February 16, 2026

Many founders arrive in Shenzhen and start with a month of our Lab Rat Recruit membership. And for some, especially seasoned veterans of China’s supply chain. it’s absolutely the right choice. But if you’re new to hardware, or even if you’ve built before but are tackling something more complex this time, a Recruit membership may leave you navigating the hardest part of Shenzhen entirely on your own: Knowing who to trust. If you’re building a product that improves lives, not just a prototype, you need more than tools. You need trusted intros, expert backup, and flexibility when plans change. Discover why starting with a 3-month Lab Rat Rebel plan isn’t a cost… it’s your fastest path to shipping with confidence.

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August 31, 2025

Some things stop you dead in your track when you suddenly realize it. For me, this was realizing that TroubleMaker is not just one year back in Huaqiangbei, but we are actually NINE freaking years alive! Time to party and celebrate with all of you! Technically, we started renting a tiny room in Huaqiangbei in May

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December 30, 2023

Paul Weedman recently posted a guide on this website on how to combat the New Year’s Monster that’s roaming around in factories the month before Chinese New Year. The post received compliments from people on LinkedIn, Facebook, and WeChat. It would be awesome if people also comment right here on the site. But hey, I’m a

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December 27, 2023

Chinese New Year -CNY- is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar, not the solar calendar, and the date changes every year. During the 15-day Spring Festival, fireworks, dragon dancing, putting up New Years scrolls “春联”, giving red envelopes “红包” to the elderly and young kids, etcetera,

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December 15, 2023

Unveiling the Electrifying Dance of PCBs: From Electronic Maestros to Outsourcing AdventuresUnleash the electrons! Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) are like the unsung heroes of our gadget-filled lives. They’re the behind-the-scenes maestros, making sure our smartphones, laptops, and even the fancy self-driving cars stay on the straight and narrow. It’s like they’re the Gandalfs of the

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