Skip to Main Content
PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.
Michael Lydick

Michael Lydick

My Experience

I’m a mechanical engineer with more than 30 years of experience in industrial automation and design, with projects ranging from individual inventors to international corporations. I hold credit on six patents and have never stopped looking at the world through the glasses of "What if we did this?"

I’ve been 3D printing for more than 15 years, designing in Autodesk Inventor and Fusion 360, and working across both SLA and FDM printers. My fabrication background spans machining, CNC programming, welding, and brazing. I’m also an Amateur Extra Class ham radio operator (AA2QO), with a focus on portable low-power HF communications.

I’m a curious Gen Xer, inspired early on by Jim Henson’s groundbreaking Creature Shop. His work showed me how imagination, engineering, and design could bring new worlds to life—a lesson I’ve carried through my career and personal passions. 

I live in the foothills of North Carolina’s Appalachian Mountains with my wife of 30 years. From home base, I explore in my technology-laden 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser, and when I’m not on the road, I develop predictive financial software for retail traders and investors.

Areas of Expertise

3D Printers VR AI

Technology I Use

For everyday work, I rely on an overclocked Intel Core i9-13900K CyberPowerPC tower with 64GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12GB GDDR6X graphics card, running Windows 11. My main display is a 32-inch Samsung Odyssey G50D curved monitor with a 180Hz refresh rate. 

On the road, I carry a CyberPowerPC Tracer IV Slim 500 gaming laptop powered by a 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-10870H with 32GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super graphics card, which I often use for 3D scanning. My scanner of choice is the Creality Otter with wireless bridge functionality. 

My 3D printer stable includes the LulzBot Taz 5, the Qidi Plus 4, the Qidi Q2, the Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 12K, and the XYZprinting da Vinci 2.0, among others.

My satellite internet setup includes both a Starlink V3 and a Starlink Mini, often paired with RemotePC for remote desktop access via my 14-inch HP Dragonfly laptop. As backup, I keep a Garmin inReach Mini with pre-set text messaging and SOS capability.

In my pocket is always a Google Pixel—recently upgraded from the Pixel 4 XL to the Pixel 9 Pro XL—boosted in the Land Cruiser by a HiBoost Overlanding Edition signal booster with a folding rooftop antenna for an extra 20dB or so in remote areas.

For photography and media, I use a DJI Mavic Mini drone, a Hover foldable drone, a GoPro Hero 3+, and an Insta360 One RS Twin. Audio recording is via a DJI Mic 2, whether on my 2022 Triumph 1200 Tiger Rally Pro or inside the Land Cruiser.

For fitness and focus, I use Meta Quest 3 VR goggles, the Supernatural VR fitness app, and a Polar H10 Bluetooth heart rate sensor for cardio feedback. I also use the Tripp meditation app for breathing and focus, and occasionally hook up the Quest 3 to the HP Dragonfly as a portable multi-monitor VR desktop while traveling.

Recent Articles By Michael Lydick

Filter By: