Help:Writing a repair guide

🔧 Writing a Repair Guide
Templates and Best Practices for RTC Wiki Repair Articles

Repair guides are the heart of the RetroTechCollection Wiki. This page explains how to write high-quality maintenance, troubleshooting, and capacitor replacement guides.

Article Types

We use three standard guide types for each device:

Type	Purpose	Naming Convention
General Maintenance	Preventive care, cleaning, inspection, common failure points	`Device Name General Maintenance`
Troubleshooting	Systematic fault diagnosis with symptoms, causes, and actions	`Device Name Troubleshooting Guide`
Capacitor Replacement	Complete cap lists, replacement procedures, post-recap checks	`Device Name Capacitor Replacement Guide`

General Maintenance Guide Template

A maintenance guide should cover:

Regular Cleaning — external case, internal components, connectors
Power Supply Checks — voltage measurements, PSU health
Connector & Socket Maintenance — cleaning, DeoxIT, contact care
Common Failure Points — what breaks most often and why
Cooling System — fans, heatsinks, thermal material
Recommended Tools — what you need for maintenance
Preventive Maintenance Checklist — periodic tasks

Key Principles

Be specific — include exact voltages, temperatures, and part numbers
Include measurements — expected voltage ranges with tolerances (e.g., "4.9–5.1 V")
Reference board revisions — note when procedures differ between hardware versions
Warn about dangers — CRT discharge, mains voltage, ESD sensitivity

Troubleshooting Guide Template

A troubleshooting guide should use diagnostic tables with three columns:

{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:100%; text-align:center;"
|+ '''Problem Category'''
|-
! Symptom !! Probable Cause !! Recommended Action
|-
| Description of what the user sees || What's likely wrong || What to do about it
|}

Standard sections:

Preliminary Checks — basic power and visual inspection
Voltage Reference Table — all power rails with expected values
No Power / Dead Unit — power supply chain faults
No Video / Display Issues — video output problems
No Audio — sound faults
Input Device Issues — controller/keyboard faults
Disc/Media Errors — optical drive or floppy issues (if applicable)
Component-Level Tests — clock frequencies, oscilloscope readings, chip-level diagnostics
Quick-Fix Flowcharts — decision trees for common problems

Writing Good Diagnostic Tables

Start with the most common cause — list probable causes in priority order
Be actionable — every "Recommended Action" should tell the reader exactly what to do
Include test values — "Measure 5V at pin 21" is better than "Check the power supply"
Cross-reference — link to the maintenance guide and capacitor guide

Capacitor Replacement Guide Template

A capacitor replacement guide needs:

Visual Inspection Signs — what failing caps look like
Complete Capacitor List — table with designator, value, voltage, type, and location
Board Revision Differences — note where cap layouts change between revisions
Replacement Procedure — step-by-step desoldering and soldering instructions
Post-Recap Voltage Checks — expected values and acceptable ripple
Recommended Tools & Parts — specific equipment needed

Capacitor Table Format

{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:80%; text-align:center;"
|+ '''Board Name Capacitor Specifications'''
|-
! Designator !! Capacitance !! Voltage !! Type !! Notes
|-
| C1 || 100 µF || 6.3 V || SMD || Power filtering
|}

Writing Style

Follow the RTC Wiki style guidelines:

Factual and specific — state what it IS, not what it MEANS
Dry technical writing — let the facts speak; skip commentary
No AI writing patterns — avoid "pivotal", "crucial", "testament to", "enduring legacy"
Direct — subject-verb-object, no fluff
Source everything — use <ref>{{cite web ...}}</ref>

Using Styled Tables

Add this at the top of your article for consistent table styling:

<templatestyles src="Template:StyledTable/styles.css" />

Then use class="wikitable styled-table" on your tables.

Cross-Linking

Every repair guide should link to:

The main article for the device
The other two guide types (maintenance ↔ troubleshooting ↔ capacitor guide)
Relevant common pages (e.g., CRT Discharge Procedure, Sad Mac Error Codes)