https://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=WikiSysop&feedformat=atomDIYWiki - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T08:47:20ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.35.9https://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Battery&diff=9830Battery2008-08-10T22:09:07Z<p>WikiSysop: /* Coin cells */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[image:Batterien pop2.jpg|thumb|D, C, AA, AAA, PP3 & button cells]]<br />
<br />
<br />
==Terms==<br />
;Accumulator<br />
:historic name for a rechargeable battery. More or less always refers to lead acid.<br />
<br />
;Battery<br />
:A battery means a quantity of cells used together. These may be housed in one container, such as with 6v and 9v consumer batteries, or they may be separate containers only electrically connected, as is common with large [[Lead acid battery|lead acid]] installations.<br />
<br />
;Capacity<br />
:Total output ability measured in amphours, current x time.<br />
<br />
;Cell<br />
: a single electrochemical unit producing electricity, usually from 1.2v to 3v (commonly 1.5v).<br />
<br />
;C/20 etc<br />
:charge rate. C/20 means capacity divided by 20, C/10 means capacity divided by 10 etc. Eg C/10 charge rate for a 1Ah battery would be 100mA.<br />
<br />
;Cycle<br />
:one charge & discharge<br />
<br />
;Deep discharge battery<br />
:lead acid battery optimised for deep discharge applications<br />
<br />
;Drain<br />
:taking power from the cell<br />
<br />
;Dry cell<br />
:Historic term for [[Zinc carbon battery|zinc carbon cells]]. Today there are also other dry types, so usage of the term sometimes refers to these as well.<br />
<br />
;Electrolyte<br />
:the liquid, gel or paste in the cell<br />
<br />
;Energy density<br />
:amount of energy stored per weight<br />
<br />
;Float charge<br />
:low current charge to keep battery topped up. See trickle charge<br />
<br />
;Leakage<br />
:Emission of liquid content from the cell. [[Zinc carbon battery|Zinc carbon]] and zinc chloride are prone to this. Leaked electrolyte is corrosive.<br />
<br />
;Primary cell<br />
:non-rechargeable cell<br />
<br />
;Secondary cell<br />
:rechargeable cell<br />
<br />
;SLA<br />
:[[Lead acid battery|Sealed lead acid]].<br />
<br />
;Starting battery<br />
:lead acid battery optimised for engine starting, eg car battery<br />
<br />
;Trickle charge<br />
:very slow (low current) charge. See float charge<br />
<br />
<br />
==Battery chemistries==<br />
;[[Zinc carbon battery|Zinc carbon]]<br />
:low cost, can leak. <br />
<br />
;Zinc chloride<br />
:improved performance version of [[Zinc carbon battery|zinc carbon]]<br />
<br />
;[[Alkaline battery|Alkaline]]<br />
:greater capacity than [[Zinc carbon battery|zinc carbon]]. However high drain apps dramatically reduce the capacity they can deliver. Ill suited to high drain use (ironic that they're marketed for this).<br />
:Not prone to leakage<br />
:Longer shelf life than ZnC<br />
:Ideal for low to medium drain apps, where they can give much longer service life than ZnC.<br />
<br />
;Lithium<br />
:long service life of upto 10 years if drain very low. Capacity and price both much higher than alkalines. 3v per cell.<br />
<br />
;[[Lead acid battery|Lead acid]]<br />
:Rechargeable, typically heavy high capacity batteries.<br />
<br />
;[[Lead acid battery|Sealed lead acid]] (SLA)<br />
:Spillproof lead acids.<br />
<br />
;[[Nicad battery|NiCd]] (nickel cadmium)<br />
:Popular rechargeables, small light low capacity<br />
<br />
;[[NiMH battery|NiMH]] (nickel metal hydride)<br />
:As nicad, but higher capacity & cost, and require NiMH chargers<br />
<br />
;[[Iron carbon battery|Iron carbon]]<br />
:DIYable batteries. Indefinite storage dry, short lived when wet. Power backup, camping etc<br />
<br />
;Silver oxide <br />
:Coin cells, 1.4v per cell<br />
<br />
;Li-ion (lithium ion)<br />
:Most expensive type of rechargeable with high energy density. Used in laptops and very few cordless tools.<br />
<br />
==Coin cells==<br />
[[image:Coin-cells2.jpg|thumb]]<br />
Widely used in PCs, watches, and miniature battery appliances. The smaller ones are also known as button cells.<br />
<br />
With tiny capacity and max load current, these cells are only suited to micropower uses.<br />
<br />
===Chemistries===<br />
