ConsiderAndrew (Bunnie) Huang’s latest book, The Essential Guide to Electronics in Shenzhen a Rosetta Stone of sorts for Makers, DIYers, and hackers. For those that may not know, Shenzhen, China is one of the world’s largest epicenters for electronics manufacturing and assembly. Chances are if you’ve ever needed an electronic component for a project, it was manufactured there.
While it’s easy to order parts from manufacturers in Shenzhen online, buying them in person from venders, wholesalers, and retailers can be a nightmare, especially when you don’t speak Mandarin in a city of over 10-million people. Andrew’s book makes it a little bit easier to navigate the myriad of stores, warehouses, and vendors as well as providing translations for parts and components.
The book comes jam-packed with translations for different types of electronic components such as PCBs, resistors, and capacitors (and tons of others), and even breaks them down to types, styles, and even mounting options.
The information flow doesn’t end there, as there are translation pages for customers that cover payments, packaging, and shipping, which will certainly come in handy if there’s luggage restrictions for the flight back home.
The last area of Andrew’s book features travel tips such as making it easier to cross the border and blank maps for users to mark areas of interest. There’s even a section that deals with fake and knock-off components and how to identify them. Those that may find themselves in Shenzhen should think about getting their hands on Andrew’s book, which costs $30 and is being crowd-funded on Crowd Supply.
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