These are some very general guidelines for contributing to HPWiki, in no particular order.

There's a mailing list (a mailing list, not a web forum) for internal discussion and coordination of materials, presentation, etc. All contributors are welcome to subscribe to the list and participate. Information (and diffs) for any edits made to HPWiki are automatically sent to the list as well. Participation in the mailing list is optional for HPWiki contributors, but it will probably be useful, and therefore is recommended. To subscribe, either point a web browser at https://mail.neurotica.com/mailman3/ and register, or send email to mcguire@mcguirescientificservices.com and I will add you.

The HPWiki site is managed by a Wiki-style content management system called DokuWiki. It is a fast, lightweight CMS with a good feature set. Its markup language is simple and easy to learn. It is documented here.

Please do not use externally-hosted images, in particular on image hosting services. Historically, these services, subject to corporate whim, have a way of just disappearing without warning and taking all of their users' photos with them. Upload local copies here.

Please do not upload copyrighted material to this site without permission. This especially applies to ArtekMedia manual scans.

HPWiki is not intended to simply replace the HP Catalogs, as anyone can get those. The intention here is to make available more practical, generally useful information. Quick at-a-glance facts, “action shots”, historical information, common repair/maintenance requirements, and things of that nature.

Some HP instruments are/were made in both rack-mount and bench top versions. Some early ones have an “R” suffix on their model number; for example the 412A and the 412AR. Most, if not all of these variants should only have one instrument page, the non-rack variant, but with a mention (and photos, if available) of the rackmount version on that page.

The main page should have only links for instruments which have pages, while the model number index, linked from the main page, should contain all model numbers and names for everything we can find, whether there's an instrument page for it or not. We will add links to instrument pages on the main page only after the new pages are created.

Please use proper, formal abbreviations for units. For example, Hz, kHz, MHz, and GHz are correct, while khz, mhz, Ghz, etc are not. Further, please be precise in terms of grammar, sentence structure, and things like that. This will help with trust and credibility. This is intended to be a professional-quality effort.

When you click on an instrument link, it will take you to a blank page telling you that it doesn't exist. Use the “create this page” link on the right, which will put you into an editor that's pre-populated with a layout template. Edit as appropriate.

As the site administrator, I (Dave McGuire) may occasionally make edits, or suggestions for edits, for matters of clarity and/or consistency. Please do not take any offense if this occurs; there is never any intention of disrespect. My feeling is that, to be a useful resource, HPWiki must be easy to use, and consistency of presentation is where that begins.