3 types of chemistry are popular in coin cells:<br />
* alkaline - 1.5v per cell, lowest cost<br />
* silver oxide - 1.4v per cell<br />
* lithium - 3v per cell, highest cost<br />
<br />
==Common sizes==<br />
There are a large number of sizes still in production. A small range are much more popular than the rest, and are listed here. If you don't know what battery is needed, these are the first to look at. <br />
<br />
Nearly all these battery sizes have various other names as well.<br />
<br />
===Most popular===<br />
* AAA 1.5v<br />
* AA 1.5v aka penlight<br />
* C 1.5v<br />
* D 1.5v<br />
* PP3 9v<br />
* PJ6 6v - spring top lantern battery<br />
<br />
===1960s & 70s appliances===<br />
[[image:Bateria3R12-2.jpg|thumb|4.5v 3R12]]<br />
* PP6 9v<br />
* PP9 9v<br />
* other PP sizes are occasionally seen, eg PP7, PP10, PP11<br />
* ? 3v<br />
* 3R12, 3396? 4.5v, strip terminals<br />
<br />
===Cordless tools===<br />
[[Nicad battery|sub-C Nicad]] 1.3Ah - 2Ah<br />
<br />
===Computers===<br />
[[image:Battery-lithium-cr2032-2.jpg|thumb|CR2032]]<br />
CR2032 (3v lithium) is the most common BIOS battery in desktops. These retain BIOS settings when mains is unplugged.<br />
<br />
===Cars===<br />
12v 30-60Ah [[lead acid battery]], either round or flat posts.<br />
<br />
===Cameras===<br />
* AA 1.5v<br />
* 123 3v<br />
* CR2 3v<br />
<br />
===Burglar alarms, UPSes===<br />
[[Lead acid battery|Sealed lead acid]], 6v or 12v, various capacities<br />
<br />
===[[Multimeter]]s===<br />
* AA<br />
* PP3<br />
* N<br />
<br />
<br />
==Battery capacity==<br />
These are typical figures only, in real life capacity varies according to brand and use conditions. [http://data.energizer.com/QuickSearch_Action.aspx?group=1&name=Energizer%20Alkaline Ref]<br />
<br />
alkaline nicad<br />
N 1.5v 1Ah<br />
AAA 1.5v 1.2Ah<br />
AA 1.5v 2.8Ah 0.7Ah<br />
C 1.5v 8Ah 2 Ah<br />
D 1.5v 20Ah<br />
PJ6 6v 26Ah<br />
PP3 9v 0.6Ah 0.2Ah<br />
<br />
<br />
Note that although alkaline cells have higher Ah ratings than nicads, they perform poorly in high drain apps, and nicads give more time of use in these apps. [http://www.greenbatteries.com/batterymyths.html#lower capacity Ref]<br />
<br />
<br />
==Refs==<br />
http://data.energizer.com/QuickSearch_Action.aspx?group=1&name=Energizer%20Alkaline<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
* [[Special:Allpages|Wiki Contents]]<br />
* [[Special:Categories|Wiki Subject Categories]]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Electrical]]<br />
[[Category:Batteries]]</div>WikiSysophttps://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Battery&diff=9829Battery2008-08-10T22:08:50Z<p>WikiSysop: /* Coin cells */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[image:Batterien pop2.jpg|thumb|D, C, AA, AAA, PP3 & button cells]]<br />
<br />
<br />
==Terms==<br />
;Accumulator<br />
:historic name for a rechargeable battery. More or less always refers to lead acid.<br />
<br />
;Battery<br />
:A battery means a quantity of cells used together. These may be housed in one container, such as with 6v and 9v consumer batteries, or they may be separate containers only electrically connected, as is common with large [[Lead acid battery|lead acid]] installations.<br />
<br />
;Capacity<br />
:Total output ability measured in amphours, current x time.<br />
<br />
;Cell<br />
: a single electrochemical unit producing electricity, usually from 1.2v to 3v (commonly 1.5v).<br />
<br />
;C/20 etc<br />
:charge rate. C/20 means capacity divided by 20, C/10 means capacity divided by 10 etc. Eg C/10 charge rate for a 1Ah battery would be 100mA.<br />
<br />
;Cycle<br />
:one charge & discharge<br />
<br />
;Deep discharge battery<br />
:lead acid battery optimised for deep discharge applications<br />
<br />
;Drain<br />
:taking power from the cell<br />
<br />
;Dry cell<br />
:Historic term for [[Zinc carbon battery|zinc carbon cells]]. Today there are also other dry types, so usage of the term sometimes refers to these as well.<br />
<br />
;Electrolyte<br />
:the liquid, gel or paste in the cell<br />
<br />
;Energy density<br />
:amount of energy stored per weight<br />
<br />
;Float charge<br />
:low current charge to keep battery topped up. See trickle charge<br />
<br />
;Leakage<br />
