gbell@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Gregory Bell) (12/03/90)
I am posting this to hopefully remedy a poor sig/noise ratio here on sci.electronics. Sci.electronics should be scientific and about electronics, no? It should not have postings about things for sale, or any of the following types of posts: >I will be traveling to another galaxy in the next millenium and am >interested in picking up a small hand-held cold-fusion unit. I >will need it to overthrow the Cantel network on one of Candromeda-7's >outer moons. Is there anything special that I need to be aware of when >I'm transporting the cold-fusion unit? Nor should sci.elec have posts like "I have a product that was featured in the Nov. 1989 Radio-Electronics and I was wondering what the connector does". PLEASE check your local library since you have the issue reference! I'm sure I'm not the only one that's noticed there have been very few responses recently, and mostly new posts. I attribute this to the fact that the real gurus who (used to?) frequent sci.elec are tired of the noise. In order to make this section useful, we need to eliminated questions that can be easily answered elsewhere (databooks, libraries, manuals). In case you're wondering what generated this post, I just read through 170 articles, and for the first time, found nothing of use.
murray@sun13.scri.fsu.edu (John Murray) (12/04/90)
In article <14647@sdcc6.ucsd.edu> gbell@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Gregory Bell) writes: > >I am posting this to hopefully remedy a poor sig/noise ratio here on >sci.electronics. I entirely agree with the need to remedy this. I almost took s.e out of my .newsrc within a week of adding it. I already wade through too many high traffic groups. SO..... Is is time to add a FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions periodic posting to this group? I don't claim to be a guru, only an interested amateur (and once a semi-professional) in electronics, but I brought it up, so I'll offer to do the dirty work. Things to include: (IMO) 1) Suggestions for more appropriate newsgroups for some of the frequent subjects that everyone ignores, like: comp.sys.ibm for "How do I get my new VGA/EGA/CGA card to work on my IBM-PC?", or rec.audio for "My stereo stopped working, how do I fix it?" (although hunting around on the IC pins in your CD player is probably appropriate.) 2) Where to find basic information about a XQZ-33479AC45QRF (a: get a phone book. b: look up "library"...) 3) Good books for beginner and intermediate electronics. A couple different ones, with as wide as possible range on what underlying math skills are necessary, would probably be good. That's all I can think of off the bat. Should this be done? If yes, what else should be included? -- Disclaimer: Yeah, right, like you really believe I run this place. John R. Murray | "Never code anything murray@vsjrm.scri.fsu.edu | bigger than your head.." Supercomputer Research Inst.| - Me
murray@sun13.scri.fsu.edu (John Murray) (12/04/90)
In article <1546@sun13.scri.fsu.edu> John Murray (That's me!) writes: >In article <14647@sdcc6.ucsd.edu> gbell@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Gregory Bell) writes: >> >>I am posting this to hopefully remedy a poor sig/noise ratio here on >>sci.electronics. > >Is is time to add a FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions periodic posting to >this group? Yes, it's me again already. I just finished getting through this weekend's postings -*sigh*- and have a couple more suggestions of what should be in an FAQ: >Things to include: (IMO) 4) A short bit on VCR copy protection, and a reference to the R-E article on defeating one common protection method. (what issue was that, again?) 5) (maybe) Same thing with CD's 6) (maybe) A list of phone numbers for the big silicon houses. (definitely) A list of the various BBS's run by them. 7) Suggestions for appropriate newsgroups.. wait! I did that one already! (Fix your Nintendo? I've never even seen one, nor do I want to! *GRRRR*) >That's all I can think of off the bat. Should this be done? If yes, what >else should be included? -- Disclaimer: Yeah, right, like you really believe I run this place. John R. Murray | "Never code anything murray@vsjrm.scri.fsu.edu | bigger than your head.." Supercomputer Research Inst.| - Me
gbell@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Gregory Bell) (12/04/90)
>Is is time to add a FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions periodic posting to >this group? I definitely think so. Is this group moderated? I agree with your suggestions for what to include in the FAQ, but can't think of any additions off hand (other than the 567 is not to be found in your TTL databook :). > GBell (not really working on a .sig)
ron@vicorp.com (Ron Peterson) (12/06/90)
In article <1546@sun13.scri.fsu.edu> murray@sun13.scri.fsu.edu (John Murray) writes: > >Things to include: (IMO) > >2) Where to find basic information about a XQZ-33479AC45QRF (a: get a phone > book. b: look up "library"...) Better still, how about a list of phone numbers for the major semiconductor manufacturers, parts houses, mail-order places, surplus outfits,...
