diyAudio is such a great forum, so many knowledgeable and helpful members here. As an electronics newbie, I often feel a bit intimidated when posting a question in a forum where mostly experienced members participate in. I don't know if this is feasible but it would be nice if there were a sub-form where newbies can go to ask questions and read other newbies posts and the responses by experienced members. Threads started by experienced members geared towards newbies would also be very useful. Having all of this basic knowledge in one place would be a great asset in my opinion.
Any thoughts?
Any thoughts?
The answer is not to be intimidated!
Accept that it can be a hard knock life posting as a newbie - until such times as you find a sympathetic expert ear.
P.S. I think that a subforum for newbies would attract such a variety of newbie questions that it would quickly require its own subforums to maintain any semblance of order!
Accept that it can be a hard knock life posting as a newbie - until such times as you find a sympathetic expert ear.
P.S. I think that a subforum for newbies would attract such a variety of newbie questions that it would quickly require its own subforums to maintain any semblance of order!
One advantage to having a subforum for newbies is that all of the basic questions and answers would be in one place. This would allow us enthusiasts to not only learn from more experienced members answering our particular questions, but to also learn from other newbie threads.
As it is now, with the random newbie questions buried in the numerous threads that are completely beyond what a aspiring electronics enthusiast would comprehend, it's very difficult to learn from the forum in general. We are basically at the mercy of those more experienced who are generous enough to answer our particular questions.
The subforum need not be further sub-divided. Anything related to basic electronics and audio would be fair game.
I think this approach would encourage more participation of current less experienced members and bring on new members who would otherwise not join the forum.
Personally I don't think such a thread is viable or practical. From my own experience I was a newbie when I started diy about 7 years ago. I had to Google everything, from the difference between AC and DC to wiring RCA connectors. And today, after many diy projects from DACs to preamps to power amps to speakers, I am still a newbie. Yes, I have gained a lot of knowledge and experience, but I am still a newbie with every new project I embark on. Hoping to build the Iron Pre preamp soon and guess what - I feel like a total newbie looking at the schematic. There are aspects of this build I have never dealt with before.
So, any newbie must realize that there is no one course or thread that will teach you all the basics or even only the necessary basics you might need for a particular project. There is just so much basics involved, and it never ends. There is also no clear boundary between something basic and something more complex. Who will decide what needs to be covered? We are all different with different objectives and different skill and knowledge levels.
My advice to anyone who feels like a newbie - don't feel intimidated. Google is your friend. If you cannot find the answers relating to a particular build in the forum thread - learn how to use the forum search function, or alternatively learn to use Google properly, and then just ask questions on the forum. No such thing as a stupid question. Others might also want to know the answers to your (stupid) questions.
Good luck. I hope all newbies find as much satisfaction from this forum and hobby as I did the last couple of years. And I can only attribute this to all the more knowledgeable and experienced members on this forum who are willing to share all this, and to help others.
So, sorry bedrock602 - I am sure you feel a bit less of a newbie now since your first post more than a year ago. Just dive in and start building!
So, any newbie must realize that there is no one course or thread that will teach you all the basics or even only the necessary basics you might need for a particular project. There is just so much basics involved, and it never ends. There is also no clear boundary between something basic and something more complex. Who will decide what needs to be covered? We are all different with different objectives and different skill and knowledge levels.
My advice to anyone who feels like a newbie - don't feel intimidated. Google is your friend. If you cannot find the answers relating to a particular build in the forum thread - learn how to use the forum search function, or alternatively learn to use Google properly, and then just ask questions on the forum. No such thing as a stupid question. Others might also want to know the answers to your (stupid) questions.
Good luck. I hope all newbies find as much satisfaction from this forum and hobby as I did the last couple of years. And I can only attribute this to all the more knowledgeable and experienced members on this forum who are willing to share all this, and to help others.
So, sorry bedrock602 - I am sure you feel a bit less of a newbie now since your first post more than a year ago. Just dive in and start building!
Firstly, questions on this forum relate to a specific audio device or design, be it a speaker or preamp or tube amp or software tool - the scope is just too wide.
Secondly, questions you want to ask, have probably been asked before somewhere on this forum. You just need the skill to find the answers.
@twocents said: "Firstly, questions on this forum relate to a specific audio device or design, be it a speaker or preamp or tube amp or software tool - the scope is just too wide."
I completely disagree. "Newbies" need to be exposed to many different aspects of any given subject, this is what makes a well rounded individual.
@twocents said: "Secondly, questions you want to ask, have probably been asked before somewhere on this forum. You just need the skill to find the answers."
"skill" to find the answers, that's an interesting way to put it
I completely disagree. "Newbies" need to be exposed to many different aspects of any given subject, this is what makes a well rounded individual.
@twocents said: "Secondly, questions you want to ask, have probably been asked before somewhere on this forum. You just need the skill to find the answers."
"skill" to find the answers, that's an interesting way to put it
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I don't think a newbie sub-forum would have a negative impact on the forum overall, but I'm curious which problem it would solve. The intimidation factor would likely still be there. Maybe it could be softened somewhat if experts kept in mind that they're posting in a newbie forum when they post.
Tom
Tom
There was a post here about reducing power consumption of an audio system to save costs.
Such newbie questions do get answered, so I feel the person posting must have reality and self realization, a realistic assessment of their ability.
But if you want to match a Ferrari on your first build....then little help can be offered, you must start with the basics.
And some of the queries are about unpopular models from defunct companies, some people think those are special.
So a newbie sub-forum will be like kindergarten, and you know what those are like...
I do not think it is a good idea.
You may feel scared, bit the older posters are mostly polite, and helpful, with decades of practical experience, who are there to help, free of charge.
Such newbie questions do get answered, so I feel the person posting must have reality and self realization, a realistic assessment of their ability.
But if you want to match a Ferrari on your first build....then little help can be offered, you must start with the basics.
And some of the queries are about unpopular models from defunct companies, some people think those are special.
So a newbie sub-forum will be like kindergarten, and you know what those are like...
I do not think it is a good idea.
You may feel scared, bit the older posters are mostly polite, and helpful, with decades of practical experience, who are there to help, free of charge.
I agree with you it's a not a bad idea. I'm relatively noob to this too and an advantage would be that a new-guys thread would be a good place to post a lot of "stickies" -- threads that cover "solved problems" that come up often as folks go up the learning curve.
By the time somebody posts on the forum, they have already googled it. Most of the world's 8 billion people know how to google.
But it is a tremendous advantage to be able to get things clarified in real time in a thread -- that's why noobs come here to ask questions, if they dare. We're years past the point where it makes sense to police posting in order to save server space or something.
Everyone learns everything they know in practice. People who have learned in practice often tell others to learn in theory before they practice -- I guess it's a defensive gatekeeping thing. But many on this forum (including @Galu above) have been tremendously helpful in addressing noob issues, because it's satisfying for the respondent to solve problems. It's win-win. People wouldn't answer if they didn't get some reward from it.
People have to bear in mind that we're all adult men and women, and while one man is an expert in one thing, the other is likely an expert in something else. There is no hierarchy. You'll help one man's electronics issue on one forum, and he'll help your tax law issue on another forum, or he'll be fixing your car or whatever. Keeping this in mind helps keep things mutually respectful.
By the time somebody posts on the forum, they have already googled it. Most of the world's 8 billion people know how to google.
But it is a tremendous advantage to be able to get things clarified in real time in a thread -- that's why noobs come here to ask questions, if they dare. We're years past the point where it makes sense to police posting in order to save server space or something.Everyone learns everything they know in practice. People who have learned in practice often tell others to learn in theory before they practice -- I guess it's a defensive gatekeeping thing. But many on this forum (including @Galu above) have been tremendously helpful in addressing noob issues, because it's satisfying for the respondent to solve problems. It's win-win. People wouldn't answer if they didn't get some reward from it.
People have to bear in mind that we're all adult men and women, and while one man is an expert in one thing, the other is likely an expert in something else. There is no hierarchy. You'll help one man's electronics issue on one forum, and he'll help your tax law issue on another forum, or he'll be fixing your car or whatever. Keeping this in mind helps keep things mutually respectful.
Other than the obvious concerns of keeping track of any info contained within, who would use it? If you know nothing, you would still be intimidated and might steer elsewhere. If you knew a little, you wouldn’t want to look like you knew almost nothing.
If you wanted to cover all bases you would need almost as many forums for beginners as we have for other members. Is duplicating those forums actually doing anything beneficial?
As I see it, most persons, when becoming acquainted with audio, use google as their wading pool. Once google has run its course, they turn to diyAudio for opinions and knowledge perhaps not available elsewhere.
If you wanted to cover all bases you would need almost as many forums for beginners as we have for other members. Is duplicating those forums actually doing anything beneficial?
As I see it, most persons, when becoming acquainted with audio, use google as their wading pool. Once google has run its course, they turn to diyAudio for opinions and knowledge perhaps not available elsewhere.
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For me at least, it's not about being intimidated. It's more about having a dedicated space where other newbies congregate so that we can learn from each others threads with more knowledgeable members chiming in. When I browse other forums such as "Solid State" or "Tubes/Valves", it's pretty rare that I come across a thread that I feel like I can learn anything from because the level of knowledge required is way beyond my abilities at this point in time.
