# Personal PDF file



## derekleffew (Aug 29, 2008)

Start a folder or subdirectory on your hard drive called "Reference" or "PDFs" or some applicable name, as a repository for User's Manuals and other reference documents. Size permitting, burn it to a CD for easy transport when/if you don't carry your laptop. Many, many times on a job site, someone has needed the manual for some piece of gear to look-up or trouble-shoot something, and I have lent them my CD(s).

My current folder is 1.6Gb's worth of _junk_ I've collected since about 1994, and includes things not available on manufacturers' sites, such as the original VL Series200 DMX modes, MicroVisonFX manual, and http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/...016004-nec-code-applicability-100-loading.pdf.

If you know you will be working with a new piece of gear, download the manual to have available should you (or someone else) need it. I believe this has been stressed in Brad Schiller's _Console Programming_ articles in _PLSN_ and also in his book, Amazon.com: The Automated Lighting Programmer's Handbook: Brad Schiller: Books. 

As a lighting programmer, I used to carry a looseleaf binder with pertinent information, but it quickly grew unwieldy. I still will print out a gobo sheet for applicable fixtures, as it's so much easier to have a designer point to a picture instead of saying "you know, the gobo with the wavy lines."


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## tech2000 (Aug 30, 2008)

That's a good idea...
I have been collecting some electronic copies of manuals and documents for some of my schools equipment, but never thought of actually putting it on a cd or something for easy transport and accessibility at a work site.
I'm going to have to do that


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## Chris15 (Aug 30, 2008)

I have such a folder "Tech Data".

Within it, I file by manufacturer so as top make actually finding stuff easy. I also advise renaming the files so that instead of whatever the manufacturer thinks is a good name, you have a name that makes sense to you...


I'd suggest that if you can obtain it, the manual for every piece of equipment your company / venue owns is not a bad place to start as well as that equipment which might regularly be brought through the door on hire or by incoming acts...

Forgot to add... If you deal with speaker systems, then keeping a copy of the processor settings for each speaker and processor type, both in the relevant file type for the processor software and as a set of numbers...


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## MNicolai (Aug 30, 2008)

I do with this from installation guides down to microphone datasheets.


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## tech2000 (Aug 31, 2008)

at school I have 3 or 4 binders full of the school's theater's sound, lighting, and video manuals, even manuals for the gyms systems too! haven't used them much...yet


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## howlingwolf487 (Sep 1, 2008)

I usually keep mine on a 2GB USB thumbdrive. It can also have stored settings for mixers, etc. and my own reference material (resume, etc.).


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## TupeloTechie (Sep 1, 2008)

Sounds like something you should burn copies and sell. However I would not be surprised if that was illegal.

This really does sound like a good idea and I am starting my own right now. 

Great suggestion!


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