So you want to make a Nano Controller Unit. I do too It's a great nanoskill buff item, and goes in a slot where almost nothing else that's really useful can be put. What's not to like? Well, there is one thing: the tradeskill requirement to make it. Because the final item is NODROP, if you want one, you have to acquire the tradeskills to make it on your own.
The Nano Controller Unit is created by combining a Nano Programming Interface with a Disc of Cloudy Crystal. The NPI can be bought in various tradeskill related shops; the DoCC is a random drop from alien generals. DoCCs can be traded, so you can buy, trade for, or otherwise acquire one in a ql suitable to you before trying to turn it into a Nano Controller Unit. The process requires 6xQL of the DoCC in your Chemistry and Electrical Engineering skills.
So I've done some research on how to get chemistry and electrical engineering skill without spending IP on it, and on what ql controller units can be made with no IP spending or very small IP spending. I've also figured out the minimum amount of IP needed to be spent on various "benchmark" QLs of the controller unit. Although I'll be providing "exact" IP numbers, treat them as "ballpark figures" in case the IP/stat calculator I am using is not 100% accurate.
Stuff you can do, as a doctor, to raise chemistry without spending IP:
Expertise: +20
Philosopher's Stone (engineer): + 62
HQ Tradeskill buff: +160
Ql 200 Implants: +210
Ql 255 Implants: +250
Full suit of Ql 300 Arithmatic (or Combined Arithmatic) armor: +210
OT M-10 Nano Flechette Pistol ql 200: +30, can dual-wield for +60
Piip Ignatz' Ring of Chemistry ql 300: +30
All-Match Augmented Bow-Tie: +12
Thick Leather Wristband: +10
If you can't get a full suit of Arithmatic armor, some other armor options:
Cancer's Silver Boots of the Autodidect: +25
Control Unit Crepuscule Gloves ql 300: +28
Control Unit Crepuscule Jacket ql 300: +24
Perks:
Alchemist SL perk, 6 points. +200.
The Unknown Factor AI perk, 8 points. +160.
Total maximum +chemistry you can get: +1174 +814 without perks.
Things you can do as a doctor to raise Electrical Engineering without spending IP:
Expertise: +20
Maestro (trader): +125
HQ Tradeskill buff: +160
Ql 200 Implants: +210
Ql 255 Implants: +250
Full suit of Ql 300 Arithmatic (or Combined Arithmatic) armor: +210
EN-RAL Beat of an Eyelash: +30
Cbik's Ring of the Electric: +30
Repair Coordination Assistant: +20
Cancer's Time-Saving Memory: +12
All-Match Augmented Bow-Tie: +12
Omni-Only Omni Intern-Ops Coat: +8
If you can't get full Arithmatic, here are other armors you can wear that are +EE.
Control Unit Crepuscule ql 300: +30
Cancer's Silver Boots of the Autodidect: +25
Pants of Azure Reveries: +16
Handy Steel-Ribbed Gloves ql 200: +12
Total maximum +EE you can get: +877. +869 if you're not omni.
Now of course those are theoretical maximums, and treat the skills seperately.
Some problems with those numbers up there, are that you don't want to reset 14 perks, you need equal EE and chemistry so over-buffing one doesn't help, and some of these items conflict so you can only wear the EE or Chem one (including the faded implant), not both.
So what can we do to combine these two lists? Under ideal conditions you end up with...
Ql 255 Implant Set EE triple, Chemistry Shiny/Bright: +250 EE, +200 Chemistry
Buffs: +305 EE, +242 Chemistry
Armor: +284 EE (+292 if omni), +262 Chemistry (Arithmatic, bow-tie, +30 rings, wristband, repair coord assistant, pande NCU).
Weapon: Ideally, for dual pistol doctors, Dual Flechette Pistols, +60 Chemistry. (Use the +30 EE weapon if you do go for alot of Chemistry perks). +30 Chem if can't dual wield.
Perks: 1 perk in Alchemist +15 Chemistry. (You can reset more if you want... this is why the implants favor EE since we get no EE perks).