:Emission of liquid content from the cell. [[Zinc carbon battery|Zinc carbon]] and zinc chloride are prone to this. Leaked electrolyte is corrosive.<br />
<br />
;Primary cell<br />
:non-rechargeable cell<br />
<br />
;Secondary cell<br />
:rechargeable cell<br />
<br />
;SLA<br />
:[[Lead acid battery|Sealed lead acid]].<br />
<br />
;Starting battery<br />
:lead acid battery optimised for engine starting, eg car battery<br />
<br />
;Trickle charge<br />
:very slow (low current) charge. See float charge<br />
<br />
<br />
==Battery chemistries==<br />
;[[Zinc carbon battery|Zinc carbon]]<br />
:low cost, can leak. <br />
<br />
;Zinc chloride<br />
:improved performance version of [[Zinc carbon battery|zinc carbon]]<br />
<br />
;[[Alkaline battery|Alkaline]]<br />
:greater capacity than [[Zinc carbon battery|zinc carbon]]. However high drain apps dramatically reduce the capacity they can deliver. Ill suited to high drain use (ironic that they're marketed for this).<br />
:Not prone to leakage<br />
:Longer shelf life than ZnC<br />
:Ideal for low to medium drain apps, where they can give much longer service life than ZnC.<br />
<br />
;Lithium<br />
:long service life of upto 10 years if drain very low. Capacity and price both much higher than alkalines. 3v per cell.<br />
<br />
;[[Lead acid battery|Lead acid]]<br />
:Rechargeable, typically heavy high capacity batteries.<br />
<br />
;[[Lead acid battery|Sealed lead acid]] (SLA)<br />
:Spillproof lead acids.<br />
<br />
;[[Nicad battery|NiCd]] (nickel cadmium)<br />
:Popular rechargeables, small light low capacity<br />
<br />
;[[NiMH battery|NiMH]] (nickel metal hydride)<br />
:As nicad, but higher capacity & cost, and require NiMH chargers<br />
<br />
;[[Iron carbon battery|Iron carbon]]<br />
:DIYable batteries. Indefinite storage dry, short lived when wet. Power backup, camping etc<br />
<br />
;Silver oxide <br />
:Coin cells, 1.4v per cell<br />
<br />
;Li-ion (lithium ion)<br />
:Most expensive type of rechargeable with high energy density. Used in laptops and very few cordless tools.<br />
<br />
==Coin cells==<br />
[[image:Coin-cells2.jpg|thumb]]<br />
Widely used in PCs, watches, and miniature battery appliances. The smaller ones are also known as button cells.<br />
<br />
With tiny capacity and max load current, these cells are only suited to micro-power uses.<br />
<br />
===Chemistries===<br />
3 types of chemistry are popular in coin cells:<br />
* alkaline - 1.5v per cell, lowest cost<br />
* silver oxide - 1.4v per cell<br />
* lithium - 3v per cell, highest cost<br />
<br />
==Common sizes==<br />
There are a large number of sizes still in production. A small range are much more popular than the rest, and are listed here. If you don't know what battery is needed, these are the first to look at. <br />
<br />
Nearly all these battery sizes have various other names as well.<br />
<br />
===Most popular===<br />
* AAA 1.5v<br />
* AA 1.5v aka penlight<br />
* C 1.5v<br />
* D 1.5v<br />
* PP3 9v<br />
* PJ6 6v - spring top lantern battery<br />
<br />
===1960s & 70s appliances===<br />
[[image:Bateria3R12-2.jpg|thumb|4.5v 3R12]]<br />
* PP6 9v<br />
* PP9 9v<br />
* other PP sizes are occasionally seen, eg PP7, PP10, PP11<br />
* ? 3v<br />
* 3R12, 3396? 4.5v, strip terminals<br />
<br />
===Cordless tools===<br />
[[Nicad battery|sub-C Nicad]] 1.3Ah - 2Ah<br />
<br />
===Computers===<br />
[[image:Battery-lithium-cr2032-2.jpg|thumb|CR2032]]<br />
CR2032 (3v lithium) is the most common BIOS battery in desktops. These retain BIOS settings when mains is unplugged.<br />
<br />
===Cars===<br />
12v 30-60Ah [[lead acid battery]], either round or flat posts.<br />
<br />
===Cameras===<br />
* AA 1.5v<br />
* 123 3v<br />
* CR2 3v<br />
<br />
===Burglar alarms, UPSes===<br />
[[Lead acid battery|Sealed lead acid]], 6v or 12v, various capacities<br />
<br />
===[[Multimeter]]s===<br />
* AA<br />
* PP3<br />
* N<br />
<br />
<br />
==Battery capacity==<br />
These are typical figures only, in real life capacity varies according to brand and use conditions. [http://data.energizer.com/QuickSearch_Action.aspx?group=1&name=Energizer%20Alkaline Ref]<br />
<br />
alkaline nicad<br />
N 1.5v 1Ah<br />
AAA 1.5v 1.2Ah<br />
AA 1.5v 2.8Ah 0.7Ah<br />
C 1.5v 8Ah 2 Ah<br />
D 1.5v 20Ah<br />
PJ6 6v 26Ah<br />
PP3 9v 0.6Ah 0.2Ah<br />
<br />
<br />
