How to use this forum - please read

nickgammon · February 14, 2013, 2:29am

15. More tips ...

If you want to receive good answers to your questions in the Arduino forums - be sure to provide us with your complete source code, your schematic and/or hookup diagram (we much prefer a schematic if you have one), as well as clear pictures relating to your project (ie - with a schematic and a clear picture of your breadboard, we can easily spot bad connections, for instance).

Don't give us links to another website showing someone else's implementation (pictures, schematics or code) - we need to see your implementation. I cannot tell you how many times questions have gone round and round with people seeking help, only to find out that they had made a wiring mistake, which we could have spotted fairly quickly had they originally provided us with pictures, etc of their project.

Post your complete code (and use the code tags!); if your code is too large to put in a single post, then provide a link to a github or similar shared area. Sometimes we can diagnose an issue with just a snippet of code, but more often than not, the complete code will reveal to us problems that can't be found with just a snippet. If you can't post the complete code, schematics, or other parts of your project (due to any number of issues), then you may find that we won't be of much help.

Learn how to properly ask questions:

http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

Also - don't expect answers immediately - don't sit there waiting, "bumping" the thread every 15 minutes or so; more likely than not, that will just turn off people from helping you. Instead, use your waiting time to think about your problem, and other ways to potentially find the problems or fix it. In other words, be productive with your time waiting - you might just fix it before anyone else does! Be sure to update the thread if you try new things and get results that seem promising (or that fail as well). Most of the time you may have to wait a while, simply because people are trying to look at the problem, understand the issues, and figure out a solution. Some of them (depending on the problem of course) may be trying to replicate your project, to see if they can get the same failures to occur, and how to fix them.

When someone gives you advice, try it out. Don't just sit there and contradict them, or tell them "no that can't be it" - unless you have a really good reason why that would be (and provided you gave us a proper description and such about your project, and asked the questions properly - then you should have addressed those reasons anyhow from the beginning). Nothing is more frustrating than someone asking for help only for them to turn around being contrary after you have given them help.

Also - don't claim you are an engineer or some other high-falutin' title, and then go and ask questions that make us wonder what box of cracker jacks you got your degree from. We can see through that a mile away; we also don't like doing other people's homework for them, and we see those kinds of questions often as well at certain periodic moments (on this and other electronics forums we are on - we all have seen it, we know when the waves are about to start with people asking for homework help - we don't mind honest questions toward understanding, but we don't like being conned into doing someone's homework).

This section courtesy of forum user cr0sh.

16. The X-Y problem

We see a lot of X-Y problem questions on the forum. In brief, this is asking a question about how to do Y when you really want to do X.

You want to do X.
You don't know how to do X, but are guessing that maybe doing Y will help.
You ask on the forum how to do Y, without mentioning X (your real goal)
People spend a lot of time helping you with Y, not being sure why you want to do it in the first place.
Eventually (sometimes days later) everyone realizes your goal is to do X.
Finally you get assistance with the real problem.

Solution: State what you really want to do (eg. flash 3 LEDs at different rates) rather than how you think it might be achieved (eg. manipulate internal processor registers).

To quote this page in other threads:

[url=http://arduino.cc/forum/index.php/topic,148850.0.html]How to use this forum[/url]

Individual points:

1. Register and sign in
1. Choose an appropriate forum section
1. [Choose the correct language[/li]
1. [Do some research before posting[/li]
1. [Click on the New Topic button[/li]
1. [Make a meaningful subject line[/li]
1. [If you are posting code or error messages, use "code" tags[/li]
1. [You can add attachments[/li]
1. [You can insert images[/li]
1. [Post in proper sentences[/li]
1. [Tips for getting the most out of your post[/li]
1. [Don't "message" technical questions to people[/li]
1. [Forum etiquette[/li]
1. [Once you have a response[/li]
1. [More tips[/li]
1. [X-Y problem[/li]
  [/list]
(Right-click and choose "Copy Link Location" to make a copy of one of the links).*
SIMPLE TROUBLESHOOTING.*

These steps may also save you some unnecessary time and effort in the forum.

If applicable provide your SKETCH inside CODE TAGS ( </> ).
If applicable provide a schematic even if hand drawn.
Ensure you turn off any additional security / antivirus just to test.
Where possible use USB 2.0 ports or a USB 2.0 POWERED HUB.
Try other computers where possible.
Try other USB leads where possible.
Avoid cloud / network based installations where possible OR Ensure your Network / Cloud based software is RUNNING.
You do not have the correct driver installed.
There may be a problem with the PC.
You may be selecting the wrong COM port.
There is a problem with the board.
You have something connected to pins 0 and 1.

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How to use this forum - please read

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