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General Vintage Technology Discussions For general discussions about vintage radio and other vintage electronics etc. |
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23rd Nov 2021, 10:03 pm | #1 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Oxfordshire, UK.
Posts: 4,924
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How do you keep Records of your Projects?
I guess that we all keep records, but how do you do it and how well does your system work?
I keep notes in A5 spiral-backed note books; I like these as they will fold back on themselves, so occupy little bench space. I chose ones which have pages which also have holes for ring-plan folders. So day by day, I keep dated records on various projects which may be going on (on separate pages), and then periodically, tear the pages out of the day-book and put them into folders which are project-specific. The major flaw with this system is that the projects also generate electronic documents, so inevitably the information which I have is divided in to two files. What are others doing? B
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23rd Nov 2021, 10:26 pm | #2 |
Nonode
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Resolfen, Wales; and Bristol, England
Posts: 2,588
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Re: How do you keep Records of your Projects?
I have folders in my "Electronic Projects" folder on the computer. All related electronic documents go in there, and I try to scan all the paper jottings & rough circuits to place in the folder too. Oh, and any photos of parts of the project. I try to keep everything electronically but inevitably there's the odd piece of paper floating around!
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23rd Nov 2021, 10:59 pm | #3 |
Banned
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Mareeba, North Queensland, Australia
Posts: 2,704
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Re: How do you keep Records of your Projects?
Generally I keep track very badly, unless its a major project like the Goldenears. I also keep little note books where I scribble down ideas, at anytime ( I have a crazy brain that never sleeps ). I also keep a calculator on my bedside table so that I can do the calcs when I think of them.
I draw all my stuff up using KiCad and store the drawings and parts lists in a filing cabinet in their own folder. All the background study and articles I have read go into the same hanger, but their own folder. The little notebooks ( have a BIG box of them ) are all saved so I can go back and look. I am stupid enough to never date anything, so I reread all the bits and bobs that I have written down, which I find quite good because I get new ideas on the subjects. Joe |
23rd Nov 2021, 11:04 pm | #4 |
Nonode
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Tintinara, South Australia, Australia
Posts: 2,324
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Re: How do you keep Records of your Projects?
Same as Richard - seperate folders on the computer, with said folders divided into seperate categories like model railway, ham radio, PIC etc.
Most of my rough paper sketchings are transferred to electronic format in the form of CAD drawings, Word documents etc. |
24th Nov 2021, 3:05 am | #5 |
Dekatron
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 18,676
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Re: How do you keep Records of your Projects?
Here is a screenshot of part of my Projects folder.
Typically each sub folder will contain a text document for random notes, and/or a Word document if I need to embed images. An image folder which will include scanned images of any scribblings I have made on paper.
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24th Nov 2021, 4:15 am | #6 |
Triode
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia
Posts: 26
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Re: How do you keep Records of your Projects?
Like many of us I have project folders on my PC with documentation, images and so on. But I also am very fond of google docs because I can access them using my phone or from any PC. I like to keep summaries and lists as a ready reminder of what I am up to with different projects - especially if I am out and about.
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24th Nov 2021, 6:49 am | #7 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Oxfordshire, UK.
Posts: 4,924
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Re: How do you keep Records of your Projects?
The bit of the process that I'm really asking about is the part where you have an item you are repairing or just building and its on the bench with various bits of test gear around it, and you're just checking some voltages to see what's happening. I find it much easier and faster to make those notes on paper, perhaps with very brief notes or little sketch drawings or diagrams.
Turning around to a PC and keyboarding in each value read would seem inefficient to me, but does simplify overall filing. B
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Saturn V had 6 million pounds of fuel. It would take thirty thousand strong men to lift it an inch. |
24th Nov 2021, 7:14 am | #8 |
Nonode
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Resolfen, Wales; and Bristol, England
Posts: 2,588
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Re: How do you keep Records of your Projects?
Ah, that’s different. I tend to scribble notes on a printed copy of the circuit diagram or in the service manual.
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Richard Index: recursive loop: see recursive loop |
24th Nov 2021, 8:00 am | #9 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Sleaford, Lincs. UK.
Posts: 7,637
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Re: How do you keep Records of your Projects?
Some very efficient record keepers there. My "records" are mostly on scrap bits of paper and various note books. About three times a week I frantically search through piles of paper and notebooks looking for circuit diagrams and records of voltages taken. About once every so often I try and bring order to this chaos by re-drawing schematics and trying to collect all relevant bits of paper into one place and put them in a folder. Once every few months I have a cull of scrap bits of paper.
Aside from this I film video's for my Youtoob channel most of which don't get published but this is a valuable record of work done, which wire went where, etc. I also have picture folders in the PC often wrongly labled. Andy.
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24th Nov 2021, 10:42 am | #10 |
Octode
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Carmel, Llannerchymedd, Anglesey, UK.
Posts: 1,498
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Re: How do you keep Records of your Projects?
Still being involved in a bit of commercial work, I keep electronic, PC and mechanical drawings on computer (with backup). Software is kept with either SCCS or Visual studio.