Finding solutions to a particular problem either with a google search or having a question answered in a forum is only one way of learning. A dedicated sub-form would be a great way for newbies to get more of an overview of electronics and the various problems and solutions beyond what is currently occupying ones work bench.
You need to learn to walk before you can run.
Agreed?
But unless you have the basic ability to tinker, and the tools, you would not do it, right?
My first radio repair tool was a hammer, when I was all of two years old....
My act has improved...we all need to start somewhere.
Thing is, the new equipment is difficult to service, so new builds are either classic designs, or a new circuit in a housing...the design part is much reduced.
We all need to start, the will to say that has to exist, and that reduces with age.
As for the basics, there are text books out there, for the asking.
If you need guidance about those, ask here, there may be threads about those as well.
Provided you are willing to learn so much for a one off job, that is where most people look for short cuts.
Agreed?
But unless you have the basic ability to tinker, and the tools, you would not do it, right?
My first radio repair tool was a hammer, when I was all of two years old....
My act has improved...we all need to start somewhere.
Thing is, the new equipment is difficult to service, so new builds are either classic designs, or a new circuit in a housing...the design part is much reduced.
We all need to start, the will to say that has to exist, and that reduces with age.
As for the basics, there are text books out there, for the asking.
If you need guidance about those, ask here, there may be threads about those as well.
Provided you are willing to learn so much for a one off job, that is where most people look for short cuts.
I've participated in a fair number of "hey I'm a newbie how do I get started?" threads in the Tubes forum. They usually all suggest buying a copy of Morgan Jones book on Valve Amplifiers.
Some subjects, such as "how do I wire an RCA socket?" could be answered with a post that's bookmarked somehow. The challenge will be to find that post in a potentially long sticky thread. Such posts tend to get buried in a 5000-post thread about building amps.
Many of the skills involved in audio aren't well suited for the cookbook format. At least I couldn't imagine learning circuit analysis or any other "thingking skill" from a cookbook style text. And you do need some analysis skills if you want to make it up the learning curve. At least know Ohm's Law and how to apply it. Unless you get someone to write a long post/monolog about circuit design I fail to see how you could pick up these things from a forum post. At some point there's no substitute for a book if you want to learn stuff.
I think it's important that newbies have some entrypoint into the audio/electronics hobby, though. Otherwise the hobby will die or be left to the experts.
Tom
Some subjects, such as "how do I wire an RCA socket?" could be answered with a post that's bookmarked somehow. The challenge will be to find that post in a potentially long sticky thread. Such posts tend to get buried in a 5000-post thread about building amps.
Many of the skills involved in audio aren't well suited for the cookbook format. At least I couldn't imagine learning circuit analysis or any other "thingking skill" from a cookbook style text. And you do need some analysis skills if you want to make it up the learning curve. At least know Ohm's Law and how to apply it. Unless you get someone to write a long post/monolog about circuit design I fail to see how you could pick up these things from a forum post. At some point there's no substitute for a book if you want to learn stuff.
I think it's important that newbies have some entrypoint into the audio/electronics hobby, though. Otherwise the hobby will die or be left to the experts.
Tom
It took a pandemic to get me to finish these two projects. Now that they are completed, bench and time tested, I have more confidence to take on other projects.
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/dynaco-pas-3x-re-build.351248/
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...-integrated-amplifier-transistor-help.382889/
I feel that threads like these would be extremely valuable to others who may want to rebuild or repair a amp or preamp but wouldn't know where to start.
If there were a dedicated space where projects like these would be stored and easily accessible to newbies, I think that would be a tremendous resource
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/dynaco-pas-3x-re-build.351248/
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...-integrated-amplifier-transistor-help.382889/
I feel that threads like these would be extremely valuable to others who may want to rebuild or repair a amp or preamp but wouldn't know where to start.
If there were a dedicated space where projects like these would be stored and easily accessible to newbies, I think that would be a tremendous resource
Hey @bedrock602, no I'm not opposed to this idea at all. Sorry, if my posts came across negativity. But since you asked "if it is feasible" and invited "any thoughts", I gave my thoughts based on my own experience. The old diyAudio forum had a Wiki Pages section which never got much traction.
Although I am sceptical about the feasibility of such a sub forum, I do feel that all effort should be made to embrace newbies wanting to enter. I just think it is already happening in many threads. Well, that is certainly my experience with all the builds I have done to date.
It also gets easier to find answers quickly these days. Search functions, Google, and new AI tools like ChatGPT. Btw, there are forum members busy feeding ChatGPT with knowledge on amplifier and speaker design.
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