contributing a handful of schematics for that.

Cheers!

Chip Shults
My robotics, space and CGI web page - http://home.cfl.rr.com/aichip


I like the idea better all the time. How about a collection of all of
Click to expand...
our 'favorite tricks' allong with some links to projects that use them?
Also, links to favorite part sources and hot deals on specific parts.

Considering the scope of this group, and the collection of varied
expertise here, this could turn into one of the hottest engineering
resources on the net.

--
Luhan Monat, "LuhanKnows" At 'Yahoo' dot 'Com'
http://members.cox.net/berniekm
"The future is not what it used to be."
 
"Sir Charles W. Shults III" wrote:
It would be a nice touch for it to happen, but the group tends to be rather
broad. It would also be nice (and quite realistic) to post a page of
"frequently requested projects". The FRP page would probably have LED
modulators, game show pushbutton circuits, a taser or two, a Knight Rider light,
some power supplies...
I wouldn't mind contributing a handful of schematics for that.

Cheers!

Chip Shults
Click to expand...
Do you think it should be limited to the Basics group, or do we need
a broader FAQ covering all the sci.electronics groups (Except
sci.electronics.repair Sam has that one already covered.)

--


Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida
 
Luhan Monat (shootspammers@random.com) writes:
Michael A. Terrell wrote:
"Sir Charles W. Shults III" wrote:

It would be a nice touch for it to happen, but the group tends to be rather
broad. It would also be nice (and quite realistic) to post a page of
"frequently requested projects". The FRP page would probably have LED
modulators, game show pushbutton circuits, a taser or two, a Knight Rider light,
some power supplies...
I wouldn't mind contributing a handful of schematics for that.

Cheers!

Chip Shults


Do you think it should be limited to the Basics group, or do we need
a broader FAQ covering all the sci.electronics groups (Except
sci.electronics.repair Sam has that one already covered.)

It may be best to target it at the basics group. There is no real
dividing line. If we cover the most basic stuff first, that is quite a
project in itself. Maybe break it down into catagories: audio, video,
powersupply, logic, micro, etc.

Then we could expand into more advanced stuff once we have some kind of
structure to put things in.

Then it sounds like you are wanting to write a book. Sam has done a wonderful
Click to expand...
job in that form for sci.electronics repair but it does not hold that
every FAQ has to have every answer.

The purpose of a FAQ is to clear out some of the clutter, not answer
everything anyone could ask. Yes, in some newsgroups the FAQ is pretty
extensive, but I'd argue that in those cases it is a field where there
is limited information, and the participants are writing the details.

With electronics, pretty much everything has already been written down.
If people are asking common and simple questions, it's not because they
have nowhere to look, it's that they aren't looking. That includes not
doing websearches, but it also means not looking in (or even buying) books.

So really, the FAQ should be about the newsgroup, what's on topic and maybe
pointers to the other newsgroups in the hierarchy, a bit about not posting
binaries (and how to handle the problem, be it to a binary newsgroup or
stashing the file somewhere on the web), maybe some history of the newsgroup,
and some general pointers to where to find basic information.

When Michael Covington was doing the Q&A column in Electronics Now,
he dedicated space every month to what amounted to a FAQ. It was not
detail, it was pointers to some useful sources. He was right, it was
worth expending a fair percentage of the column each month to repeating
the information, since there was no way he could deal with all the questions.
And a significant portion of the repeated information was a list of important
books.

If someone is asking how large a resistor they need for lighting an
LED, they haven't bothered with the basics. They should be looking in
books to learn some of that, rather than forcing people to answer once
again their question. People's time is better spent trying to fill in
a bit of information that a poster is having problems grasping (ie they've
already tried to understand, but need help) instead of typing in stuff
that has already been typed in, in books or even in previous questions.

If you start creating a massive file, then it won't get posted here, and
the people who most need it won't see it. If you come up with something
that is enough to cover most things, but still small, then it can be posted
here on a weekly basis and everyone can see it.

Michael
 
Michael A. Terrell wrote:
"Sir Charles W. Shults III" wrote:

It would be a nice touch for it to happen, but the group tends to be rather
broad. It would also be nice (and quite realistic) to post a page of
"frequently requested projects". The FRP page would probably have LED
modulators, game show pushbutton circuits, a taser or two, a Knight Rider light,
some power supplies...
I wouldn't mind contributing a handful of schematics for that.

Cheers!

Chip Shults


Do you think it should be limited to the Basics group, or do we need
a broader FAQ covering all the sci.electronics groups (Except
sci.electronics.repair Sam has that one already covered.)

It may be best to target it at the basics group. There is no real
Click to expand...
dividing line. If we cover the most basic stuff first, that is quite a
project in itself. Maybe break it down into catagories: audio, video,
powersupply, logic, micro, etc.

Then we could expand into more advanced stuff once we have some kind of
structure to put things in.