Note that although alkaline cells have higher Ah ratings than nicads, they perform poorly in high drain apps, and nicads give more time of use in these apps. [http://www.greenbatteries.com/batterymyths.html#lower capacity Ref]<br />
<br />
<br />
==Refs==<br />
http://data.energizer.com/QuickSearch_Action.aspx?group=1&name=Energizer%20Alkaline<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
* [[Special:Allpages|Wiki Contents]]<br />
* [[Special:Categories|Wiki Subject Categories]]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Electrical]]<br />
[[Category:Batteries]]</div>WikiSysophttps://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Talk:Main_Page/Discussion&diff=2482Talk:Main Page/Discussion2007-02-26T13:20:53Z<p>WikiSysop: Removed spam links.</p>
<hr />
<div>So... as a Wikivirgin, how does this thing work then?<br />
<br />
That's the thing about wikis - they start off as a blank canvas, and you need to add both content and navigation structure.<br />
<br />
As reasonable first step might be to create a set of top level categories, and a set of links to articles under each category.<br />
<blockquote> If articles are assigned categories (with <nowiki>[[Category:Foobar]]</nowiki>) the category pages should automatically list articles assigned to them. --[[User:John Stumbles|John Stumbles]] 13:13, 16 December 2006 (GMT)</blockquote><br />
A good place for this is the main page. You then start creating those pages.<br />
<br />
I'm happy to do that part, if it will make things easier.<br />
<blockquote> Yes please --[[User:John Stumbles|John Stumbles]] 13:13, 16 December 2006 (GMT)</blockquote><br />
<br />
== Structure ==<br />
<br />
I think we already have a basic structure in the existing FAQ. We might beneficially look at importing that into wiki format before worrying too much about creating new content<br />
<br />
Ok, that sounds like a sensible move. I will try to spend some time creating an index this weekend.<br />
<br />
== Using the + tab to add to a discussion ==<br />
<br />
(Only in these 'discussion' aka 'talk' pages.)<br />
<br />
You are prompted for the name of a new section and your contribution is appended to the page.<br />
<br />
'Show Preview' only shows your addition, not the context in which it will appear.<br />
<br />
--[[User:John Stumbles|John Stumbles]] 11:51, 16 December 2006 (GMT)<br />
<br />
== Talk ('discussion' tab) pages -- signatures ==<br />
<br />
Appending your signature when you add a comment, particularly when replying to something already written, makes it easier to identify who's saying what, a la web forums. --[[User:John Stumbles|John Stumbles]] 11:59, 16 December 2006 (GMT)<br />
<br />
Here's a reply to the above --[[User:John Stumbles|John Stumbles]] 12:11, 16 December 2006 (GMT)<br />
<br />
<blockquote>It would be nice if the wiki kept track of threads and increased the indent for each reply but it doesn't seem to do that (although some users on wikipedia make it seem to do so using <nowiki><blockquote>tags around their text</blockquote></nowiki>). --[[User:John Stumbles|John Stumbles]] 12:02, 16 December 2006 (GMT)<br />
<blockquote><br />
This quickly gets messy if you try to hand-craft multiple layers of indentation as you have to put your own <nowiki><blockquote>tags</blockquote></nowiki> before the closing <nowiki></blockquote></nowiki> you're replying to.<br />
<br />
Kids: don't try this at home!<br />
</blockquote><br />
</blockquote><br />
<br />
== Trouble with category pages ==<br />
<br />
I added a <nowiki>[[Category:Plumbing]]</nowiki> tag to the Plumbing page but when I followed the Category: link at the bottom<br />
of the page I got:<br />
<br />
<pre><br />
Editing Category:Plumbing<br />
From DIYWiki<br />
Jump to: navigation, search<br />
<br />
You've followed a link to a page that doesn't exist yet. To create the<br />
page, start typing in the box below (see the help page for more info). If<br />
you are here by mistake, just click your browser's back button. Preview<br />
<br />
Sorry! We could not process your edit due to a loss of session data.<br />
Please try again. If it still doesn't work, try logging out and logging<br />
back in.<br />
</pre><br />
<br />
If I just 'Save page' with an empty page and again try to follow the<br />
link I get the same error. However if I create a page with some random<br />
