Please technical

[Dippy]

Dear Chaps,

When you do your next website upgrade can you PLEASE include an easily accessable and readable knowledge base?

You know the sort of thing; links/index with various examples and diagrams.

I only suggest this becasue the same old stuff crops up on the Forum over and over and over; yes, people generously give time in answering. Contributors have provided some really good solutions, but unless you KNOW what you're searching for they're lost.

All these answers need editing, clarifying, compiling and summarising and spell-checked too.

True, you can't force people to read data-sheets , and you can't force them to click 'search', but remember; sometimes newbies don't know the phrases to use in a search.

Basically, an indexed/linked and extended version of your manuals with more explanations, diagrams, examples and calculations.

1. Do I need a resistor with my LED?
2. My PICAXE has vaporised when I connected it to the mains - how can I test it?
3. I've connected my PICAXE to my Dad's starter motor but his car won't start. Why not?

All these sorts of questions can be answered by the pictorial knowledge base. And' lets face it, there seems to a lack in some areas of real basic understanding.

P.S. if you've already got one it doesn't appear to be findable.

 

[ylp88]

I think a "sticky" system in the main forum would bo good as an alternative idea. The answers to some of the most common problems:
- My PICAXE won't download
- How can I interface two PICAXEs together
- My LCD doesn't work
- I've run out of programming space
<code><pre><font size=2 face='Courier'> </font></pre></code> etc...

Could be placed in one ore more stickied posts at the top of the fourm or even in another forum - &quot;Common FAQ&quot; or something to that effect.

But Dippy's idea about having it in the form of a datasheet form - ie. PDF, would be ideal as this can easily be placed with the Prog. Ed. software for those who do not have easy access to the internet.

<b><i>ylp88 </b> </i>

 

[andrewpro]

A while back Technical did say they were going to move to another, more common, forum system. Which one and when werent given though.

--Andy P

 

[ylp88]

They did, didn't they...

It would be great to post small images here (not too large... simple GIFs will do...)

<b><i>ylp88 </b> </i>

 

[Dippy]

Its really down to Technical to initiate something useful and permanent.

I agree images/thumbnail links would be great like the Proton forum.
But like all forum answers, after a short while they disappear into the e-archive.
AND when people can't search (perhaps they don't know the terminology, perhaps they're lazy) and find it easier to post a vague question then leave the Gurus to search... well that could all be history with a good linked Knowledge Base.

Come on technical, I know you're reading this.

 

[hippy]

<i>When people can't search (perhaps they don't know the terminology, perhaps they're lazy) ... </i>

And perhaps the Search function isn't really as good as it could be ? How many people miss the fact it defaults to OR'ing keywords rather than AND'ing and therefore returns a lot of extraneous results ?

I frequently find that I cannot locate what I'm looking for through Search, either because the search criteria was wrong, or there's too many possibilities to look through.

 

[Technical]

An updated website and forum is under preparation. All user comments and feedback will be evaulated for the new site.