New Forum Section

[zwilnik]

Ok, so while Mike's post is very easily interpreted as being a tad negative and confrontational ( ) he does raise some valid points and his bravery/insanity at carrying on being confrontational to a mod deserves some credit

While the current Electronics forum definitely isn't a good place for this topic, otherwise someone would have posted in it, maybe a minor topic re-organise may be the way forward?

For instance, maybe change the Electronics topic to being All things non DCC/DC 'traditional' wiring (someone may need to come up with a better description) and move it from the scenery forum to the Layout Construction forum where it's more practical and probably more visible. (maybe a sticky notice for a week so everyone knows there's a new toy to play with). That way we're making better use of an underused sub-forum and making it easier for those of us doing gadgetry on our layouts to find it. There you call. Call it Gadgetry instead of Electronics (or Electronic Gadgetry just to clarify it? )

[scotsoft]

You may not regard your posts to be negative which brings me to the conclusion that being negative comes naturally to you since you can't see that yourself.

As for free speech, I posted nothing to suggest I was denying your rights.

Believe me when I say I did not attack you, I only pointed out your posts were negative.

It would be good to think we can get back on topic but I doubt it as you will no doubt take the time to reply to this post.

John.

[themadhippy]

considering pis  and ardunios are computers perhaps all topics relating to them should be in the computer sub forum

[Railwaygun]

I think that there is room for a Servo/servo controllers/Arduino/Pi forum thread - i have no problems with putting it under electronics - and we could rationalise the existing threads?

it is a developing area for points control / level crossings/things that go bump or squeak and deserves singling out.

so a vote from me ( and I may have been the first to suggest it?)

Nick R

[Railwaygun]

considering pis  and ardunios are computers perhaps all topics relating to them should be in the computer sub forum

however there a number of pure servo controllers ( not programmable) hence probably not computers?

[Zogbert Splod]

I think that there is room for a Servo/servo controllers/Arduino/Pi forum thread - i have no problems with putting it under electronics - and we could rationalise the existing threads?

it is a developing area for points control / level crossings/things that go bump or squeak and deserves singling out.

so a vote from me ( and I may have been the first to suggest it?)

Nick R

You certainly suggested that I should suggest it... 

[Zogbert Splod]

I'm not sure if this quoted post is a no vote on a new forum section or a put down of the mods!

More a "why ?" than a no, or a Mod-slap 

I think that the 'why' has been well covered.

it's headed with 'Electronics for lights etc. Not for DC and DCC related questions (please use the dedicated boards for that).

And stuff like wiring for points doesn't fit under the "etc" because ... ?

Because there is a forum for 'Track, points and underlay' perhaps?

It seems then, that using your model of forum use, I should perhaps search the forum each day with Arduino as a search term, just in case I miss something!

What model of forum use ?  Where did I prescribe one ?

Right here:

Given that there are barely 3 pages of items in the existing Electronics forum, what benefit does this give ?  People are unable to look through 2 pages + 1 post on the 3rd page   It's hardly like trawling through a 20+ page area full of totally unrelated posts ... I think it's only 14 threads per page ?

What I said was "as long as they are in Electronics" - now, there may be a reason why they are located elsewhere - but I note Bealman's Arduino thread is located in - surprise ! - the Electronics area.  There is an argument to be made about putting things in the right place - having another location won't magically improve things ... it just means another place to have to look ...

Yes, Bealman's Arduino thread is indeed located in Electronics. There are also Arduino threads located in a large number of alternative places across the forum. I suggest that having another dedicated location would indeed improve things by making it easier to find something that those interested could use. It would also make it easier for the mods to move posts to an appropriate place if the occasion required it. As far as being another place to have to look. Nah, no one has to look at any section of the forum.
With that said, there seems to be a reasonable amount of support for the possibility of such an added section so I would suggest that you acknowledge that you wouldn't really need to enter that section of the forum if you choose not to, and, become a little less confrontational and negative.

[zwilnik]

considering pis  and ardunios are computers perhaps all topics relating to them should be in the computer sub forum

however there a number of pure servo controllers ( not programmable) hence probably not computers?