text and save that I get correctly directed to the newly created Category<br />
page. I can then edit it and delete the random text, save again and I<br />
still get to the new page (which is what I want). Odd.<br />
<br />
== Logo ==<br />
<br />
Can we have a $wgLogo please, pretty please?<br />
<br />
Maybe one could be made using cooltext.com <br />
<br />
--[[User:Owain-test|Owain-test]] 23:09, 20 December 2006 (GMT)--Owain<br />
<br />
Something like<br />
http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Image:UkdiyWIKIlogo.jpg<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
<br />
There are 2 problems with that logo:<br />
<br />
1. It's too wide. When I resized it to 135px wide, it became too small to use. The logo ideally needs to be approximately squarish, around 135px wide.<br />
<br />
2. In order for it to look right against the background, it needs to be transparent. I can make the image background transparent, but the effect is far cleaner if the logo itself has fairly well defined lines, rather than a fade.<br />
<br />
Happy to put a logo up if you make one that's about the right shape.<br />
<br />
--[[User:Grunff|Grunff]] 10:23, 24 December 2006 (GMT)<br />
<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
The input form on cooltext doesn't seem to allow a line break, or to pick transparent bg. Sorry.<br />
--[[User:217.158.132.41|217.158.132.41]] 21:22, 24 December 2006 (GMT)<br />
<br />
<br />
Would it work ok if you put the text in 2 lines to make it squarer, and fade to a white background?<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
It doesn't do line breaks.<br />
<br />
Would it work if it was rotated 90deg to have the text running vertical, it would push the left menu down a bit?<br />
-- Owain<br />
<br />
<br />
Could you make 2 pics and splice them together?<br />
<br />
<br />
I'm quite happy to get our graphic designer to create a nice logo for the wiki, but since this will be quite costly, I'd rather wait until we are sure we're going to keep the wiki.<br />
<br />
I'm not keen on splicing etc - it never looks good.<br />
<br />
--[[User:Grunff|Grunff]] 12:12, 26 December 2006 (GMT)<br />
<br />
<br />
2nd attempt is at [Image:Wikilogo1.gif] I'll leave it to you to resize and make transparent; hopefully the edges aren't dithered and the incompetence in editing will disappear when it's shrunk.<br />
<br />
--[[User:Owain-test|Owain-test]] 16:56, 26 December 2006 (GMT)<br />
<br />
<br />
Hi Owain, sorry, I had a look at that one, but it's too pixelated. Leave the logo issue with me, I promise I'll get something sorted out for it if the wiki is still attracting interest in say 3 months - does that sound ok?<br />
<br />
--[[User:Grunff|Grunff]] 20:58, 30 December 2006 (GMT)<br />
<br />
== Categories ==<br />
<br />
I find that what turn out to be the useful category headings are often not what I epxected them to be ahead of time. (I manage a few info libraries elsewhere.)<br />
<br />
== Deleting images ==<br />
<br />
I uploaded a bunch of image files for an article then realised I didn't need some of them, but there doesn't seem to be any way to delete them. <br />
<br />
They're shown in [[Special:Unusedimages]]<br />
<br />
--[[User:John Stumbles|John Stumbles]] 18:21, 3 January 2007 (GMT)<br />
<br />
There are a few redundant articles could be deleted too. Whatever the method, it may be best to delete the how to after its been done!<br />
[[User:NT|NT]] 19:14, 3 January 2007 (GMT)<br />
<br />
== Revert ==<br />
<br />
How do you do a 'revert' then? Could be handy to know.<br />
[[User:NT|NT]] 06:07, 4 February 2007 (GMT)<br />
<br />
<br />
Go to '''history''' and find the version you want to go back to, go into '''edit''' and save it without making any changes to the text (but do fill in the '''Summary''' to say you're reverting it, and why, of course!)<br />
<br />
--[[User:John Stumbles|John Stumbles]] 12:15, 4 February 2007 (GMT)<br />
<br />
Ohh - easy! Thanks.<br />
[[User:NT|NT]] 22:08, 4 February 2007 (GMT)<br />
<br />
== DIY pages on wikipedia ==<br />
<br />
There are some middling to bloody-awful DIY related pages on wikipedia which need some work:<br />
<br />
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_it_yourself Do_it_yourself] could do with UK-ifying and putting in some decent links (like to here!)<br />
