Seems to be getting harder. With more people designated as ‘leader’ is it possible we can be more lax?
How about a Kicad linked Electronics Design page that would Only enable posting if there’s a Kicad Project or PCB or Schematic file? at posting time?
That way (requiring a Kicad posted file) could help eliminate many User ‘What-If’, ‘Can I Do This’, ‘How Do I Do This’ questions of a more general Electronic’s nature
Nothing wrong with referring to a Design/Help page, IMO…
This forum is the only one English language forum I read and it is simply not possible for me to read the second one (day has only 24 hours).
I have nothing against answering from time to time (!!) some electronic (not strictly related to KiCad) questions.
I sometimes feel more competent (depending on question) in electronic than in KiCad (specially last time as I just few days ago started to seriously use V6 (one day 6 months ago don’t counts).
Everyone having electronic questions sooner or later will have the need to design PCB. If he will be asking here then I don’t believe he will search another PCB software ever. So it can be a way to have more KiCad users.
Opening New Topic you could have a category like ‘General electronic questions’.
I don’t know if at forum you can set filters to not see some categories - never searched for it. If you have than someone who don’t want to see not KiCad questions could use it.
KiCad without electronic has little sense (art pcb?) and electronic without PCB design software has little sense. The best would be if for everyone ‘electronic without PCB design software’ would be synonym of ‘electronic without KiCad’ 
2 Likes
I don’t mind the electronic design questions here, they are few and far between. Which is exactly the point: adding an electronics design area to forum.kicad.info just won’t fly.
KiCAD is used by just a fraction of EEs and will only have a limited user base.
But teaming up with a site like eevblog.com/forum could make a lot of sense.
Refer the design questions to there, and let EEvblog refer their KiCad questions to here.
I suggest that the kicad.info admins get in touch with the eevblog.com dittos and work something out. Can’t be too hard, you’re all nice guys
1 Like
How is it getting harder? Situation seems normal. I don’t get the feeling that we are overwhelmed by such posts. If there is a little connection with KiCad but doesn’t belong in the other categories, and some people could answer using their experience then the post can go into Projects, either because the poster started there, or a leader moved it. If it’s a very general design question then replies can and have pointed out that there are better places to get answers.
Once I understood the software a tad better and raised a ‘handful’ of folks to level 4 I felt less like I had to put eyes on as many posts. I’d look through every thread and if @eelik or @davidsrsb were in it I didn’t have to worry too much. Now the list is bigger.
Are you worried about type I or type II errors, or something else?
Only 3 of the 5 are active mods. @Joan_Sparky is inactive and @ChrisGammell does ‘server stuff’ and is pretty hands off on moderation unless specifically asked.
So, I guess it is 3 handfuls now? 
1 Like
Personal opinion: A little thought should be given to replies, the first reply in particular.
The @hermit quoted example thread opens with a person mentioning arduino and Mains power and how to mix the two with no mention of Kicad… obviously inexperienced with dangerous stuff.
The post shouldn’t be touched with a 10 foot (3metre) pole. Should have been stomped on with the first reply.
This one: newbie-needs-routing-help. A self confessed newbee struggling with Kicad and new to PCB design with no mention of what is to be accomplished, should be helped. Maybe later, if the schematic is posted and Mains and arduino are mixed, or the thread strays too far into PCB design, caution should be given or the thread closed, but the original post is about “Help with Kicad”.
I have been guilty of pushing a topic a bit past the off-topic line, as the opportunity arises where I have something relevant to add. There are plenty of times where I am asking a noob question, so I don’t mind helping when I can. But I agree that there are topics that really should be moderator-squashed before they churn. “Nip it in the bud,” as barney fife would say.
Who hasn’t?
Sometimes topics end on another planet: sometimes serious, sometimes humorous, usually entertaining and/or informative…the joys of internet forums 
There should be a FAQ entry with links to various active forums dealing with electronics design - like EEVblog and All About Circuits…
Just as long as threads don’t get arbitrarily deleted.
I do agree that some kind of 2 way link with EE Forums would be useful. 
Mousey
Perhaps a preamble similar to what appears in the Footprints category “I hereby certify that I’m not asking someone to design a footprint for me…” but saying “I hereby certify that my question is about the use of KiCad and not a general design question that is better answered in forums like <name forums here> …” would do?
Incidentally the thread referred to fails this test because you could substitute the name of another ECAD package without changing the intent of the question. Other applications also handle clearances etc. But I think all that needs to be said in that thread has been and a L4 member should close the thread after a while to prevent other newbies from appending to it.
Only Moderators are able to delete threads.
Level 4s can only close and split threads.
Level 4s, if they flag a post, not a thread, will cause that post to disappear immediately. This action is good for removing spam.
I don’t want the signal to noise getting worse, the current level is acceptable.
Apart from the just plain dangerous threads, there is a tendency for students to try to get their final year projects designed for them. The hardware and software design forums try to bounce these
1 Like
I don’t think that would work. The OP would say to themselves “well, I’m using Kicad so…”
Any member from Basic upwards could give a polite reply:
I’m sorry, but this forum is for “How to” with Kicad, you’d be better posting in an electronic design forum".
The member can then choose if they wish to supply a link for the OP.
Yeah. The default is to want to help folks but you never know how deep any rabbit hole is going to get.
But the second part of the test is “and not a general design problem” so anybody can point out the question ignored that.