Andrew HuangInterview
Hardware misfit
Adapted from Andrew Huang's interview on Uses This, published 17 April 2010. The kit is drawn from their answers and each reason is an excerpt, lightly edited. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full interview ↗
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My current and only machine is a 2.49 GHz Core2 Duo T9300 Lenovo T61p (model 6459-CTO) with 4 GB RAM, and an aftermarket Samsung 256 GB SSD (MMDOE56G5MXP-0VB).
When I'm at home, I plug my laptop into a ThinkPad mini dock.
The mini dock also supports dual-monitors, so when I'm at home I'm staring at dual 24" LG Flatron W2452T 1920x1200 screens.
I type on a Kinesis Professional QD keyboard, with a dvorak layout.
I also swear by the Logitech VX Nano cordless laser mouse, which was recently discontinued so I bought four of them to last me a few years.
I also have a 3D connexion SpaceNavigator for Notebooks, which is a 3D mouse.
All my network routers and the NAS are plugged into an APC Backup Pro 650VA UPS; the laptop, being battery powered, doesn't really need a UPS.
My road kit includes a set of Etymotic hf5 noise isolating earphones; these are much more compact than the Bose noise cancelling headphones and their fidelity is unparalleled.
I also carry around a Beagle 480 USB protocol analyzer at all times.
The iPhone is more of a toy for entertainment value and photo management, but that role is already filled by my Nintendo DSi and my camera.
Also, don't forget the USB memory watch -- 8 GB of storage always on hand is a very useful thing to have.
I always carry a Peak Optics 7x Scale Loupe which can easily measure flat objects with a resolution better than 0.1mm, and I also carry a vernier caliper, a 6-inch ruler and a miniature tape measure.
I use a Bausch and Lomb 30x stereoscope for soldering work, but for microprobing I use an Olympus BHMJL scope with 1000x max zoom and a Bausch and Lomb Microzoom long working distance 750x max zoom scope mounted on a Signatone probe station.
For laser cutting I use a Versalaser VL300.
My favorite multimeter is a Keithley 2000, which can measure down to less than a microvolt.
Communication
I use Eudora 7 for email, because all of the new email clients are "unhygienic" about email data management.
Productivity
Browser
Security
All of my data is stored in encrypted partitions using PGPdisk.
Coding & Development
Flashdevelop is also a nice open-source framework for Flash movie development but sometimes I have no choice but to use Flash CS4.
I use GNU tools and SVN for writing and managing code, and I mainly program in C and assembly.
Design
For electronic design, I use Altium Designer, a PCB and schematic capture design suite that offers on-line LVS connectivity, powerful auto-manual routing, and fully integrated 3D visualization of PCBs, among other things.
For mechanical design, I use Solidworks, a parametric solid modeling program that also integrates features like mechanical simulation, wire routing, and a photorealistic 3D rendering engine.
I also keep a copy of Adobe Flash CS4 Professional around.
Media
Other
On top of that I run VMware.
I keep one Ubuntu Linux image around, and one secondary Windows XP image around as well.
I use Ubuntu for most of my software development work (typically Linux kernel hacking), and the secondary Windows XP image is where I install "obnoxious" programs, such as Quickbooks and vendor-specific embedded development tools which require brittle, poorly tested hardware drivers to be installed.
The one utility I use that I find useful enough to note in this interview is Snagit.
For hacking, in addition to my Ubuntu VMware kit, I keep cygwin tools on my box so I can whip up a quick perl script if needed.