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIY_culture DIY_culture]<br />
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handyperson Handyperson] <groan><br />
<br />
== Naming & Capitalisation conventions ==<br />
<br />
Some time ago I put in the Naming section:<br />
<blockquote><br />
When referring to one article from another it helps to have a consistent naming convention. Perhaps we should follow Wikipedia's naming convention [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Naming_conventions]] especially regarding capitalisation of article names and whether they should be in the singular or plural [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Naming_conventions#General_conventions]]<br />
</blockquote><br />
However no-one (least of all me :-)) seems to be doing that so maybe we should change this to reflect actual practice which seems to be to Capitalise All Initials and use plurals for subjects which are a class of things e.g. '''Round Tuits'''<br />
<br />
I agree, for one reason or another it hasnt been followed, and its less confusing to stick with what we've got, so thats what I do for now.<br />
[[User:NT|NT]] 05:27, 15 February 2007 (GMT)<br />
<br />
OK I've changed it to reflect more-or-less what we've got now, although what we've got isn't consistent as to whether we capitalise all words in an article name or just the main ones, but wtf, life's too short :-)<br />
<br />
--[[User:John Stumbles|John Stumbles]] 11:25, 15 February 2007 (GMT)</div>WikiSysophttps://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=2330Main Page2007-02-13T15:51:05Z<p>WikiSysop: /* Naming */</p>
<hr />
<div>This [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki wiki] is intended to provide a resource for all those into [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_it_yourself '''Do It Yourself'''] ('''DIY'''). DIY includes a vast range of subjects, with the common factor of ordinary people doing jobs for themselves that are within their abilities but which they would otherwise have to employ others to do for them. Another common factor is that many such jobs require the DIY-er to expand their skills and understanding - sometimes quite rapidly - to carry out the job successfully. Since a third factor is that many such jobs have already been tackled by other DIYers it is useful to learn from the experience of others. <br />
In the UK the '''uk.d-i-y''' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsgroup newsgroup] has for many years been a valuable resource for exchanging information and, like many newsgroups, it has for many years had a web-based [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAQ FAQ] containing articles contributed and edited by a few individual 'regulars' of the group. Since wikis are by their nature very DIY websites this uk.d-i-y wiki was perhaps inevitable ...<br />
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The wiki was first put up on a trial basis, but appears to be sufficiently popular to become a permanent feature. However it is still in its infancy so: <br />
* the range of subjects covered is patchy<br />
* most articles are the work of only one or two people: this means they may carry particular bias(es) of the author(s). (Viewing a page's '''history''' tab shows how the page has been edited and how many people have contributed to the process). <br />
It is hoped that as more people find it a useful resource more will be inclined to contribute their own particular skills - whether that is in the form of writing new articles, improving existing ones or even pointing out where improvements need to be made (in content or in clarity).<br />
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* No login is required to post new articles or edit existing ones, but feel free to create a login if you wish. It helps people see who's created what.<br />
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* You can discuss this wiki on the [[Talk:Main_Page|talk (discussion) page]]<br />
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== Navigation ==<br />
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* You can use the '''search''' function (in left sidebar) to find anything (e.g. 'boilers')<br />
