What do you use to keep notes of your hobbyist projects? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: bitwelder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2019, 08:41:16 am
content: At hobbyist level (i.e. not for production), what do you use to keep your own documentation for your projects, that may contain notes both on the h/w (circuit, wiring, enclosures) and s/w stuff (i.e. code) ?Wikis? CMSs (e.g. Wordpress) ? Git ?

author: onesixright
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2019, 08:47:01 am
content: Good question. Maybe add the OS (Windows/Mac/Linux) your using?

author: Zucca
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 13, 2019, 08:49:52 am
content: I open a thread and post the updates here.

author: spudboy488
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2019, 11:49:26 am
content: I design test equipment for PCBs. I use a common directory structure for all my projects. The directory will have a board info directory (Schematic, BOM, layout, spec sheets, etc.), fixture info (PCB schematic, layout, fixture wiring, spec sheets, etc), Operating instructions (Word doc, image files, pdf of the finished procedure for the user), Test Data (any test results for correlation, etc.), and Test Software (Embedded source code, release log, CPLD/FPGA code, etc.). There's also an Excel sheet that summarizes the fixture build (checklist, Notes, Tasks, Purchase Orders, and BOM tabs, both fixture and PCB).Once the fixture is complete, and released, I simply zip the entire folder and store a copy on our company OneDrive and another copy on my local machine.

author: techman-001
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2019, 12:31:30 pm
content: Quote from: bitwelder on August 13, 2019, 08:41:16 amI currently have detailed notes on 184 projects created since 2017.I wrote a "project creator" in 2017 using Shell Script that creates a directory in my "projects" directory given the name of the project:i.e. "makeproj rigol-apps" creates /home/tp/projects/rigol-appsVaries sub directories are auto-created in /home/tp/projects/rigol-apps for schematic capture, embedded programming code, notes, pdfs, pics etc along with generic template files for everything.Then everything is versioned by Fossil SCMhttps://fossil-scm.org/home/doc/trunk/www/index.wikiand the actual Fossil database for each project is saved in /home/tp/projects and looks like this :rigol-apps.fossilrigol-apps.fossil.admin.configrigol-apps.fossil.user.configThen every time I work on the rigol-apps project I update the Fossil SCM with "fossil commit 'what I did, blah blah' " and everything is saved and versioned. I can view all project details in a webpage created by FossilSo it's a one line command to create a new project, fill it with all the generic template files, version everything then drop me into the project directory ready to start. This takes about half a second and it's all done.More details are available here with pics:https://mecrisp-stellaris-folkdoc.sourceforge.io/devenv.html?highlight=project#fast-project-creationA similar technique is used with CrystalScadhttps://github.com/jglauche/CrystalScad

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2019, 12:56:23 pm
content: https://www.amazon.com/Five-Star-Spiral-Notebook-Subject/dp/B07FBC8P59/

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2019, 01:41:28 pm
content: I have a template of a folder structure, which I copy with each new project.Kept to a minimum structure yet general enough for almost any project. Inside the template there are folders for software, hardware, schematics, datasheets, media (pics, movies), data (harvested from project) and so on. Some folders have a text file inside, saying what type of info is supposed to be saved in that particular folder.Some project are decades long, so keeping everything simple and still readable/usable over the years is a must. Minimize other software or operating system dependencies, use text files instead of binary files where possible, use open file formats instead of closed and proprietary file formats, use jpg/png instead of shooting raw, and so on.I am actively avoiding CMS/wordpress/wikis/CVS whatever. Still, I am using git sometimes (for created code only), and sometimes spreadsheets (not Microsoft Office, but Open Office instead) for draft calculations, charts, etc.

