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Iffy Books | 319 N. 11th St. #2I, PHL

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April 12, 2023
  • How-To

☀️ Circuit diagram for a solar-powered LoRa node

A circuit diagram for a solar-powered LoRa radio node, including a solar panel and battery. The text reads as follows: Iffy Books / Let’s Make a Solar-Powered Chat Network / 5V 6W monocrystalline solar panel / 100 nF ceramic capacitor / 100 uF electrolytic capacitor / MCP1700-3302E LDO regulator (flat side facing forward) / TP4056 battery charger w/ protection circuit / USB-C cable / 18650 lithium-ion battery / Heltec LoRa32 V3 w/ antenna

We’ve been hard at work running tests and writing documentation for on our upcoming workshop Let’s make a solar-powered chat network, in which we’ll build weatherproof LoRa nodes running Meshtastic to support a […]
April 10, 2023
  • How-To

🐎 Make a Solar Zoetrope

Template for cutting out shapes to make a zoetrope, with the following text: Iffy Books Solar Zoetrope ⓵ Print this template at 100% scale. Use black cardstock for best results, or color in the shapes with black crayon/marker. ⓶ Make a strip of white paper, 16 in. (41 cm) by 1.25 in. (3.2 cm). Line it up with the template and draw 11 evenly spaced frames, one for each vertical notch. Use thick, dark lines. ⓷ Cut out the zoetrope shapes with scissors and connect with tape/glue to make a single loop. ⓸ Make a cardboard circle with radius 2.5 in. (6.35 cm) and attach to the bottom of your zoetrope loop with small strips of tape. ⓹ Mount your animation strip inside the zoetrope, with a frame under each vertical notch. ⓺ Attach a gear to the shaft of an electric motor, then glue your zoetrope to the gear. Give it a spin and look through the notches at a downard angle to see your animation! iffybooks.net/solar-zoetrope / Public Domain

This past weekend we hosted a workshop called Make a Solar Zoetrope, as part of the DVAA Everyday Futures Fest. It was super fun! If you didn’t make it, we’re […]
March 24, 2023
  • How-To

Challenge Router Progress Report

Photo of a shrinkwrapped router box that reads "Atlas Media Wireless AC1200 Dual-band Router." There's a green piece of paper taped to the box with the following text: "$8 Challenge Router / Can you install OpenWRT on this router? We'll give $100 to the first person who can show us how. / You can also use it as a regular router! / Proceeds benefit Philly Community Wireless & Iffy Books"

The following is transcribed from a conversation with Jim from Trashpanda Village, with a few edits for clarity. You can buy your own Atlas Media challenge router here. What we […]
January 10, 2023
  • Zine

New zine! Against Intellectual Property by Dante Scanline

Photo of three copies of the zine "Against Intellectual Property" by Dante Scanline at Iffy Books. The text begins, "As an intellectual property (IP) abolitionist, I don’t support any legal enforcement of intellectual property. IP includes things like copyright for creative works and patents for inventions and processes."

We liked this blog post by Dante Scanline so much, we made it into a zine! We’ve handed out hundreds of copies at Iffy Books, and now you can print […]
November 16, 2022
  • Zine

☀️ New Zine! Build a Solar-Powered Music Synth

Zine cover for "Build a Solar-Powered Music Synth," with the Iffy Books logo in the lower left corner. In the middle of the page there's a black-and-white drawing of cute hamsters assembling electronic components on a breadboard. A spiral sun is overhead, with a curving arrow pointing at a pair of music notes.

Our new how-to zine is ready to share! In this project you’ll build a solar-powered oscillator circuit, using two NOT gates to generate a square wave. Then you’ll add two […]
August 29, 2022
  • How-To

Security for Reproductive Health with Alison Macrina

Title slide with a purple-tinted photo of people using computers, the logo of the Library Freedom Project, and the following text: "Security for reproductive health." Every slide in this presentation has the following text at the bottom: Library Freedom Project / https://libraryfreedom.org

On August 27th at Iffy Books, Alison Macrina led a workshop on how to protect your online privacy when accessing information about reproductive health. Here’s a PDF of her slides, […]
July 25, 2022
  • Meetup

Permacomputing Meetup Notes ☀️ July 24, 2022

A flyer with a black & white drawing of a flower at the center, with a microchip instead of a flower head. The text reads \"Iffy Books Permacomputing Meetup / Sun July 24 • 1 pm – 3 pm EDT / 319 N. 11th St. #3E, PHL / Join the audio meetup with Mumble! Server: 134.209.32.64 Port: 64738

E-waste in Philly • Rabbit Recyclinghttps://www.rabbitrecycling.com • eForce Compliancehttps://www.eforcecompliance.com E-waste we want to reuse Computers Motors Speakers Hard drives Cell phones, even if they’re carrier-locked E-paper displays How can I […]
July 22, 2022
  • How-To

Meshtastic iOS Configuration

[This post is under construction. It’ll be in better shape soon.] Install Meshtastic (beta) using the TestFlight App First, install the USB-to-serial drivers for your device:https://meshtastic.org/docs/getting-started/flashing-firmware/#install-usb-to-serial-drivers Now install the Meshtastic […]
July 7, 2022
  • How-To

Meshtastic iOS app + LoRa32 (July 2022)

Two development boards with antennas and LCD screens sitting on a table, each connected to a microUSB power source. The LilyGO board on the left displays the message "Sup" from a user named "IFK." The Heltec board on the right displays the message "Not much, u?" from user "Js2."

After a month of trial and error, I’ve figured out a way to get a stable Bluetooth connection between a LoRa32 board and the Meshtastic iOS app, which is currently […]
May 9, 2022
  • Event

The Bar Raccrawl 🗑 May 14

Flyer text: The Bar Raccrawl Saturday, May 14, 2–6 PM Starting at Iffy Books 319 N. 11th St. #3E, Philly [photo of a raccoon] Come complete our CTF challenges, tell stories, hang out with fellow geeks, and drink! We'll be starting at Iffy Books and going to several bars around the area including Love City Brewing, Roy Spitz, & The Trestle Inn https://iffybooks.net/event/bar-raccrawl

The Bar Raccrawl is this Saturday, starting at Iffy Books at 2 PM! Organized by our neighbors at Tr4shpanda Village.

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