The future of The Lab & Drawing Board (*Vote*)

Some thoughts:

Option 1: Categorical organization of growing content = improved search-ability.

Option 2: Blended discussions on various topics, you might stumble upon an interesting topic you wouldn't have otherwise sought out.

Option 3: I'm sure whatever happens, I'll be happy. ;D

I personally like the current format, but I am in the minority it seems. Whatever is handed down is o.k. by me

Option 1:

(Merge The Lab and Drawing Board under one banner.)

Categorical organization of growing content = improved search-ability.

Just to further elaborate, Option 1 is to take all of the topics in the Drawing Board and The Lab and organize them into new "category forums" like: Amplifiers, Compressors, Equalizers, etc...

Please use the poll ^^above^^ to cast your vote instead of posting messages. Thanks! 8)

It is huge task to manually categorize the topics. I predict half of the topics don't fall nicely into so discrete categories = you have to read each of these to determine where it belongs or more possibly the topic ends up in wrong category. I predict huge work that ends up with huge mess :

is there tagging system available for Simplemachines forum so that anyone can tag any topics? This way the reader and writer does the categorization

I think things would become too fragmented - plenty of projects would fall across multiple categories (i.e. channel strips could be a preamp, compressor, EQ and DI box), and a tube mic would be a capsule and an amp.

And where do we stop? Do we separate tube from solid state? Transformers from transformerless? Discrete from IC? And so on.

We already have the metas. My vote is for the status quo.

Maybe the lab could be subdivised into categories like "equipement maintenance/repair discussions", "electronic parts questions", "project builds/ideas area", but it looks like a lot of work though. I find the actual version fine 

I love your site.

I will vote for "don't really care".. because i am willing to go with the flow (but I do care, I love it) it works ok  But I do have a suggestion.

I do think you could create 1 (one) additional category, which is "build threads".



It seems to me the lab and drawing board overlap, but there are "build threads" that support specific projects or specific PCB's (white market and otherwise) which have a problem:

1) They can be hard to find, and are rarely named consistently....
2) They tend to get fragmented ... into feeler... discussion... build thread... problems... so it can be hard to gather the information for a build.

If it could be made so the person that started the thread could easily "move" it from a Feeler... to a Build Thread... that might be useful.

Or perhaps you could have a published convention that all of the Feeler/Build/support threads subjects started with the product name, that might help.

Anyway, keep up the good work!  your board is wonderful.

agree with above completely

option 1 would be silly and confusing. what if you are seeking input designing a comp with a different pre or make up stage, put it in multiple threads?

what if you have a specific item in for repair or modification.. an esoteric channel strip or rack unit with comp and eq together?multiple threads again?

the drawing board and lab make complete sense for a diy point of view. as they are.
you can imagine pen and paper design stage with idea tossing etc and the lab more like a workbench for already finished/physical repair work.

Also... we know our way around after a short time but any newbies will STILL stumble into the wrong place and post regardless (even more work and threads to move around with more categories)

a diy or 'build specific' area might really help clean things up, and would be FAR easier to categorise and navigate.

so +1 on option 2 for me

KISS!

> blurred line between The Lab & Drawing Board

What blur?

LAB is on your bench smoking.

BOARD is only in your head.

> Merge The Lab and Drawing Board

IMHO: no. "In our head" discussions tend to percolate for months. "On the bench" discussions are much more numerous and sometimes fast-n-furious.

Conversely, sub-splitting into VCA limiters, OTA limiters, Mu limiters, Opto limiters, kiwi limiters, PWM limiters, FET limiters, etc etc.... is slicing the meat too thin.

^^^^^^

This guy above me speaks the truth!

Split it too thin, and it becomes Gearslutz, or worse, CNCZone.

I like the current format.

But perhaps there could be a single forum categorised for all the "official build thread" types. There's a lot of them. Sometimes the first page of lab seems to be mostly that.

Drawing board is my favourite as it moves nice and slow. I only wish that discussions that were originally in the drawing board for months would never be moved to lab. Sure some drawings turn into builds, but it's really confusing threads jump forums when that happens sometimes.

Hi,
people tend to ask quite noob questions e.g. concerning a single component value and open up a new thread. This should somehow be avoided. Would a newbe area good for this? Otherwise I agree with PRR.
regards
Bernd

Keep it the way it is but an 'official build thread' page  is a good idea.

I can't see further division making much sense.  A newb forum might make sense, particularly if it were combined with general electronics questions as opposed to project & design questions.  But then again, maybe not. 

I don't think we need to treat new members any differently, and I wouldn't want to see segregation or any kind of 'nursery' forum. Today's new members are tomorrow's experts, and in fact some new members have vast amounts of experience already.

The GroupDIY community (aka ProdPro, formerly Tech Talk) has always very welcoming and inclusive. And errant new (and experienced!) posters are often quickly redirected to an appropriate 'official' support thread.

z50

Current works, adding new categories will only expand the number of posts placed in the wrong place. If you already can't figure out 2 options, well....

i think there are two sides to this. 

a)  a sub-forum strictly for build threads would be awesome because it would make it super easy for anyone to find all the info needed to build a particular kit.

b)  part of the DIY charm is that it takes a bit of work to dig up all the info regarding building something.  it's kinda nice having to hunt to dig up the info required for a build.

Yeah, def "official build threads" and "noob questions" would be good.
Maybe there could be a more polite way to phrase "noob qustions", maybe "simpler problems" or "matters of varying complexity" or some such.
You know, for topics like, "5w resistor, or 2w will be enough?", "Should I braid wires?", "How to make a PCB at home?" and so on...
:

The only problem with a "newb forum" is that people with the ability to answer will rarely venture there...