Quote:
Originally Posted by David G4EBT
In another thread about replacing a selenium rectifier, I did make the mistake of drawing sketches and posting pictures explaining how to test the rectifier, how they and the reservoir and smoothing caps work
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That wasn't as much of a mistake as you may have thought.
I for one found that information extremely interesting as it filled a hitherto unknown gap in my knowledge. Until that question was posed, I would have assumed that a selenium rectifier could be replaced one for one with a more modern rectifier like a suitably rated silicon diode and no other components. I can remember selenium rectifiers in old car battery chargers and model train controllers, but I have never actually had to replace one in anything.
Even if the OP of a given thread appears not to want to benefit from the information given, others eventually will, when they surf onto that thread in search of the same information at some point in the future.
When I'm in a position to answer someone's query myself (in this and a few other forums I frequent) I often answer it in greater detail than might seem necessary for the OP's benefit, and that is because I am conscious that the OP is probably not the only person who will ever have their problem, and that other people - possibly with less knowledge than the OP of the thread - will eventually come across it in search of the same answers.
So to me, David, time spent answering a question in great detail is never really wasted, even if it sometimes seems to have been wasted on the OP. It will eventually prove useful to someone and perhaps prevent the same question from being asked again two years down the line.
Almost every thread in this forum is a little treasure chest full of valuable knowledge waiting to be found, even if it was not always appreciated by the person for whom it was originally intended.