DIY Solar Power Wiki

[upnorthandpersonal]

@all,

It seems quite some people start getting frustrated with the amount of info hidden and spread out across multiple threads. Threads on interesting topics seem to grow very long, information is repeated, some of it lost in the noise. Would it be possible to integrate a wiki in this site so all the useful information can be in one location and can be easier to keep track of. It would also be easier to deal with new topics that ask the same thing that has been answered over and over.

Opinions? Options? Or?

 

[Bob142]

There's definitely support for the wiki concept buried within the bingo thread.

 

[Dzl]

@all,

It seems quite some people start getting frustrated with the amount of info hidden and spread out across multiple threads. Threads on interesting topics seem to grow very long, information is repeated, some of it lost in the noise. Would it be possible to integrate a wiki in this site so all the useful information can be in one location and can be easier to keep track of. It would also be easier to deal with new topics that ask the same thing that has been answered over and over.

Opinions? Options? Or?

I like the idea, I'm on board with it, I find Wiki's very useful for learning and referencing

 

[svetz]

I still like the FAQs

 

[upnorthandpersonal]

I still like the FAQs

The problem with the FAQs is that this is fine for 'simple' things, but feel quite limited in that you can't e.g. properly document entire systems, build battery suppliers list with documentation and test results from various members, etc. or in other words, create 'living' documents that multiple people can contribute to without it turning into an endless list of comments with information that gets lost in the noise.

 

[45North]

Or we could have some "stickies" frozen at the top.
But only mods (or Will) would have power to create them. Are they willing to spend the time?

 

[Dzl]

Or we could have some "stickies" frozen at the top.
But only mods (or Will) would have power to create them. Are they willing to spend the time?

Svetz certainly is, (I'm not volunteering him, but if you look at the amount of information in the FAQ section, you can tell how much time and effort and thought has been devoted to those threads.

You wouldn't necessarily need to change much either, the information could (and maybe should) reside in the FAQ section, but the FAQ table of contents, and relevant entries specific to certain subforum's could be linked to in stickies in the individual forums (specifically the beginners and newcomers forum where the same basic questions get asked almost daily). And if a Wiki was created, it could be linked to in the stickies as well.

I would certainly be willing to devote some time and my limited knowledge to contribute to a Wiki or stickied posts or work with some of you more knowledgeable folks who have expertise to contribute but don't necessarily want to write it all out.

 

[upnorthandpersonal]

Maybe this plug-in could work:

https://xenforo.com/community/resources/xf2-8wr-xencarta-2-wiki-pro.6393/

 

[tictag]

I do absolutely agree with you but for one point: people come here to have their questions answered. We are not a reference book, we're a group of problem solving enthusiasts. I do agree with the concept of a knowlegebase, after all, we are all repeating mostly the same stuff to most queries. But to expect visitors to "read the reference book, then come back if you have any further questions" kinda defeats the purpose of such a vibrant and helpful forum.

I wonder, let's take the analogy of software development - you never (or at least very rarely) write all the code for your application in one file starting at line 0 through to line whatever; you call other routines, you create object classes, helper files etc, then use them again and again. Nothing is ever repeated, just called where an whenever needed.

What if we had a wiki that was modular, callable, with nuggets of information that are relevant to many viewer queries and scenarios? Like, for example, @FilterGuy's fusing guide, or my f'ing energy audit table that I am so sick of creating over and over! Then when we're writing response we can simply hyperlink to the wiki page like wikipedia does.

This way we are still able to problem solve and offer bespoke solutions to the unique challenges the forum viewers have but at the same time re-use 'nuggets' of wisdom that apply to most, if not all, DIY Solar scenarios.

We could collectively come up with a list of such wiki modules:

1. Technology: DC Fuse Types
2. Technology: PV Panel Types
3. Technology: SCC Types
4. Practices: Cable sizing
5. Practices: Crimping
6. How To: Do an energy audit
7. How To: Spec a cable
8. How To: Bond and earth a PV array
9. How To: Tell Will how wonderful he is without coming across as creepy

 

[45North]

Or else mebbe Will could write an informative, comprehensive book on the subject and make it available to everyone inexpensively on Amazon... oh wait!!
Would it be rude to tell people to go away and come back when they've read the book? Or, as we used to say - RTFM!