* Here is a list of all [[Special:Categories|categories]] of article <br />
* Here is a list of all [[Special:Allpages|pages]] in the wiki<br />
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== Contributing ==<br />
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=== Editing Articles ===<br />
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Each wiki page has an '''edit''' tab at the top of the page. This lets you edit the entire page, including such elements as categories.<br />
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Many pages also have '''edit''' links at the right of the page, opposite section headings. These allow you to edit just that section.<br />
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In each case you can edit text quite simply (e.g. correcting typos) but if you want to add to or change the structure substantially you will need to know a bit about wiki markup. <br />
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http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Editing<br />
is probably the canonical reference on editing this 'make' of wiki (mediawiki) although this particular installation may differ from the examples given at wikimedia.org, depending on how this installation has been configured.<br />
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==== Images ====<br />
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One of the nice things about the wiki is that we can upload pictures to include in articles. However the wiki seems to keep all uploaded images in one pool ([[Special:Imagelist]]), so if we're to be able to manage this we probably need to pay a bit of attention to the names we give to the image files. So instead of, say, boiler.jpg followed by boiler2.jpg ... boiler1001.jpg maybe we could name them like Boiler_Worcester-Bosch_Greenstar_Junior_24i_front_outside_view.jpg. OK that's a bit of a mouth (or keyboard)-full but we'll probably all be grateful by the time we get to Wikipedia size :-) Supplying a meaningful description when we upload images should also help.<br />
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For help on how to include images in articles this page is useful: http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Images<br />
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=== Creating Articles ===<br />
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You can create an article by trying to view an article of that name. If it doesn't exist, you are given the chance to create it. So say you want to create an article about plastering. Put the word "plastering" in the search box and click go. If that article doesn't exist, you get a link to create it. (You may want to consider re-submitting the query for the exact title of the article you want to create since it's not so straightforward to change existing titles in the wiki. So search again for 'Plastering' rather than 'plastering' to create the article with the title Capitalised.)<br />
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==== Naming ====<br />
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When referring to one article from another it helps to have a consistent naming convention. Perhaps we should follow Wikipedia's naming convention [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Naming_conventions]] especially regarding capitalisation of article names and whether they should be in the singular or plural [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Naming_conventions#General_conventions]]<br />
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Here is an [[Example_article|example article]]. It contains an example of the structure and many of the formatting markups you may want in an article, which you can use as a template.<br />
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----</div>WikiSysophttps://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=File:Cow2.jpeg&diff=1428File:Cow2.jpeg2006-12-16T10:23:24Z<p>WikiSysop: Picture of a cow.</p>
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<div>Picture of a cow.</div>WikiSysophttps://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Monkey&diff=1369Monkey2006-12-15T19:53:43Z<p>WikiSysop: </p>
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<div>This is a page about monkeys.</div>WikiSysop