Getting a good answer to your questions.

Multiple times a day, people ask for help with their CNC machine. Many supply enough detail for the experts in the group to give good answers. But, far too often, people ask questions without any detail at all or blurry photos or just a title. Because there are a lot of helpful people, answers flow in. But seldom do they solve the poster's problem. And, frankly, the responses often send the poor chap on a wild goose chase. "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." So, how do you avoid ambiguous or undetailed questions. Here's a simple list of things I like to see in an ask for help:

• Say what the problem is. Don't make us guess.

• The brand and model of the CNC machine, as well as the control software (such as Mach 3/4, Grbl, grblHAL, LinuxCNC, Masso, etc.).

• The CAD/CAM software used if relevant (VCarve, Fusion, CAMBAM, FreeCAD,...)

• Whether the machine worked correctly before and is now misbehaving.

• How the problem manifests - what do you do to see the problem.

• What you did to try and solve the problem.

  
  

Also, when someone asks for more detail, answer the questions fully. If there are 3 questions in the response, answer them all. Even if it is "I don't know". The person helping you is more likely to continue if you do. I know when I see only a partial answer, my desire to help the person diminishes. The questions are not random and people do not like wasting their time on someone who does not respond fully.

Another thing that really bugs me is when people get insulted by the answers they get. If a person is trying to help you, be grateful. If it is a snide comment, ignore it. They have no way of knowing if you flunked out of homeschooling or have a PhD from Harvard. Getting mad is the best way to turn off everyone who is trying to help. If your command of the English language is not good, go ahead and ask the question in your native tongue. Translation has gotten pretty good and will probably get you a better answer.