Absolute newbie forum? <=== "not connected"

We can only ask such a specific question once we understand the problem. Part of that was getting the full error message in your screenshot which you honestly could have included in the first post you made.

So in future if you get any error message please inlcude it in full in your first post.

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I have no idea why you think that but you are entitled to your opinion. I see nothing that indicates this poster is doing anything other than trying to get help here.

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Well, to be fair, Nanren88’s next post after your and my posts had a screenshot. I wouldn’t require a first time poster to understand everything about asking a question here.

I continually wonder why internet forums don’t have a quiz test before accepting a new user. We could give the basic information and questions like:

“Which of these isn’t necessary for a good question? (select more than one)”

  1. KiCad version information
  2. A screenshot of your problematic situation or zipped project files
  3. What you actually want to achieve
  4. Exact steps, using the English UI texts, to reproduce your problem
  5. Your name
  6. Thanking beforehand

“How should you give the version information of KiCad in your question?”

  1. The installation package file name
  2. The first two numbers of the version
  3. Copy the version information using Help->About->Copy Version Info button and paste it

“Which is not a good reason to give a screenshot or zipped project in a question?”

  1. It gives information which may be difficult to describe otherwise
  2. It gives information which the poster doesn’t necessarily think about at all
  3. It prevents posting back and forth for a day without anyone knowing what it is about
  4. People are interested in seeing other people’s errors

etc.

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We really do not want to put any hurdles in between the user and the forum. The few times it goes wrong really is not a problem. Also the fact that the forum does not really allow new users to post more than one image might send the wrong message to be honest.

The thing about the version info is that it really is only required for things that smell like a bug. Every other instance it just makes the question much less readable (as it takes up so much space. If the version info would be shorter then i would be ok with requiring it.)

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Very sorry. Had no intention to cause offence.
I had and have looked at many of your fine tutorial images and not a single one I found had anything looking like "PWR_FLAG:.
I copied an example, fromn the image, not unlike the many fine ones in those tutorials and got a message that was given the info unfathomable.
I described it fully. I presumed it was a step I had missed. And asked which step I missed.
The fine list of info above for inclusion might add little to that.
Apologies again for causing turmoil.
Once pointed out, knowing to look for it, I find it is step 43 in getting started.
My reason for following rather than abandoning was that I suspect others might find the same problem. Reproduce the image from the tutorial, yet get an error “not connected”. Perhaps a mention of the likely cause for the beginners?
I suspected what I was missing was trivial, obvious to users, hence not dependent on any of those list of things often demanded with posts.
Really sorry I even started. Sorry for any discord caused.I just wanted to work out what the problem was to get my easy simulation and after the problem to make it easier for anyone following the same path.
I now regret the whole episode.
Looks like a great product and some really helpfuil responses. Many thanks.

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Very few threads are truly a problem. (Or, perhaps the moderators spend every waking hour watching this forum like a hawk, and “problem” posts go to the bit-bucket within seconds.)

Forum members are direct yet respectful when it comes to instructing new (or experienced) users about protocols and procedures. And new users nearly always comply as instructed. “Initiative” seems to be a highly respected trait: A user who shows that he has put some effort into trying to find an answer to his question receives relevant help, regardless of how confused, fundamental, or mundane the question may be. (I’m sure other Forum members have sometimes suppressed an urge to poke fun at a post, such as the thread asking “Help me understand Block Dragging” . . . which has the obvious answer, "Well, first you attach your Blockchain . . . . " :grin: )

I agree with @Rene_Poschl - I don’t see a need for additional administrivial processes nor obstacles to participation.

Dale

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In defence of @BobZ the block selection in eeschema is shitty at the best of times especially as it gives no indication of what one actually selected. Luckily v6 will improve that. (Plus i really liked the fact that there is a gif included showcasing the problem. That topic could serve as the “this is what we dream about” example.)

