It seems I am presently playing the computer/electronics support/fixing gig alongside whatever else it is that I do and while my house/shed has enough stuff to sort everything it seems fieldwork is the rapidly becoming the order of the day. While I have yet to be troubled by anything it is only a matter of time until it does happen and I would rather spare myself the embarrassment if I can sort it out now.
While I have my ideas I frequently get little suggestions here and there that make a big difference so I am putting it out there.
Fieldwork can quite literally find me in a field, a boat hull or wedged in a wall cavity- running to the van is not ideal or even possible (secure sites- while there are good security guards I all too often end up facing power tripping idiots who have "protocols" and can not distinguish between cheesy film and reality*) so I am aiming for a bag somewhat similar in size to a medic bag and if I can fit it in my rucksack even better.
*something like http://www.rapidonline.com/productinfo.asp...;catRef=30-3750 but an exposed PCB and the guy would give thought to phoning the bomb squad.
I have no aversion to spending some money but know that if you are going to suggest software it had better be awesome.
Hardware
Cables
I usually bring a mix of USB (A-B, micro, mini, extension), network (basic cat5(e) rather than cat6), a microfilter+ RJ12 cable and maybe the odd IDE/pata ribbon and SATA cable. Included in there are some sacrificial ones for when I have to make/fix things (you would be surprised how many things charge on 5V with less than 500mA and equally how often proprietary nastiness has the USB end fail) but not in there are extensions/adapters for internal PC parts (such things are a great source of 12V and 5V power with a decent amount of amps).
Headphones, a male-male 3.5mm audio cable and a 3.5mm to phono cable.
It has not troubled me yet but I tend not to carry serial or full on hardware reverse engineering stuff. This will probably be a second kit though.
Tools
A usual set of large ish screwdrivers, torx and security bits as well as a "watchmakers" screwdriver set.
While I do not tend to carry it around I have a gas powered soldering iron and while it is useless for surface mount work I consider spade lugs and simple interference connectors to be evil so everything gets soldered. Naturally a solder sucker (manual plunger thing), some braid and various forms of solder go with it.
Wire cutters, strippers and a set of basic pliers. No crimps beyond that which your basic black and red wire cutters afford.
Two cheap multimeters and a better one if I need it.
A box of assorted electrical components (through hole/wire ended rather than surface mount)
An IDE/sata to USB reader- mine lacks SATA which is getting to be troublesome but that is easily sorted.
Electrical tape (automotive grade and self sealing/healing/amalgamating tape mainly)
Callipers
Thermal paste.
An anti static wrist strap- static danger is overhyped but for the sake of a £3 strap I would rather not have to explain a dead server.
I lack anything resembling a null cable, socket tester and network tester and in what amounts to pure luck everything I have been around has not required me to pull/run cable through anything that was not easy to do.
I would like a portable device for some pictures (wiring diagrams and the like) with a decent size screen- the DS/PSP is not cutting it and I have not seen a mobile phone capable of anything the DS/PSP can easily manage so I am looking at some form of palmtop machine. Field hardening is something I do for people so it need not rate in that world as I can sort that and everything I have seen amounts to a token effort. While I would be happy with your basic digital picture frame if it can have internet (wifi rather than 3g) that would be awesome too.
I am also thinking about stocking some wireless adapters- if it can stem the flow of horrible belkin devices then even better.
I imagine I also need to grab a cheap USB mouse and (micro?)keyboard (maybe also the PS/2 equivalents) and maybe a 3g USB device of some form in case of lack of internet somewhere.
An assortment of memory cards (XD, SD- all form factors, CF and MS) as an assortment of hardware seems to want such things these days for updates and what have you.
I probably should pick up some canned air.
Whether I want to add in a "portable" DVD drive is another matter.
Software
The main reason for this. I plan to pick up a CD folder, some USB drives and burn off a new set of files to them (I will also stash a couple of drives for basic backup). I have several linux servers and the odd desktop under my care but it is mostly windows XP still but I do have the new shiny (home) laptop with vista or 7 to occasionally tangle with.
While I do have things to sort on the software front and beyond that is a case by case thing so the four main things I have to do- all interrelated really but for the sake of example I am breaking them apart:
1) Fix/tune up machines- the bread and butter of my trade here is a squared hijack free along with whatever customising app I have on hand that month. I do not rate automatic scanners and I would not sleep well if I called it safe after a basic AV scan.
On the rescue front I have liveCDs of linux (usually puppy linux) and bartpe for snatching data from drives.
2) Install machines from scratch- my mentioning that five year old machines and even older are still more than capable of office work seems to have been taken to heart or more likely old home machines get sent my way (usually with draw dropped once I can the 5 network adapter, 7 printer and assorted startup apps and the speed increases to new machine grade). http://driverpacks.net/ discs will be added to such a kit.
3) "Make it work"- while I occasionally get to build machines for people more often than not I get given a piece of junk from your chosen big box vendor and asked to make it work.
4) Update machines- I will spare horror stories but I have seen XP machines that lack even SP1 and assuming I am not around to play with nlite/similar UK internet connections are not enough to handle however many gigs of updates such things entail. I usually have something like http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=130031&hl= on hand though for offline updates (most of my clients are too small to need a full on WSUS server or have requirements beyond such a thing).
