I wonder if this is the case. In my opening post I made it clear (I thought) that I wasn't being judgemental
I wasn't judging you. Just suggesting we need tolerance of beginners.
I have seen quite a few comments like "are you for real?" in some threads to naïve questions.
I'm still an "Uninformed" noob myself, even though I've been here for a while. It really takes the wind from the sails when a question that one may ask is treated like a kindergartner wanting to build a rocket ship. I'm sure there are trolls but not everyone is..
I didn't read that any requirements or training was needed before joining. We are here to learn from experienced people. Please take all questions and give them at least a little respect and remember.. Everyone must start somewhere..
Isn't it what this site is all about? Maybe lack of research might irritate some of you but be respectable to the ones that want to learn. The trolls will show their faces soon enough. That's what moderators are for..
Honestly, I build all kinds of sound gizmos and I love it! But, I'm a bit ashamed to share because I have a small budget and most all of my items aren't built with the high dollar products like most folks use here. I do a lot of reading and I have learned a lot and I thank everyone! I also have learned that I had better do some research before I ask anything on here, so.. I understand..
*Noob Rant Off*
I didn't read that any requirements or training was needed before joining. We are here to learn from experienced people. Please take all questions and give them at least a little respect and remember.. Everyone must start somewhere..
Isn't it what this site is all about? Maybe lack of research might irritate some of you but be respectable to the ones that want to learn. The trolls will show their faces soon enough. That's what moderators are for..
Honestly, I build all kinds of sound gizmos and I love it! But, I'm a bit ashamed to share because I have a small budget and most all of my items aren't built with the high dollar products like most folks use here. I do a lot of reading and I have learned a lot and I thank everyone! I also have learned that I had better do some research before I ask anything on here, so.. I understand..
*Noob Rant Off*
The original search function is terrible and that is usually what beginners use first to find stuff on the site. So the inexperienced go there, find nothing, get stressed and post a thread.
Also google isn't what it used to be, whenever you search for something simple you either get inundated with a corporation looking to offer a solution or sell a product OR you get a first page full of youtube videos full of video bloggers.
The downfall of the original classic www is detrimental to any hobby and even more so here especially when there are corporations like google stifling the internet. and it doesn't help that the old threads on this website have missing information/images.
Websites like this for example are buried underneath youtube and corporate paid-for search results:
Power Amplifier Fundamental
Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of Television Sets
DIY Audio Articles
Whereas in the past they used to be the top hits in a search engine. Unless you remember or bookmark the site you are never going to find it.
So expect more simple questions in the future. Or start a thread to answer them all in one place. I don't know.
Also google isn't what it used to be, whenever you search for something simple you either get inundated with a corporation looking to offer a solution or sell a product OR you get a first page full of youtube videos full of video bloggers.
The downfall of the original classic www is detrimental to any hobby and even more so here especially when there are corporations like google stifling the internet. and it doesn't help that the old threads on this website have missing information/images.
Websites like this for example are buried underneath youtube and corporate paid-for search results:
Power Amplifier Fundamental
Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of Television Sets
DIY Audio Articles
Whereas in the past they used to be the top hits in a search engine. Unless you remember or bookmark the site you are never going to find it.
So expect more simple questions in the future. Or start a thread to answer them all in one place. I don't know.
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Everyone needs to start somewhere. Google anything to do with diyAudio and you will likely end up here. There is a lot of info so it may seem daunting, and the simple solution is to just ask.
Yesterdays newbies are often the people giving answers, it is once you get to being quite experienced that the questions can start to become a drag. In those cases best to leave it to someone newer to set them on the right path. We were all newbies at some point (and still are when we decide to tackle something new). One thing I believe in though is that partial answers are often the best for helping someone learn. Just enough to get them thinking about it the right way. Giving someone a solution up front might get them what they want, but they will be much less likely to learn something.
I guess with the internet it's much easier to be lazy. When I was starting out I had to buy books or magazines and experiment to work things out. These days answers are a few keystrokes away.
Tony.
Yesterdays newbies are often the people giving answers, it is once you get to being quite experienced that the questions can start to become a drag. In those cases best to leave it to someone newer to set them on the right path. We were all newbies at some point (and still are when we decide to tackle something new). One thing I believe in though is that partial answers are often the best for helping someone learn. Just enough to get them thinking about it the right way. Giving someone a solution up front might get them what they want, but they will be much less likely to learn something.
I guess with the internet it's much easier to be lazy. When I was starting out I had to buy books or magazines and experiment to work things out. These days answers are a few keystrokes away.
Tony.
Is Google being lazy? But how do you find accurate answers using Google without it sending you to a lot of forums and other sites with dubious answers, or do you have to trawl through all these not knowing what to believe.
Do you use any other search engines with better results?
Just starting out you typically have to click on every single link and then have to read at least a page of dribble or useless info before you find out that its a website trying to sell you something or that the website doesn't carry the information that you need.
You then wash rinse and repeat that tactic and you eventually gradually find the information that you need.
Its terrible but that is the reality.
Youtube is a 90%/10% mix of useless information to useful information so staying away from youtube is my first step. I then scroll down and find the information on an independent website. But there is a catch to visiting independent websites and that is that the information is usually always over your head when you are just a beginner.
