Contributing

Contributions of repair data are welcome. This site improves when experienced repair technicians share what they know.

What to Contribute

• Component identification data (IC designators, part numbers, packages)
• Voltage measurements at test points (specify board revision and conditions)
• Documented failure modes with symptoms and confirmed root causes
• Corrections to existing data
• Annotated board images (component maps, test point diagrams, voltage overlays)

Getting Started

Requirements

1. Git LFS — required for working with .xcf image source files. Install it before cloning:

   # Ubuntu/Debian
   sudo apt-get install git-lfs
   
   # macOS
   brew install git-lfs
   
   # Windows — download from https://git-lfs.com/
   

   Then run once:

   git lfs install
   

2. Clone the repo (LFS files download automatically):

   git clone https://github.com/<org>/rpi-site.git
   

3. Python (optional, for local preview):

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   mkdocs serve
   

Working with Board Images

Board diagrams are maintained as .xcf files (GIMP's native format). These are the editable source files that contributors modify to add annotations, component labels, or voltage measurements.

Workflow

1. Open the relevant .xcf file in GIMP (free, cross-platform)
2. Add your annotations on a new layer — don't flatten or merge existing layers
3. Export a .webp or .png version for the site (File → Export As)
4. Commit both the updated .xcf and the exported image

Guidelines for Image Edits

• Use consistent label styling (check existing layers for font, size, color conventions)
• Name your layers descriptively (e.g., "USB controller voltages", "Q4 identification")
• Keep separate measurement conditions on separate layers so they can be toggled

LFS Notes

• .xcf files are stored via Git LFS — they won't bloat the repo history
• If git clone shows placeholder text files instead of real .xcf data, run git lfs pull
• You can verify LFS is working with git lfs ls-files

How to Submit

1. Fork the repository on GitHub
2. Create a branch for your changes
3. Add or edit content in the docs/ directory
4. Follow the existing page structure and formatting conventions
5. Open a pull request with a description of what you added and how you verified it

Data Quality Standards

• All voltage measurements must specify: board revision, measurement conditions (bare board vs. booted), and probe points
• Component data should reference a source (datasheet, visual identification, schematic)
• Failure modes should distinguish between confirmed root causes and suspected causes

License

By contributing, you agree that your contributions are licensed under the same terms as the rest of the site (MIT).