That's why I'm thinking it should be an Electronic Gadgetry forum. So it covers programable gadgets as well as the simple boxes (that may involve some pre-done programming under the hood) that just involve plugging in. The computer sub forum is more for people having issues with their computers anyway, and very detached from actual fun stuff with railway modelling.

[ScottyStitch]

Wow, that escalated quickly!

Okay, here's a novel idea. Why not Create a NEW Electronics Forum (ditch the one in scenics) and then have sub forums (sub-forum? Sub-fori? Sub-fora?) inside that for each of Arduino, Rasp Pi, BlackCurrant Jam, Strawberry Switchblade, etc, etc.

No ambiguity, no confusion, no problem 

Happy modelling everyone, and play nice!

[Zogbert Splod]

considering pis  and ardunios are computers perhaps all topics relating to them should be in the computer sub forum

however there a number of pure servo controllers ( not programmable) hence probably not computers?

That's why I'm thinking it should be an Electronic Gadgetry forum. So it covers programable gadgets as well as the simple boxes (that may involve some pre-done programming under the hood) that just involve plugging in. The computer sub forum is more for people having issues with their computers anyway, and very detached from actual fun stuff with railway modelling.

Good points there...
I am jumping ahead of myself here but possibly the set up could be:
Control electronics and servo's
    Arduino
     RasPi
     PIC
     Other controllers
     Servo's

I have mod-ed and run forums in the past and I know it can be complex and time consuming to re-frame a board like this, so this is just a discussion at this point.  Lets not run away with it.

You beat me to it, well, something like it anyhow... I'm with you ScottyStitch... Yeah, what he said ^^^^^ up there.....

[dannyboy]

Why not Create a NEW Electronics Forum (ditch the one in scenics) and then have sub forums (sub-forum? Sub-fori? Sub-fora?) inside that for each of Arduino, Rasp Pi, BlackCurrant Jam, Strawberry Switchblade, etc, etc.

No ambiguity, no confusion, no problem 

Makes sense to me  . David.

[GeeBee]

As I am just starting with the Arduino boards it would help me if everything is in one place
Graham

[N-Gauge-US]

When I joined the forum last summer, my father had suggested I look at Arduino control for DCC but there was little about it on the forum and I didn't want to have to utilize an all electronics forum or a different modeling forum just to get the help I needed. In the last few months, it seems a large number of members have started using/posting about Arduinos and RasPis and I am suddenly much more interested in using it as an option. I think a single place bringing these topics together would be welcome as ultimately these programmable platforms are so versatile that they don't fit neatly into an extant category and, because of their specialized requirements (programming, etc), they stand out somewhat from other similar topics, be that point control or anything else. The way you approach these tools is fundamentally different than other elements of our modeling, precisely because they are so versatile and so user-dependent. For someone looking to see if Arduinos or the like are an avenue they might be interested in pursuing, a single location bringing these threads together would be most welcome indeed. Just my thoughts

[Pengi]

The reason that Electronics ended up under Scenery and Landscaping is because initially, the topic was about lighting buildings, switching lights on and off in buildings etc. However things have moved on since that time and my vote is that the Electronics section should become a Board in its own right.

I am not sure that it should spawn a multitude of sub-boards though This forum already has a vast number of sub-boards - some of which are hardly used. For example, I was guilty  of asking for a sub-board on Water (ponds, sea etc) to be created and it has very little use. A few posts on a particular topic at a point in time does not automatically translate into new sub-boards that will get a lot traffic.

The other issue is that when using the mobile version of the site, it can take ages to scroll down the list of Boards  and sub-boards to find the topic of interest so my vote is to keep things simple.

So I think we should move the Electronics sub-board and make it a main Board and then monitor it to see if sub-boards are justified.

[Pengi]

Good News - Tank has moved the Electronics section and it is now a main board

We will start to migrate electronic related topics into this board. There are some in the DC and DCC sections - do you want to keep them in these sections or want them moved into the Electronics section?