Or, my other favourite is some variety of "I think I wanna DIY but I have no idea about all this volts, watts math stuff - so can someone please design a system for me?

Or, I've already bought X, Y, Z - What else do I need? What am I trying to power? I dunno - Why do you ask? Does that really matter?

 

[Dzl]

Or, my other favourite is some variety of "I think I wanna DIY but I have no idea about all this volts, watts math stuff - so can someone please design a system for me?

Yeah, I spend lots of time in the beginner forum, I genuinely like helping beginners (I am a beginner) who want to learn and are willing to put in a bit of effort, and I get how overwhelming it can be at first, but the amount of people coming here lately who give almost zero information about what they are trying to do, put in almost zero effort trying to understand the basics, put in no effort to help us help them (for instance links to the products or datasheets) they purchased, yet still expect to get meaningful help or better yet a complete tailored parts list for them is perplexing.

I try really really really hard, not to default to the jaded 'check the manual,' but so many of the questions being asked on a near daily basis can be answered in 5 minutes by checking the manual (and half of the answers I give aren't based on knowledge I have, but based on checking someones manual for them). And its not just that they CAN be answered by checking the manual or spec sheet, they SHOULD be answered by checking the manual, there are many very smart people on this forum, but the most authoritative source of information on your device in most circumstances should be the engineers that designed it.

I can totally empathize with being overwhelmed or confused reading an overly technical manual, or not knowing where to start or what to look for (sometimes I'm so lost, I literally can't figure out how to formulate the a question), that's where people here can be amazingly helpful, but as beginners (in any field) we need to put in a little legwork ourselves, do some research, and at the very least make it easy for others to help us.

/End rant

 

[TommyD]

Xuba Electronics: DEAL - 280AH LiFePo4 cells. Purchase & Review
There is enough information in this one thread noted above (around 650 posts) to likely complete half the Wiki! I like ”tictag’s” idea.

 

[Dzl]

Xuba Electronics: DEAL - 280AH LiFePo4 cells. Purchase & Review
There is enough information in this one thread noted above (around 650 posts) to likely complete half the Wiki! I like ”tictag’s” idea.

That alone is a pretty good argument in favor of the FAQ and a Wiki, nobody would ever suspect a thread about a single type of battery from a single alibaba reseller would be a source of so much general info. And nobody that hasn't been following the thread from the get go can realistically wade through 650 comments to find nuggets of useful info!

 

[Dhowman]

In my opinion, something, whether it's a wiki, faq or sticky feature, is preferable to nothing. I also think that when folks head into this territory, the perfect is always the enemy of the better. And no one will agree on which perfect is better than another. Perfect also has the downside that it usually means high manual maintenance and then they're abandoned.

Having said that, I like stickies on other forums I visit. Yes, folks need individual coaching, but that coaching for newbies invariably involves answering the same questions over and over and over. Those answers or coaching are not specific to them. "Hey, go check the system sizing-stickies and then come back to me if you have any questions not answered there."

One nice way to ID what should be stickied is to have the ability to ID the most referenced posts or threads. Culling these into an organized (by topic) sticky list is a very useful to refer to (yourself or others). Stickies also become a very good content source if you want to create FAQs or Wikis down the road, so you can look at it as an evolution that can be navigated based on improvements that might be ID'd after you've taken the first step, vs jumping all the way to the last step. Trying to improve something if you've jumped too far ahead is always harder to do and usually results in something that isn't as good as the gradual approach ("Agile" for all you SW folks).

 

[TommyD]

.... and I believe we should have lots of diagrams, charts, schematics, etc. For me, a “visual” conveys way more information than words! Words can be so imprecise. Also, a visual gives a common reference point to guide a discussion to avoid statements like “Oh, I didn’t know you were talking about the “doohicke’. I thought you were talking about the “schmeglitizer“. I was impressed by this TED Talk re visualizing data.

 

[upnorthandpersonal]

lots of diagrams, charts, schematics, etc.

Seconded.

 

[Steve_S]

Interesting topic / subject and being responsible for the XUBA THREAD and a few others maybe I'll pipe in.
I have written about and documented many systems (Software related to Virtual World's & Real Time Simulation Systems ) to the tune of thousands of articles in Specialised forums and wiki's. I HATE WIKI'S especially the editing / writing tools, yeah, they got better but are still horrid. BTW, Not using my same ID as here an I have since parted with all of those organisations. WIKI while a good idea for centralised knowledge collection it is far from friendly and the administrative overhead is high.