--
Luhan Monat, "LuhanKnows" At 'Yahoo' dot 'Com'
http://members.cox.net/berniekm
"The future is not what it used to be."
 
Michael Black wrote:
Then it sounds like you are wanting to write a book. Sam has done a wonderful
job in that form for sci.electronics repair but it does not hold that
every FAQ has to have every answer.

The purpose of a FAQ is to clear out some of the clutter, not answer
everything anyone could ask. Yes, in some newsgroups the FAQ is pretty
extensive, but I'd argue that in those cases it is a field where there
is limited information, and the participants are writing the details.

With electronics, pretty much everything has already been written down.
If people are asking common and simple questions, it's not because they
have nowhere to look, it's that they aren't looking. That includes not
doing websearches, but it also means not looking in (or even buying) books.

So really, the FAQ should be about the newsgroup, what's on topic and maybe
pointers to the other newsgroups in the hierarchy, a bit about not posting
binaries (and how to handle the problem, be it to a binary newsgroup or
stashing the file somewhere on the web), maybe some history of the newsgroup,
and some general pointers to where to find basic information.

When Michael Covington was doing the Q&A column in Electronics Now,
he dedicated space every month to what amounted to a FAQ. It was not
detail, it was pointers to some useful sources. He was right, it was
worth expending a fair percentage of the column each month to repeating
the information, since there was no way he could deal with all the questions.
And a significant portion of the repeated information was a list of important
books.

If someone is asking how large a resistor they need for lighting an
LED, they haven't bothered with the basics. They should be looking in
books to learn some of that, rather than forcing people to answer once
again their question. People's time is better spent trying to fill in
a bit of information that a poster is having problems grasping (ie they've
already tried to understand, but need help) instead of typing in stuff
that has already been typed in, in books or even in previous questions.

If you start creating a massive file, then it won't get posted here, and
the people who most need it won't see it. If you come up with something
that is enough to cover most things, but still small, then it can be posted
here on a weekly basis and everyone can see it.

Michael
Click to expand...

What I was thinking about was a small FAQ that could be posted to the
newsgroup, along with a link to more data on a website. The basic part
of the FAQ would be the simple stuff, along with tips on how to find
data on the net.

The website would have things like: a list of sites with decent
quality schematics and projects. Another list of places that sell kits.
One for surplus dealers, another for OEM distributors. A list of places
to buy or download manuals. A list of recommended books, tools and
equipment for someone just starting out, and some reference materials on
common components. Some basic formulas, with examples of how to use the
formulas. For instance, when someone asks "How do I find the resonant
frequency of..." you have it in the FAQ.

Common subjects that take a lot of time and space need to be
collected. Then anyone familiar with the FAQ can post a link to the area
that deals with the subject, rather than have 250 message length threads
arguing over everything except the original question. I already have
some reference materials and links on my website and I will be expanding
them, as time permits.
--


Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida
 
the FAQ should be about the newsgroup, what's on topic and maybe
pointers to the other newsgroups in the hierarchy,
...not posting binaries (and how to handle the problem...)
...and some general pointers to where to find basic information.

If someone is asking how large a resistor they need for lighting an LED...

...time is better spent trying to fill in a bit of information
that a poster is having problems grasping
(ie they've already tried to understand, but need help)...

Michael Black
Click to expand...

Nettiquite tips & links to pages on basics will do a lot
without making a huge page. (Re-inventing the wheel is a waste.)
Making the sections of the page (topics) linkable
gives you an easy way to answer a bone-head question.
If properly blockquoted, a response could have as little as 2 lines:

...what resistor do I need...
Look here, dude: FAQ_URL.org#topic
Click to expand...
 
Well, how about the idea that, since "FAQ" means "Frequently Asked
Questions," some nice volunteer could comb through the archives and
glean the frequently asked questions. :)

Any volunteers?
;-) Rich

Luhan Monat wrote:
Michael A. Terrell wrote:


I dont know of one. Maybe the guys here can start one. Here is my
contribution.....

Q: "How can I do 'xyz' (something really complicated), using only
hardware logic gates, relays, and transistors?"

A: Its time to join the microcontroller generation - learn how to
program and use them in complex projects like this.

I didn't realize you could program a microcontroller to produce a faq ;-)


Sure, and its cleaner than a room full of monkeys at keyboards, too!


On a serious note, if there is enough interest in a FAQ, I am will to
compile the data and put it online.

Michael,

This posting was a bit 'tounge in cheek'. I dont know if a FAQ for this
type of group is possible. FAQ's usually contain specific questions and
answers that come up very often. That does not mean that we could not
do something very useful in one, like general guidelines for asking
questions - such as including what the overall goal is, and being
specific about all the requirement.

Thanks for your interest.

Anyone have general information that could be put in our FAQ?

--
Luhan Monat, "LuhanKnows" At 'Yahoo' dot 'Com'
http://members.cox.net/berniekm
"The future is not what it used to be."
Click to expand...
 
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