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Hi, are there any examples in the fluff of humans that have become proficient with repairing, building Imperial technology? I know the van saar have an stc and build weaponry.
I am trying to build some fluff around a character. How would a regular human learn about technology? Does the mechanicum ever train humans?
Even xenos tech? Any characters that have studied alien technology to gain some understanding?
Thanks

Depends how high a tech level and how high an understanding we're talking about.

A guard tank crew, for example, can change a tank track - they'e taught a by-rote process (probably including prayers) but it's pretty obvious how a screw-and-nut works, even to a conscript.

Most guardsmen can by-rote maintain a lasgun, but won't know how the internals work.

The Van Saar - most non-mechanicum 'techy' people - get limited training and the 'rights' to produce given patterns of designs bought under lease from the mechanicus. That wouldn't necessarily translate to understanding it enough to redesign or change it.

STC designs are very intercompatible; so if you've got an stc tank turret, most STC heavy weapons will pretty much plug-fit into it, but you'd need to be fairly educated to do it - something like a techmarine.

Note that there are non-mechanicus individuals educated in how technology works, but unsanctioned tech-priests are illegal - the mechanicus uses the phrase 'heretek'. Heretek who mess around with xenotech is not unheard of.

They're often found working for cults, criminal cartels - and more radical inquisitors and rogue traders who don't want to be beholden to the mechanicus...

The Cain series describes civilian craft persons that can use sanctioned crafting and construction kit, like carpenters and plumbers I think.

It also describes lay-members of the Mechanicus as people with knowledge about the rituals and some if the secrets of machines, but aren't full members of the cult.

Also from the Cain novels - Felicia Tayber was a local who was good with tech so the Admech 'drafted' her.

There's also a short story about a Baneblade crew where the longest serving crew member knows the tank better than the Enginseer.

Brilliant thank you guys. I'm quite new to the fluff, especially outside of csm so you've given me some jumping off points for further research.
I had heard the term heretek but thought it was more for techpriests that had gone rogue, having just read the wiki entry, they talk about others pursuing tech heresy independently.
So would it be far fetched for a heretek to have independently developed enough of an understanding to repair or modify say a plasma gun?
Would a heretek still believe in the omnissiah? Or could they take a more pragmatic view and believe that these technologies run due to more tangible reasons?

Just like the Inquisition, there are loads of high level tech priests that teeter on the edge of heresy for what they believe to be good reason. Then it's just a step or two in a crisis to go totally over the line and then down a slippy slope of self delusion into full blown heresy. Doesnt mean that they would necessarily stop thinking that their murky deeds are all for the aggrandisement of the Omnissiah.

Hereteks with the right manuals and bits of lore could feasibly understand plasma weaponry.


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Also in some cases you can easily see that a tech 0riest 9r magos gets denounced as a heretek because 9f a jealous rival with better political connections. Then they would be branded a heretek and pursued, but would in fact be loyal to the Imperium and the cult.