Forums with a proper structure and sub-categories can accomplish very much the same thing. There is a LOT of Gold out there in the forum but lays intertwined through various threads... Like the XUBA one pointed out, there is lot's there BUT the tedium of trying to wade through all of it... ughness ! Stickies are great (I see Technical Posts I made 13 years ago still stickied and being used as GOTO documentation) Would I suggest / recommend a WIKI for this forum ? NO ! Simply because I KNOW what it takes to administer, manage and operate a living & growing wiki which the average bear hasn't a clue about and TBH, it's a Time Killer and certainly not something Will or other admins here would want to do for free.

Admins have the rights to grant various permissions and capabilities to individual users, that could include them being able to make Sticky Posts or other things. Unfortunately, in 2020 The "Snowflakes" are running rampant and would come up with various ways of being "offended" just because they want to be offended. (where is my snowflake flamethrower?, maybe we can get Elon Musk to send a flamethrower to each admin. )

One BIG WIN FOR FORUMS is that they are Living Dynamic Sites and when a Forum is Good, Healthy & being a positive source of "interaction" it flourishes and information is shared, discussed and much is learned. Wiki's are not dynamic, there is no discussion and it's "dry textbook reading" which is off-putting for many. There IS A TRICK TO IT ! And this is somethin that HAS been missed here and I haven't the foggiest idea why, it's so obvious, like the nose on ones face obvious. IF the same Question is asked 3 or more times, the answers should be documented and placed into the FAQ - Knowledge Base Sub-Forum as a Sticky ! I will NOT answer the same question repeatedly, I will aim people at the answers already provided.

Stop & Think for a moment, how many times have you seen the same question asked ? (rhetorial)
How many times have you answered the same shtick ?
Have you ever had to re-argue the same points and provide the same evidence, proof, documented information ? While thinking to yourself "geez, I could spend an hour doing something else or answering other questions"

I think about those people who come in and say Ohh I bought this that and the other thing so how do I put it together and make it work. But they provide no details, specs or links to what they got. 1ST FAQ should be about HOW TO ASK A QUESTION ! which ought to include a note about "Impulse Buying" stuff you do not understand, nor have a plan for.

A few points to chomp on while working on Coffee #2. Just my opinion based on over 30 years doing this sort of thing, yes, from BEFORE the arrival of the Internet. But then what do I know, I still remember my COBOL and Assembler programming and using punch cards....

 

[erik.calco]

The wiki is a great idea. Yeah, I heard the argument that the forum is better for helping beginners. But, one thing is clear and that many of us go beyond the basics and lack references. We get tired of posting questions because it just doesn't work for many things. Why don't we have a parts list for all the components all of us used? That's what I want. I don't want to debate the importance of a parts list. I just want a parts list I can contribute to and leverage. Never going to happen in a forum format. Need a wiki for that.

Creating a wiki is about moving BEYOND what we can accomplish in a forum, while continuing to do best what we do in a forum, have discussions.

There will be cross links and synergy between them. That is a good thing that takes our community to the next level. It will still be the same great community discussing topics and helping each other. Only, we'll accomplish more together with broader scoped tools. It's like adding a table saw to your drill set.

 

[tictag]

@Steve_S I infer from your post that you would advocate structured forums based on subject, a FAQ and stickied posts. I'm still new around here but isn't that what we have now?

OP is suggesting that what we have now could be improved upon. How would you improve upon what we have now? Or do you disagree with OP?

I must confess, I do personally agree with @upnorthandpersonal and have heard myself many forum visitors comment on them being unable to find information on x, y or z. Of course we could just direct visitors to RTFF (Read The Fricking FAQ) but I'm never comfortable replying with such stock answers.

Another couple ideas for consideration would be to:

1. Somehow raise the prominence of the forum search feature, even simply colouring the <div> or <td> (or whatever) background red would help.
2. Enhance the post title entry box to dynamically populate a search results box i.e. when somebody is writting a new post, they are presented with other similar posts that might be relevant.

 

[Steve_S]

Unfortunately the SEARCH function in this software is partially BORKED and is lacking. To get anything meaningful out of it you have to use Advanced Search and 90% of people won't. Either that or you have to use Googles Search of the site to find material and that is tedium to the nth.