Help:Uploading service manuals

📄 Uploading Service Manuals
How to Scan, Prepare, and Upload Technical Documentation

Service manuals, schematics, and technical documentation are among the most valuable resources on the RTC Wiki. This guide covers how to prepare and upload them properly.

Before You Upload

Copyright Considerations

Read the Service Manual Reproduction Policy first
Most vintage service manuals are out of print and no longer commercially available
We host these documents for preservation and repair purposes
If a rights holder requests removal, we will comply

Check for Duplicates

Browse Category:Service Manuals to see what we already have
Check the specific manufacturer category (e.g., Category:Nintendo Service Manuals, Category:Sega Service Manuals)
Search for the document title using Special:Search

Scanning Best Practices

Setting	Recommendation
Resolution	300 DPI minimum, 600 DPI for schematics with fine detail
Colour mode	Colour for most documents; greyscale for black-and-white originals
Format	PDF (preferred for multi-page documents)
Compression	Moderate — balance quality with file size
Page size	Match the original (A4 for most service manuals, A3 for schematics)

Tips for Large Documents

Flatbed scanners produce the best results
For thick binders, use a book scanner or photograph pages if scanning isn't possible
De-skew pages in your scanning software
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is a bonus but not required
If a document has both A4 text pages and A3 schematic foldouts, consider splitting into two files

Naming Convention

Use clear, descriptive filenames:

Manufacturer Console_Model Document_Type (Details).pdf

Examples:

Sega Game Gear VA1 Service Manual.pdf
Nintendo Game Boy Technical Manual.pdf
Sega Dreamcast VA0 CPU and DRAM Schematic.pdf
Manual Tecnico do Super NES Rev 01-94.pdf

Uploading

Go to Special:Upload
Select your PDF file
Enter a descriptive filename following the naming convention above
Write a summary describing the document:
- What console/computer it covers
- Whether it's official or community-created
- The date/revision if known
- The language
Click Upload file

Creating the Wiki Page

After uploading, create a page for the document. Use this format:

<pdf> File:Your Document Name.pdf </pdf>

The '''Document Title''' is a description of what the document covers.

== Contents ==
* List the major sections
* Include key topics covered

== Download ==
Download here: [[:File:Your Document Name.pdf]]

[[Category:Appropriate Category]]

Which Category?

Document Type	Category
Official manufacturer service manual	`[[Category:Manufacturer Service Manuals]]`
Board schematics	`[[Category:Manufacturer Schematics]]`
Community-created documentation	`[[Category:Manufacturer Unofficial Service Manuals]]`

Replace "Manufacturer" with Nintendo, Sega, Apple, etc.

File Size Limits

Maximum upload size: 2 GB
For very large scans (100MB+), consider whether a lower DPI would suffice
If Cloudflare is active, uploads over 100MB may need to go through the server directly — ask an administrator