Basically they expect you to be educated before you even begin in electronics.
There is a massive gap in understanding between school grade education and college grade education on various topics. There is no high school grade education information out there available anywhere.
The closest I've found to a high school grade of understanding of topics is wikipedia. The editors do a good job there keeping things simple enough for people to understand with basic maths and english knowledge.
For example the page on wikipedia about loudspeakers goes from very basic understanding to moderately advanced understanding. That is what you want when you are just starting out.
But there are still huge gaps in understanding, wiki pages can be easily overwhelming. That is when I go to youtube and try and re-educate myself in basic topics again for things that I've forgotten. Or I come here and read some posts.
Between wikipedia, diyaudio, youtube and google and independent websites I will eventually pick up some kind of understanding about a topic.
You then wash rinse and repeat that tactic and you eventually gradually find the information that you need.
Its terrible but that is the reality.
Youtube is a 90%/10% mix of useless information to useful information so staying away from youtube is my first step. I then scroll down and find the information on an independent website. But there is a catch to visiting independent websites and that is that the information is usually always over your head when you are just a beginner.
Basically they expect you to be educated before you even begin in electronics.
There is a massive gap in understanding between school grade education and college grade education on various topics. There is no high school grade education information out there available anywhere.
The closest I've found to a high school grade of understanding of topics is wikipedia. The editors do a good job there keeping things simple enough for people to understand with basic maths and english knowledge.
For example the page on wikipedia about loudspeakers goes from very basic understanding to moderately advanced understanding. That is what you want when you are just starting out.
But there are still huge gaps in understanding, wiki pages can be easily overwhelming. That is when I go to youtube and try and re-educate myself in basic topics again for things that I've forgotten. Or I come here and read some posts.
Between wikipedia, diyaudio, youtube and google and independent websites I will eventually pick up some kind of understanding about a topic.
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If I were just starting out in electronics I would first start with youtube and get a decent visual understanding of what does what and where it goes and how it behaves.
Then I would start reading the occasional wikipedia page on the topic. But don't get too heavy into it at first.
Then I would start reading the occasional thread on diyaudio and then combine it with google and finding information on various websites.
Then once I've got a good understanding of a topic I would use online calculators to get things done and to do things that I want, those are the tools side of learning.
Then and only then would you want to start crawling the web for independent websites with a vast amount of experienced knowledge and start to read really long threads on diyaudio and then once you've done some reading you should begin posting and asking informed questions. But you can start early on if you are confident that you are doing things right. I know that sounds demeaning but it isn't. Just start whenever you feel confident enough!
And once you've got a courageous understanding of the topic you then start to combine all four sources of information and try in your brain to combine it all into an understanding of a topic.
And there is no shame at all in going back to the basics and starting from scratch. The human mind is like a sieve and it will easily forget even the most basic stuff overnight. Its aggravating and extremely annoying.
Then I would start reading the occasional wikipedia page on the topic. But don't get too heavy into it at first.
Then I would start reading the occasional thread on diyaudio and then combine it with google and finding information on various websites.
Then once I've got a good understanding of a topic I would use online calculators to get things done and to do things that I want, those are the tools side of learning.
Then and only then would you want to start crawling the web for independent websites with a vast amount of experienced knowledge and start to read really long threads on diyaudio and then once you've done some reading you should begin posting and asking informed questions. But you can start early on if you are confident that you are doing things right. I know that sounds demeaning but it isn't. Just start whenever you feel confident enough!
And once you've got a courageous understanding of the topic you then start to combine all four sources of information and try in your brain to combine it all into an understanding of a topic.
And there is no shame at all in going back to the basics and starting from scratch. The human mind is like a sieve and it will easily forget even the most basic stuff overnight. Its aggravating and extremely annoying.
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Wiki is a decent source IMO.. It's still confusing because of not understanding the simple terms or wording. (What is excursion? Or SPL..) Ect..
I understand after many hours of reading and research and I have an electronics background. Most all new people don't and the terms can be intimidating. In my mind, the terms need to be understood as a mechanical happening and then I can put them into perspective. Many of the T/S terms still baffle me..
I understand after many hours of reading and research and I have an electronics background. Most all new people don't and the terms can be intimidating. In my mind, the terms need to be understood as a mechanical happening and then I can put them into perspective. Many of the T/S terms still baffle me..
I think there may a trend towards more basic questions, and a different type of question. In the past, a newbie would mainly be trying to gain understanding. More common nowadays is someone simply seeking a solution to a problem. Even at university undergraduate level, people no longer ask 'how does this work?'; instead they ask 'what is the right answer?'.
Combine this with an almost complete absence of any knowledge of electricity (what do they teach them in science lessons in school?), and a profound ignorance of just how profound is their ignorance, and you get people who would not know Ohm's Law if it dropped on their foot yet seem confident that within a few weeks of watching a few online videos they can start their own high-end audio business.
Combine this with an almost complete absence of any knowledge of electricity (what do they teach them in science lessons in school?), and a profound ignorance of just how profound is their ignorance, and you get people who would not know Ohm's Law if it dropped on their foot yet seem confident that within a few weeks of watching a few online videos they can start their own high-end audio business.
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