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2019, 02:26:42 pm
content: Quote from: RoGeorge on August 13, 2019, 01:41:28 pmI do approximately the same. I also have a "Doc" subdirectory (with further subdirectories) to put all documentation, external (datasheets...) and internal. Maybe that's what your 'Info' directory is about.I agree with avoiding CMS stuff. They are nice and all, but the probability of loosing data or a fuck-up of some kind is much higher (on a company level, that may not be a problem if you have a proper IT department, but if you're working alone, that's a much bigger pain), and you usually need a server of some kind running, etc. Again too many possibilities of problems for a single-person activity.Quote from: RoGeorge on August 13, 2019, 01:41:28 pmI use Mercurial for internal projects, but that's a detail. I often put the whole project in a repository, not just the code (excluding files or directories containing stuff that can be retrieved/downloaded/built easily).

author: steve30
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2019, 04:12:51 pm
content: Sheets of A4 paper. Quite often though I fold them in half to make them A5 size.

author: mc172
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2019, 05:46:02 pm
content: MS OneNote 2016. The 2016 bit is important!

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2019, 06:21:51 pm
content: SiliconWizard, indeed it used to be a 'doc' until recently this year, when it was renamed 'info'.About paper, here using both A4 sheets and a paper notebook too, especially for drafting: schematics, diagrams, code, hand-notes ideas, write down measurements values and experiment conditions, etc. Handwriting on paper is faster for that kind of tasks when compared with digital.Also, the same A4 sheets used for drafts sometimes become main material, full of all kind of scribbling over the life of a project. For those, I take a photo of each paper sheet before discarding the draft. About the paper notes. don't use ink pens or other fancy pens, it might wash away over years. Pencil proved to be the best for long term. It doesn't shift color and it is waterproof and chemically inert.

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2019, 06:46:09 pm
content: on a program I made specially for me and for that usage.

author: hwj-d
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2019, 09:26:35 pm
content: I use anIPad Pro 11 with Pencil and Notabilityfor all my handwritten notes, sketches, parts of books, calculations, pictures and fotos, and all my Digikey orders and data sheets as pdf's, in which I can search global inside my own pool of information.So, my iPad is my ultimate notepad.For longer text i use ulysses with markdown editing and export automaticly to pdf, html, and my ghost-website (uc).

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2019, 04:37:23 am
content: What are these "notes" of which you speak?

author: mrflibble
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2019, 05:29:42 am
content: Quote from: RoGeorge on August 13, 2019, 06:21:51 pmSame here. Including the use of pencil instead of those fading ink dispensers. And when I don't forget to do so, make scans of those paper notes because that way I can reliably find stuff eons later.New projects are instantiated from a template. Git for versioning, and a wiki (mediawiki) for notes. Don't quite see the IT related risk of using a wiki (or cms for that matter) when all your other project files are in the digital realm as well. If a server goes, a server goes. That is what backups etc are for.

author: Cyberdragon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2019, 06:29:40 am
content: Pencil does wear away with repeated handling/moving of the paper or when stored stacked or against other papers. The paper itself can become flakey too if it's cheap or that recycled crap. Some of the crazy contraptions I drew as a kid are probably long smudged away by now. Or course, back then I often just randomly tinkered with crap making stuff work in weird ways without much thought behind it. Still mostly use paper for schematics and random info, and I still have some stuff I need to transfer to paper. (a few schematics)I do have one contraption from when I was a kid that I think is still intact and has full schematics (I'll have to hunt for both if they aren't together) that I should probably share, and probably do some mods on. But as I said above, I expect the schematics to be in poor condition due to improper care.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2019, 06:53:33 am
content: For non-linearnoteswith cross-references I use tiddlywiki.https://tiddlywiki.com/You access it via your browser, the content is stored as html text in a single file.Hence:simple, self-contained, zero setupaccess is a simple: just point your browser at the .html fileeasily backed up or kept in a repository such as subversion or gitone file/wiki for each project, or however else is convenienteven the documentation is amusing and literateWho couldn't smile when the documentation notes the program is a quine

author: bitwelder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2019, 08:36:39 am
content: Quote from: techman-001 on August 13, 2019, 12:31:30 pmThis solution looks quite versatile in collecting all kinds of content, and with Fossile offering version control, wikis, technotes and likely more than a single user might need for personal archiving.Bonus points for being usable from the command line!Quote from: tggzzz on August 14, 2019, 06:53:33 amI used that as well. Quite nice solution (and easily transportable) solution for quick notes.EDIT: Fixed 2nd quote author to tggzzz.

