Quote Originally Posted by IanS1 View Post
That's a real shame. I'm sure the complete novices on here, myself included, would value more feedback on our posts. So come on you lurkers, I'm almost certain if you all became active members the forum would be a much richer place for it. Don't be shy now.
It's an interesting point. The problem might be that there are a few very experienced machine builders who contribute, and who can talk from their experience. There are others with deep theoretical knowledge (and some practical skills as well, but that's not the point) who can offer a different insight into problems or questions. It's worth a beginner listening to all of them. Then there is a small number (fortunately very small, and possibly near zero at the moment) who claim to know a lot but it's just what they've read somewhere else. Usually not adding much to the discussion and sometimes just misleading or wrong. Then there's the other 98% of us. So, specific example - I built a CNC router to the JGRO design 2-3 years ago. Hadn't found this forum at that time, and it seemed like a good idea. Taught me a lot, mainly how not to do it, but little of that is worth repeating. I did electronic engineering at university, and can find my way around the problems of interconnecting the various bits of electronics needed to make a machine work. I understand the difference between n/o and n/c proximity switches, for example. But with my Mk1 machine, and the Mk2 currently being built. I only have experience of one particular kind of PC/BOB/driver, etc, combination. Ditto mechanical engineering - I've been a model engineer for nearly 40 years, with a decent workshop and set of machines and tools. I've worked in the IT business for most of my working life (and now retired) but have only used LinuxCNC and a limited range of CAD and CAM software. So, as happened a little while back, I was able to help someone who lives nearby configure and make work a machine he had bought (including learning Mach3 basics during our tea break!) but that's not anything like the range of experience that others have.

So, where I can speak specifically from my own certain knowledge and/or experience, I might pop in a comment, but frankly I feel that there are others better qualified in almost any topic. And that may be why there are so many lurkers. Not forgetting, of course, that any attempt to stick your head over the parapet and give an opinion could result in getting your head blown off! It's only too easy to write something that was meant to be polite and innocuous but puts someone's back up quite inadvertently. I'm sure that this post will upset someone, somewhere, even though I have no desire to do so. You need a hide like a rhinoceros to participate in online discussions...

I'm curious whether my thinking out loud mirrors any of the comments received at the exhibition referred to.