Totals: +839 EE. +779 Chemistry.
Now... let's check out our base stats and trickle-down. I'm going to use a level 215 solitus doctor's base stats. For reference, a completely nekkid level 215 soli doctor with maxed base stats has 181 EE and Chem via trickle-down. EE trickle-down comes from intelligence 50%, agility 30%, stamina 20%. Chemistry is intelligence 50% and stamina 50%.
Using ql 240 ear symb, 240 chest symb, 220 waist symb, 240 leg symb, and 240 feet symb you get the following for the base stats in question: 121 stamina, 121 agility, 25 intelligence. Unfortunately most of your int buff symbiants are replaced by tradeskill implants. With Genius 3 perked, you'll have +40 intelligence. Most of our clothing slots have been taken up - but you should have a shoulder free still. So you can wear a VTE for +15 int. You can use nanos to buff agility by 37, stamina by 59, and intelligence by 32.
After doing that your trickle-down EE is 216 and chemistry is 217. Add in the gear and buffs and you have 1055 EE and 996 Chemistry. This makes Chemistry your limiting factor, and lets you make a ql 166 Nano Controller Unit for +42 to nanoskills, without spending IP or resetting more perks. If you reset perks until EE becomes the limiting factor, you can make a ql 175 Nano Controller Unit without spending IP instead. The ql 175 is +44 to nanoskills. Are +2 more points worth the resetting to you? You decide
Now what if you aren't happy with a ql 166 or 175 nano controller unit? How can you increase the QL you can make without breaking the bank on your IP?
Well, if you are patient, one option is to reset the 14 perks into the two chemistry lines. This will increase your chemistry to 1281 without IP. Then raise your EE until it is 1278, using IP, and you can make a ql 213 Nano Controller Unit. This will cost 41398 IP. And 28 days (14 to reset perks into tradeskills, 14 to reset them back). This ql of the item is +53 nanoskills. This looks like a pretty good investment - you trade perk reset time for an absolutely minimal IP cost to get an item that's +11 more nanoskills over the ql 166.
If you want to make a ql 300 with the absolute minimum IP cost, reperk and get all the items listed above. Also, be level 220 with maxed base stats. Then it will only cost you 682558 IP (and 28 days of reperking) to get your EE and Chemistry to 1800 each. The ql 300 item has a level 220 wear requirement, so trying to make it before level 220 is not worthwhile Without reperking except to get Alchemist 1, you will spend something like 1,149,688 IP at level 220 to make a ql 300.
The Ql 280 Nano Controller Unit has level 210 as the requirement and is +70 nanoskills. This particular QL looks to me like it provides the best balance between wear requirement and nanoskill buff: if you aren't already 220, waiting until you are 220 before you get one of these isn't a very attractive idea, especially because the ql 300 one is only +5 more skill than this one. To make the ql 280 controller unit, you need 1680 EE and Chemistry.
The 210 doctor's base stats will be significantly lower than the 215's, however. A 210 doctor has 197 EE and 198 Chemistry from trickle-down, after the same buffs and implants to their base stats. Adding in the chem/EE stuff and reperking, you end up with 1036 EE and 1262 Chem. To get up to 1680 in each from this point, you will spend a minimum 514,912 IP; to make the item without reperking fully you will spend around 883,266 IP and also need to reperk to at least Alchemist 3 (or you can't get 1680 chemistry).
For the 215 doctor, who gets more trickle-down, making a ql 280 unit will cost a minimum of 479,792 IP with reperking; without reperking beyond Alchemist 1 the 215 doctor spends 877,232 IP to make it.
About the equipment, buffs, and so forth... I know alot of this is high-end gear. I'm aware that almost nobody is going to personally own all of these items for personal use at their whimsy. For the weapons, you might be using different weapon types. Equipping some of this might be a pain for you, but it is all very doable by 210 or 215 characters. And most of these are not nodrop. Particularly, you can borrow - or rent - the arithmatic armor that you need and return it when the process is done.