author: techman-001
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2019, 08:50:09 am
content: Quote from: bitwelder on August 14, 2019, 08:36:39 amThanks! I never use a GUI when the CLI is all a application needs.Actually the tiddlywiki post came from tggzzz

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2019, 11:03:04 am
content: Quote from: mrflibble on August 14, 2019, 05:29:42 amFor me, that one was more about not being able to open files I still have, because the software that created those files is decades old, and refuses to run on nowadays hardware/software.It's all about how much effort do I need to see a text or a drawing I made 30 years ago. If that requires me to install a virtual machine and recall client/server settings/tricks I used to use 30 years ago, then I'll probably not even try to open such a note/file, and look for other faster workarounds instead.

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2019, 01:40:17 pm
content: Quote from: mrflibble on August 14, 2019, 05:29:42 amGood quality ink doesn't fade that quickly.I still have some old sheets from when I was a student, written with a fountain pen at the time (Parker ink IIRC). They are still perfectly readable over 20 years later...Been using mostly Pilot Hi-tecpoint pens for years now. Ink doesn't fade significantly either. Unless you store your notes in areas with high humidity or expose them to sunlight, using good quality inks/pens, you are fine. Sure it won't last forever. I now scan the notes that I think are important, to store them digitally as well.

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2019, 02:01:19 pm
content: Pencil and a cuadricule notebook for my sketches.Then for all of the CAD files, including the firmware, I create a sub-folder within a projects folder which I keep up both in my hard drive and in a backup disk.Datasheets for unique components, Component drawings, Exell spreadsheets, simulations, scope waveforms, photos and any other relecant files are always stored there.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2019, 03:22:57 am
content: I kept mine in a notebook. It is easier to sketch a drawing with pencil and paper than using those notebook application and hard copy is infinitely easier to read than on-screen.There is a big draw back... I am still looking for my notebook which I misplaced over a year ago. I still have not disassemble the circuit on my breadboard, but I have no idea what I was trying to accomplish - that was on the last few pages of the lost note book...

author: bitwelder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2019, 07:16:26 am
content: Quote from: Rick Law on August 15, 2019, 03:22:57 amThat's another factor I'm considering, being able to safely archive (and so retrieve at any time) my notes, and to search them for any key ("Years ago I remember I did use component X in some project and to make it work I needed some tricks...")

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2019, 08:50:01 am
content: Take a closeup photo of each newly written pages. A 3...5 megapixel JPG won't take much disk space, yet the resolution is more than enough to capture all the page's details.

author: techman-001
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2019, 09:19:41 am
content: Quote from: RoGeorge on August 15, 2019, 08:50:01 amApologies to all but it's just begging to be said ....If LONG TERM ARCHIVING is the only answer to the OPs question "At hobbyist level (i.e. not for production), what do you use to keep your own documentation for your projects ?" (instead of suggesting a convenient and useful modern methodology), shouldn't we be suggesting Clay Tablets written in Cuneiform because they have been proven to last 4000 years ?

author: Leiothrix
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2019, 10:49:50 pm
content: I don't understand the question.Around here we don't have documentation for ourprofessionalprojects; hobbyist projects don't have a chance.Not kidding unfortunately.Back on topic, for my personal stuff I usually just have a README.txt file in the directory of my project with notes in it. Implementation decisions go as comments in the code or as an annotation.My personal stuff isn't particularly complicated, so that's more than enough for me.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2019, 04:07:25 am
content: I start with a bound book with numbered pages and ink. If I have to keep printouts and other stuff, then I add a three ring binder. Notes of my notes are kept in a directory structure on my computer.

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2019, 06:18:42 am
content: Quote from: mc172 on August 13, 2019, 05:46:02 pmWhile I like OneNote as a tol for structuring "diverse" notes, I would be concerned about the proprietary format. I wouldn't use it for any information I might want to get back to 10 years from now. Or have Microsoft added some way of exporting a backup in a more generic format? (Unlikely, since locking the user in to MS Office is what they want...)