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24th Nov 2021, 11:00 am | #11 | |
Nonode
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Tintinara, South Australia, Australia
Posts: 2,324
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Re: How do you keep Records of your Projects?
Quote:
Updating of the data on the PC is normally done after I've finished rather than during unless I need a coffee break, then, in a rather un-male like process, I tend to do two things at once (although drinking coffee could possibly be thought of as an autonomous response ). |
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24th Nov 2021, 11:09 am | #12 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Coningsby, Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 2,814
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Re: How do you keep Records of your Projects?
I just don’t bother!! I take loads of photos, and sometimes do a little write up on here or over on VRAT, some notes get scribbled on scraps of paper, if I decide they are important I’ll scan them into the PC.
Regards Lloyd |
24th Nov 2021, 11:18 am | #13 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK.
Posts: 5,190
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Re: How do you keep Records of your Projects?
In my case :
A4 plain looseleaf paper and a Rotring pen for the diagrams I want to keep, like reverse-engineered circuits, etc. At the end of the project I scan those into the PC (and make a backup -- several backups) and put the sheets into an envelope labelled '<devce name> circuit diagram MASTER' which then gets filed in a storage box. A hardbacked 'bench book' for rough notes, bits of diagrams I am working out, etc. A similar 'order book' for parts I need so I can do sensible-sized orders rather than ordering a couple of transistors at a time. Often I'll print out the circuit diagram from the service manual or my reverse-engineered version and annotate it with voltage readings, etc as I am tracing the fault. |
24th Nov 2021, 12:56 pm | #14 |
Hexode
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Weymouth, Dorset, UK.
Posts: 473
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Re: How do you keep Records of your Projects?
I keep record on my iMac confuser, in a specific folder along with Kicad schematics and scans of front panel drawings/photographs etc.
A copy is kept of the folder in my TimeMachine backup system, just in case. Some of my designs go back some 30 years and are still in use today.
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Valve equipment repairs since 1968 https://jonsnell.co.uk |
24th Nov 2021, 1:31 pm | #15 |
Octode
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,782
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Re: How do you keep Records of your Projects?
Like Terry VK5TM. All my projects are in the PC, Separate folders for each project, with schematics in Modern projects and PCB arts in the PCB section. Scribbles when proven are transferred, usually at coffee times, I keep all versions, the "OLD" file has all the previous versions. only the current version is visible. Take my 2 M Transceiver project.. on version 13 of pcb and ver 12 in schematic. Works for me.
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24th Nov 2021, 3:45 pm | #16 | |
Nonode
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Gloucester, Glos. UK.
Posts: 2,149
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Re: How do you keep Records of your Projects?
Quote:
Notes scribbled on anything to hand and shoved in an out of date Diary but i only clear out every year or so . Im not very organised where my brother is totally the opposite complete with filing cabinets etc .
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Oh I've had that for years dear!! |
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24th Nov 2021, 5:03 pm | #17 |
Hexode
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Southampton, Hampshire, UK.
Posts: 419
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Re: How do you keep Records of your Projects?
Hang over from work - Hard back "Black n'Red" legal log books. Notes include circuits , calculations and anything of interest including personal.
Just flipping through one volume I see an entry 17th May 96 "Metal detector Phase shifts" Still got shingles! All other circuits etc go in folders on the computer or in the filing cabinet. I have to force myself to do that as I am naturally untidy and can spend hours looking for things "I know I wrote that down somewhere" if I allow the system to slip. Pete |
24th Nov 2021, 5:21 pm | #18 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Yorkshire, England.
Posts: 1,294
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Re: How do you keep Records of your Projects?
For my first project, twenty pictures and sixty one pages of research on a Leak Troughline ll with stereo decoder, including the stencils for the wooden casing.
Comprehensive? Yes. Over the top? Absolutely! Worked first time though. Currently I start by recording with pictures and download service sheets before I measure all resistors and capacitors, and check valves for heater continuity. I'm going to include a check of transformers and droppers from now on as l recently did a lot of work only to discover an o/c tx.
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24th Nov 2021, 5:37 pm | #19 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 13,953
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Re: How do you keep Records of your Projects?
I do it all on the PC - lots of photos, particularly useful when you get distracted and come back to the thing a few days later and you've forgotten whether the red wire went to the 300V or the 600V rail.
I keep separate directories for each project and can easily search for text stuff by way of 'grep' and regular expressions. No paper copies - if I make any scribbled notes then I take a photo to become part of the records. That way there is automatic timestamp on the file. I guess that decades of needing to keep records of stuff that would stand up in court is good training. These days proper backups are easy. My filestore is mirrored to a relative who lives in Australia.
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24th Nov 2021, 8:40 pm | #20 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Rugeley, Staffordshire, UK.
Posts: 8,809
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Re: How do you keep Records of your Projects?
This is new to me. I've never had the need to keep records of projects. They are generally performed one at a time and I'm not yet at the point where I'm unable to remember the last thing I did even if it was say before I went on holiday. Saying that, I am fastidious about filing data and information. I am sometimes working on more than one project and although I don't keep records I make sure that dismantled parts are carefully stored separately. Work in progress records? Not for me.
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A digital radio is the latest thing, but a vintage wireless is forever.. |