I know that @Will Prowse and others has warned me a few times about being bitchy...
...
YES - I did NOT get the "PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS" ribbon in school
FWIW, I've never thought you come across as rude or an asshole or overbearing (i've found you mostly friendly and quite helpful). Occasionally, I've felt you were guilty of forgetting how much more knowledge, expertise, and confidence with electronics you have compared to the average layperson or first time DIYer, and how daunting and steep the learning curve can be for newbies, and that sometimes limits your viewpoint. But that's natural, as you get more comfortable with something you forget about all the internalized knowledge and experience, I'm guilty of the same thing quite frequently, and I'm at best a solar/electrical kindergartener (even that is generous) compared with you and many of the smart folks here.
A person can literally say "I have $1000 dollars. Can you tell me exactly what I need to buy - where to buy it - and send me schematics and pictures on how to hook it up?" and someone - if not several folks will do just that - step by step ... AND I DON'T MIND THOSE GUYS AT ALL ...
BUT what I get "BITCHY" about is when ppl go out and randomly buy $2000 of things - like 400W Panels rated at 90Vs with a 30A 12V MPPT and 100 feet of 16GA wires and 24V CHARGERY system for a 48V system - and then complain when we tell them that they need to change this or that to make it work or blame ppl for misleading them on what to buy ...
I am often quite amazed how haphazardly and naively many people go about purchasing hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of equipment without even understanding the very basics of what they are buying and how it all fits together.
And also get frustrated/fed up, when those same people get indignant or just refuse to spend the time to understand what they are doing and why people are advising them not to do it that way. For me one of the major draws to DIY, is learning, and being in control, and acquiring skills, I can't relate to the people that just want someone to tell them exactly what to buy, provide links, etc without attempting to understand "the why and the how" behind the what, even on a super basic level.
I like answering the basic questions in the beginner section, even the same questions, its one way I can give back, and it helps me solidify my understanding. I don't mind making specific product recommendations where I can, but always in the teach-a-man-to-fish way.
I think one of the things that makes this community very interesting is that people come here for a variety of reasons with all different levels of experience and knowledge. Will's videos run the spectrum from Solar "generator" and Renogy product reviews, and "Watts vs Volts vs Amps" type beginner videos, to "advanced methods for capacity testing your homemade lifepo4 battery pack." Its easy for those of us interested in the latter, to forget that many people arrive here after watching the former, and forget that while for many of us, DIY means building your own battery bank, etc etc, for many DIY means connecting a Battleborn to an all-in-one inverter/charger and scc thowing a panel or two on the roof and calling it day. And both definitely do count as DIY.
But I digress...
The long and short of it is I think you are a valuable and positive and helpful member of this community, and that this community is quite positive and helpful as a whole.
People arrive here with all different levels of experience/confidence with all different objectives, and as long as they are here to learn, and be positive, and hopefully contribute too, we should try to help as best we can!