cook@stout.atd.ucar.edu (Forrest Cook) (12/06/90)
In article <1990Dec6.002946.18607@vicorp.com> ron@vicorp.com (Ron Peterson) writes: >In article <1546@sun13.scri.fsu.edu> murray@sun13.scri.fsu.edu (John Murray) writes: >>2) Where to find basic information about a XQZ-33479AC45QRF (a: get a phone >> book. b: look up "library"...) >Better still, how about a list of phone numbers for the major semiconductor >manufacturers, parts houses, mail-order places, surplus outfits,... Also, don't forget a reference to SAMS for schematic information. I have seen many requests for schematics to various pieces of consumer equipment. Does anybody ever get a useful reply from these requests or are they just wasting everybody's time, including the poster? Perhaps a simple request like: If you need a schematic for a Technics XYZ Gizmo, First call Technics, second check the local library or call SAMS for a repair manual, Then if all else fails, ask the net. Also - I personally like some of the discussions about blue LEDs as long as they contain useful info like the address for Cree Research Which is 2810 Meridian Parkway Suite 176 Durham, NC 27713 by the way. -- ^ ^ Forrest Cook - <<< We all P for IP, We all BM for IBM >>> /|\ /|\ cook@stout.atd.ucar.edu WB0RIO (This posting is my OPINION) /|\ /|\ {husc6|rutgers|ames|gatech}!ncar!stout!cook
murray@sun13.scri.fsu.edu (John Murray) (12/07/90)
Ok, since there seem to be no dissenting votes on the basic idea, I'm in the process of creating a preliminary FAQ. I hope to post a rough to the net for comments in the next day or two. -- Disclaimer: Yeah, right, like you really believe I run this place. John R. Murray | "Never code anything murray@vsjrm.scri.fsu.edu | bigger than your head.." Supercomputer Research Inst.| - Me
dmt@PacBell.COM (Dave Turner) (12/07/90)
In article <1990Dec6.002946.18607@vicorp.com> ron@vicorp.com (Ron Peterson) writes: >>Things to include: (IMO) It seems to me that many queries to this group could be satisfied if only the poster would have looked a few recent issues of several popular electronics magazines. Perhaps if someone could scan the contents page of a half-dozen monthly magazines and post them. -- Dave Turner 415/823-2001 {att,bellcore,sun,ames,decwrl}!pacbell!dmt
wang@motcid.UUCP (Jerry Wang) (12/08/90)
murray@sun13.scri.fsu.edu (John Murray) writes: >In article <1546@sun13.scri.fsu.edu> John Murray (That's me!) writes: >>In article <14647@sdcc6.ucsd.edu> gbell@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Gregory Bell) writes: >>> >>>I am posting this to hopefully remedy a poor sig/noise ratio here on >>>sci.electronics. >> >>Is is time to add a FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions periodic posting to >>this group? >Yes, it's me again already. I just finished getting through this >weekend's postings -*sigh*- and have a couple more suggestions of >what should be in an FAQ: >>Things to include: (IMO) >4) A short bit on VCR copy protection, and a reference to the R-E article > on defeating one common protection method. (what issue was that, again?) >5) (maybe) Same thing with CD's >6) (maybe) A list of phone numbers for the big silicon houses. > (definitely) A list of the various BBS's run by them. >7) Suggestions for appropriate newsgroups.. wait! I did that one already! > (Fix your Nintendo? I've never even seen one, nor do I want to! *GRRRR*) >>That's all I can think of off the bat. Should this be done? If yes, what >>else should be included? I believe that there are certain amount of noise in this group. But what's signal and what's noise may be a judgement call. Is high tech signal and consumer electronics noise? I deal with a lot of DSP techniques at work, which some may call high tech (and maybe some will call it piece of cake). But I am still curios about the 'low-techs' around me and I have enjoyed reading how my video tape is protected, how SCMS works on a DAT and how can it be defeated if I ever want to re-sequence all my recordings (has anyone else concluded that it can be done on the Manchester coded digital output bit stream? i.e. external to the DAT?), tube amplifiers, where to find cheap surplus electronics, etc. On the other hand, what seemed to be 'high tech' and discussed here (not often recently) are most of the time very basic in the eyes of experts in the field. Shall we blame this type of discussion not prize winning and ask all the authors to shut up also? Why don't we share this bandwidth peacefully and spend a little effort to tune in to what we want to listen to (in our case it's not hard, the signal and the noise can be separated) and ignore what we do not like. Jerry Wang - Motorola, Cellular Infrastructure Group
rbrink@hubcap.clemson.edu (Rick Brink) (12/11/90)
From article <5915@ptsfa.PacBell.COM>, by dmt@PacBell.COM (Dave Turner): > In article <1990Dec6.002946.18607@vicorp.com> ron@vicorp.com (Ron Peterson) writes: >>>Things to include: (IMO) > > It seems to me that many queries to this group could be satisfied if only the > poster would have looked a few recent issues of several popular electronics > magazines. > > Perhaps if someone could scan the contents page of a half-dozen monthly > magazines and post them. > -- > Dave Turner 415/823-2001 {att,bellcore,sun,ames,decwrl}!pacbell!dmt This is a good idea, but I don't think anything will help. As long as the retoricals get answered, more will come. And lets remember, this is a "public" listing. My grandmother could be asking someone to drop over and fix her toaster....asuming she could get on the net. I think there are quite a few novices using the nets these days. Try reading some of the other popular boards. I'd like to read SFlovers, but I subscribed on Friday, and this morning there were 23 pages of lists. That's just dumb. They need to deversify, maybe we need to here as well.
murray@sun13.scri.fsu.edu (John Murray) (12/12/90)
In article <12180@hubcap.clemson.edu> rbrink@hubcap.clemson.edu (Rick Brink) writes: >Try reading some of the other popular boards. I'd like to read SFlovers, >but I subscribed on Friday, and this morning there were 23 pages of lists. >That's just dumb. They need to deversify, maybe we need to here as well. Personally, I'd rather not see diversification just yet. I made the awful mistake of counting the number of active newsgroups in my .newsrc and found.. well, lets just say for the sake of my personal health :-) lets not split just yet... Seriously, I wouldn't like to see this group split, since I do get something out of the diversity of topics covered here. This is only my opinion, of course. (P.S. In case anyone was wondering what happened to me, I was working on a major project that was due this morning. Why oh why am I trying to do grad school again after a 3+ year hiatus!?! I'll be working on the preliminary FAQ again after I get some sleep.. |-P ) -- Disclaimer: Yeah, right, like you really believe I run this place. John R. Murray | "Never code anything murray@vsjrm.scri.fsu.edu | bigger than your head.." Supercomputer Research Inst.| - Me