"His Asperger's syndrome status (which I'll assume to be true) was not so extreme as to prevent an elaborate and sustained technical effort."

My understanding of Aperberger's, which, admittedly, is limited and mainly anecdotal, would lead me to believe that obsession with technology is a likely result and expression of that condition, and that the more extreme the condition is, the more likelihood there is of a concomitant "an elaborate and sustained technical effort."