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I am not into the new digital currency. Perhaps you intended “block and tackle”? :slight_smile:

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if you mark text in other posts, a quote option will appear, this way you can refer to different comments in a single comment of your own…

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The reason this was not an option for @Nanren888 was because they as a new user can not include more than one image per post. Which is a bit of a silly rule in a forum that offers support for a graphical tool.

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You have to missed “Getting Started” page 18:

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@Nanren888 stated that they found the power flag stuff in the getting started tutorial but did not think it was related to their problem.

This is to be expected! New users will miss stuff no matter how well made the tutorial is. Simply because they do not yet know what is or is not important to them.
This is made worse by bad tutorials. If a tutorial for example does in no way explain why something is done in a particular way. Like the use of power flags in the getting started tutorial (or why the symbol pins are getting the pin types they get in the make a symbol section of the same tutorial).

I think i might take a crack at making a real getting started tutorial here on the forum. (Why is everything more exciting than the stuff i should really work on?) If it works well then we can ask the devs if they could include it as the getting started tutorial for newbies to eCAD in general. (The current tutorial is to show users who know other tools how everything is done in KiCad)

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There would definitely be room for “learn eCAD with KiCad” tutorial. I would leave off buses and other nonessential stuff which are now in the Getting Started, and add something else instead.

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I would not necessarily replace stuff i leave out with something else. I would say a true getting started tutorial should be very short and really only deal with the absolute basics.

Such a tutorial can however be filled with links to other more detailed descriptions (this is the benefit of written tutorials over video tutorials. In a video tutorial everyone needs to follow the same order of learning stuff while a written one can be read in any order and at any speed)

I suspect most of us know the justification for this restriction. I don’t know if it’s possible for the Forum’s Owner or Administrator to relax those restrictions but I will support doing a test run - for, say, 6 months - to measure the negative impact of relaxing, or eliminating, the restrictions.

Dale

I have yet to see a spammer use an image in their post. Most use links plus a bit of text. (And we use links as a suggested workaround for having too few images allowed)

I’ve gone to elevate new users to the next level only to find they’ve already poked around the forum enough to do that on their own. But, yeah, I don’t think images have been much of a problem. The biggest ‘gotcha’ from an automatic forum block is ‘new user typed too fast’. I’m not sure what the metrics used are as some legit first timers get caught by that one.

I have been asked to provide a simple route. So this would be my way:

Add numbers to the devices (V1, R1, R2 etc.)
Add a voltage value to the source.
Add global labels (e.g. in, out)

Start the simulator.

Watch the results.

No Rule Check. <======

Best start with a resistive voltage divider, where you immediately know what the output should be. Start a dc simulation by placing a text box with dc v1 0 1 0.1 to your circuit diagram.

If this is o.k., have a look at http://ngspice.sourceforge.net/ngspice-eeschema.html (and perhaps also at http://ngspice.sourceforge.net/ngspice-tutorial.html) for some more advanced circuits.

If this first step has not been o.k., post your questions here.

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Why global labels? We discovered global labels generate unnecessary ERC warnings. Do local labels not work?

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In this thread I had from the beginning a problem that I felt I’m not sure of all nuances of what @Nanren888 is writing (some more difficult for me English than usual).
So I started from writing that I’m not sure of that sentence meaning, but then I have read it 3…4 times and assumed that it clearly (I hope) says he had never seen anything like “PWR_FLAG” so I’ve deleted my beginning.

In my opinion if someone who don’t understand electronic is asked to design PCBs then such explanation is needed. But I think such are rare situations (for many years my wife (mathematician) was designing all PCBs in our firm).
In most cases people interested in KiCad just know electronic and at least minimum of programming.
If you try to think a moment that you wont to write the program to design PCBs (with helping the user to avoid mistakes) then it is hard to imagine different solutions then those used in KiCad (I am speaking about basics - such pin types specification, using the same pin numbers in symbols and footprints, and so on). So explaining why the obvious solutions were used seems for me going too low with level.