I am also thinking about a collection of stuff from http://portableapps.com to complement the liveCDs. I also need to set up some more remote access stuff for things of my own but I can do that.
While I have my ideas I frequently get little suggestions here and there that make a big difference so I am putting it out there.
Fieldwork can quite literally find me in a field, a boat hull or wedged in a wall cavity- running to the van is not ideal or even possible (secure sites- while there are good security guards I all too often end up facing power tripping idiots who have "protocols" and can not distinguish between cheesy film and reality*) so I am aiming for a bag somewhat similar in size to a medic bag and if I can fit it in my rucksack even better.
*something like http://www.rapidonline.com/productinfo.asp...;catRef=30-3750 but an exposed PCB and the guy would give thought to phoning the bomb squad.
I have no aversion to spending some money but know that if you are going to suggest software it had better be awesome.
Hardware
Cables
I usually bring a mix of USB (A-B, micro, mini, extension), network (basic cat5(e) rather than cat6), a microfilter+ RJ12 cable and maybe the odd IDE/pata ribbon and SATA cable. Included in there are some sacrificial ones for when I have to make/fix things (you would be surprised how many things charge on 5V with less than 500mA and equally how often proprietary nastiness has the USB end fail) but not in there are extensions/adapters for internal PC parts (such things are a great source of 12V and 5V power with a decent amount of amps).
Headphones, a male-male 3.5mm audio cable and a 3.5mm to phono cable.
It has not troubled me yet but I tend not to carry serial or full on hardware reverse engineering stuff. This will probably be a second kit though.
Tools
A usual set of large ish screwdrivers, torx and security bits as well as a "watchmakers" screwdriver set.
While I do not tend to carry it around I have a gas powered soldering iron and while it is useless for surface mount work I consider spade lugs and simple interference connectors to be evil so everything gets soldered. Naturally a solder sucker (manual plunger thing), some braid and various forms of solder go with it.
Wire cutters, strippers and a set of basic pliers. No crimps beyond that which your basic black and red wire cutters afford.
Two cheap multimeters and a better one if I need it.
A box of assorted electrical components (through hole/wire ended rather than surface mount)
An IDE/sata to USB reader- mine lacks SATA which is getting to be troublesome but that is easily sorted.
Electrical tape (automotive grade and self sealing/healing/amalgamating tape mainly)
Callipers
Thermal paste.
An anti static wrist strap- static danger is overhyped but for the sake of a £3 strap I would rather not have to explain a dead server.
I lack anything resembling a null cable, socket tester and network tester and in what amounts to pure luck everything I have been around has not required me to pull/run cable through anything that was not easy to do.
I would like a portable device for some pictures (wiring diagrams and the like) with a decent size screen- the DS/PSP is not cutting it and I have not seen a mobile phone capable of anything the DS/PSP can easily manage so I am looking at some form of palmtop machine. Field hardening is something I do for people so it need not rate in that world as I can sort that and everything I have seen amounts to a token effort. While I would be happy with your basic digital picture frame if it can have internet (wifi rather than 3g) that would be awesome too.
I am also thinking about stocking some wireless adapters- if it can stem the flow of horrible belkin devices then even better.
I imagine I also need to grab a cheap USB mouse and (micro?)keyboard (maybe also the PS/2 equivalents) and maybe a 3g USB device of some form in case of lack of internet somewhere.
An assortment of memory cards (XD, SD- all form factors, CF and MS) as an assortment of hardware seems to want such things these days for updates and what have you.
I probably should pick up some canned air.
Whether I want to add in a "portable" DVD drive is another matter.
Software
The main reason for this. I plan to pick up a CD folder, some USB drives and burn off a new set of files to them (I will also stash a couple of drives for basic backup). I have several linux servers and the odd desktop under my care but it is mostly windows XP still but I do have the new shiny (home) laptop with vista or 7 to occasionally tangle with.
While I do have things to sort on the software front and beyond that is a case by case thing so the four main things I have to do- all interrelated really but for the sake of example I am breaking them apart:
1) Fix/tune up machines- the bread and butter of my trade here is a squared hijack free along with whatever customising app I have on hand that month. I do not rate automatic scanners and I would not sleep well if I called it safe after a basic AV scan.
On the rescue front I have liveCDs of linux (usually puppy linux) and bartpe for snatching data from drives.
2) Install machines from scratch- my mentioning that five year old machines and even older are still more than capable of office work seems to have been taken to heart or more likely old home machines get sent my way (usually with draw dropped once I can the 5 network adapter, 7 printer and assorted startup apps and the speed increases to new machine grade). http://driverpacks.net/ discs will be added to such a kit.
3) "Make it work"- while I occasionally get to build machines for people more often than not I get given a piece of junk from your chosen big box vendor and asked to make it work.
4) Update machines- I will spare horror stories but I have seen XP machines that lack even SP1 and assuming I am not around to play with nlite/similar UK internet connections are not enough to handle however many gigs of updates such things entail. I usually have something like http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=130031&hl= on hand though for offline updates (most of my clients are too small to need a full on WSUS server or have requirements beyond such a thing).
I am also thinking about a collection of stuff from http://portableapps.com to complement the liveCDs. I also need to set up some more remote access stuff for things of my own but I can do that.
