Zip files for downloading the complete FAQs may be found on the Drexel, UPenn, and Germany mirror sites (direct links below).
The Sci.Electronics.Repair (S.E.R) FAQ is an extensive set of documents on consumer electronics (and other) troubleshooting and repair, testing, general electronics, reference information, assorted schematics of interesting and sometimes unusual devices, links to over 1000 technology related Web sites, and more. It was developed specifically for the DoItYourselfer (DIYer) and tinkerer, hobbyist, experimenter, engineer, dentist, and poet. The S.E.R FAQ includes all of the material I have written (nicely formatted by Filipg G.) as well as many articles and references from others. To the best of my knowledge, this is the most comprehensive collection of information of its kind in the explored universe. Note that the latest documents I have authored (see SSTR, below) are now linked from the S.E.R Main ToC. The older versions will eventually be phased out.
Sam's Laser FAQ (SLF) - A Practical Guide to Lasers for Experimenters and Hobbyists - contains extensive practical information on a variety of laser related topics. Sam's Laser FAQ is present at all S.E.R FAQ (and SSTR - see below) sites, but due to its nature and size, is also available as a self contained document and at other sites as well. Version may vary slightly by site but all are quite recent and nicely formatted including a full table of contents, list of all associated files, and extensive cross-links. The complete Sam's Laser FAQ may be downloaded for convenient high speed local access. See: Sam's Laser FAQ Local Installation for details. The Laser Equipment Gallery (LEG) includes a collection of photos of various laser systems, power supplies, and components. Due to its size, the LEG is only present at selected sites and is NOT part of the FAQ distributions.
Silicon Sam's Technology Resource (SSTR) includes all the documents I have authored and are now linked from the main S.E.R FAQ ToC. They are nicely formatted and eventually the older similar documents of the S.E.R FAQ will be phased out. In other words, the latest versions of the S.E.R FAQ documents I have authored ARE exactly the same as what's in the SSTR directory. The complete SSTR collection may also be downloaded for convenient high speed local access. See: Silicon Sam's Technology Resource Local Installation for details. Note that while SSTR sites include Sam's Laser FAQ, it is NOT part of the SSTR download package and must be installed separately.
Copies of some of these documents, particularly the various repair guides of the Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ, may be found at other totally independent sites. However, unless they are live links back to one of the sites below, the versions are likely to be quite old (relatively speaking, at least). There are also some additional sites which have copied and modified some of these documents to provide a more user friendly graphical user interface. So, if you stumble across something that looks vaguely familiar, you will know where it came from. In either case, if there is no acknowledgement of the origin in the links or at the beginning of the document, please let me know!
The Main Table of Contents (ToC) links, below, are the usual jumping off points for the good stuff for on-line viewing. :-) Those labeled as 'Zip' may be downloaded as a single compressed file and easily installed to create a local browser accessible copy. See the descriptions of the FAQs, above, for links to installation instructions.
(SSTR=Silicon Sam's Technology Resource, SLF=Sam's Laser FAQ, LEG=Laser Equipment Gallery.)
The primary mirror sites (Drexel and UPenn) are listed first, followed by the remainder in no particular order - maybe alphabetic, then EDU/COM, then USA/Foreign, then by distance, maybe. :)
(SSTR=Silicon Sam's Technology Resource, SLF=Sam's Laser FAQ, LEG=Laser Equipment Gallery, Zip=Zipped file for the preceeding FAQ collection.)
The entries marked 'Zip' provide a convenient way of creating a local browser-accessible copy of SSTR and/or Sam's Laser FAQ. See Silicon Sam's Technology Resource Local Installation and Sam's Laser FAQ Local Installation for details.
One of the latest versions of the document: "Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of Electronic Flash Units and Strobe Lights, and Design Guidelines, Useful Circuits, and Schematics" usually resides at:
Fluorescent and discharge lamp info and troubleshooting documents:
High Voltage Stuff:
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