Service Manual and Information
User Manuals
An owner's manual (also called an instruction manual or a user guide) is an
instructional book or booklet that is supplied with almost all technologically
advanced consumer products such as vehicles, home appliances and computer
peripherals. Information contained in the owner's manual typically includes:
Safety instructions; for liability reasons these can be extensive, often
including warnings against performing operations that are ill-advised for
product longevity or overall user safety reasons.
Assembly instructions; for products that arrive in pieces for easier shipping.
Installation instructions; for products that need to be installed in a home or
workplace.
Setup instructions; for devices that keep track of time or which maintain
user accessible state.
Instructions for normal or intended operations.
Programming instructions; for microprocessor controlled products such as
VCRs, programmable calculators, and synthesizers.
Maintenance instructions.
Troubleshooting instructions; for when the product does not work as
expected.
Service locations; for when the product requires repair by a factory
authorized technician.
Regulatory code compliance information; for example with respect to
safety or electromagnetic interference.
Product technical specifications.
Warranty information; sometimes provided as a separate sheet.
Factory Service Manual
Factory service manuals (FSM) are the manuals provided by manufacturers
which cover the servicing, maintenance, and repair of their products. They were
not originally offered to the public as they were developed for the dealerships so
that their mechanics were able to fix their own products.
Many aftermarket manuals are available, with most of them referencing the FSM
for topics such as torque specifications, dimensions and part numbers.
Installation manual
An installation manual or installation guide is a technical communication
document intended to instruct people how to install a particular product. An
installation manual is usually written by a technical writer or other technical staff.
Installation is the act of putting something in place so that it is ready for use.[1]
An installation manual most commonly describes the safe and correct installation
of a product. The term product here relates to any consumer, non-consumer,
hardware, software, electrical, electronic or mechanical product that requires
installation. The installation of a computer program is also known as the setup.
In case of an installation manual, the installation instruction is a separate
document that focuses solely on the person(s) that will perform the installation.
However, the installation instruction can also be an integrated part of the overall
owner's manual.
The size, structure and content of an installation manual depend heavily on the
nature of the product and the needs and capabilities of the intended target group.
Furthermore, various standards and directives are available that provide
guidance and requirements for the design of instructions.
Sample service manual: https://na.panasonic.com/us/support/vrf-manuals
