Question of the Month: Who do you first turn to for help solving a technical problem?

I chose internet search.  At one time I would have said colleagues but beginning with Covid the uptake of remote working there are less people around ro ask.

pchan said:

• Colleagues/friends
• Internet search
• AI chatbots
• Manufacturer/distributor website
• Manufacturer/distributor FAEs

I feel this is also missing "internet chat rooms" because IRC, Discord, Libera, Matrix and co' still exist. There are also still mailing lists out there.

And as mentioned, the manufacturer website and manual are typically the first places I go to for solving a technical problem, when that doesn't answer it, I try to seek out specialist forums/sites focussing on the equipment or software I'm using, and failing that I'd ask internet search, ai chatbots.

Colleagues/friends are so far down the list because usually when I'm working on something it's not something that they're also working on/with.

aspork42 said:

I post on Element14! Is that the correct answer

Yes!

aspork42 said:

Do I win something

Correct answers to your questions?

I voted Internet search, but more recently I'm finding AI chatbots to be particularly useful. Especially when you cannot actually describe the technical problem clearly. The nice thing about AI chatbots is that you can start vague and then all further questions will be treated as related to the original query. So you can then drill down and explore. I find that subsequent questions draws out real gems, which have made a big difference. Basically, the first response is seldom the best response.

If you are very lucky, you might get some points for participating in the poll

After the RTFM, in the modern world, it's often a case of checking current firmware / software versions and then seeing if there is an available update from the manufacturer and if so checking their release notes to see if the problem has been declared there. Often you have to do this step anyway before you can expect to get any technical support from the manufacturer. 

Of course it depends on the problem.

If its with a part, read the data sheet (again - I read them before I use a new part), then app notes, then internet search (Duckduckgo, then Google),

If its more of a "how do you do polynomial fit to a set of data points fast, in real time with limited memory"  kind of question then internet search first.

If its an analogue design problem then Art of Electronics first, then other books I've collected over  along time.

Very occasionally I might ask on a forum - maybe once a year or two on average.

MK

I usually try to solve problems myself.

I often use the internet to find pre-solved problems and avoid re-inventing the wheel. Especially if it is some aspect I'm not super interested in doing myself. Other people's solutions come with their own problems and learning curves.

I almost never ask for help - I have that phobia.

People also often turn to Forums as they are the recommended platform. but nowadays internet helps solve many issues specifically if they are in software. 

For hardware issues. Of course after internet the first thing to look is datasheets of the product. Also datasheets and official documentation is more reliable than internet such as stack overflow etc.... 

Wait a minute! I post on Element14! Is that the correct answer? Do I win something pchan ?