Iffy Books | 404 S. 20th St., PHL

🎤 A̶u̶d̶i̶o̶ ̶E̶d̶i̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶R̶e̶a̶p̶e̶r̶
2025-06-11 11:15 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
We had to cancel this class due to a Kindergarten graduation. Sorry for the inconvenience! We’ll offer it again in two weeks.

☀️ S̶o̶l̶a̶r̶ ̶M̶u̶s̶i̶c̶ ̶S̶y̶n̶t̶h̶ ̶W̶o̶r̶k̶s̶h̶o̶p̶ (moved to Thursday night!)
2025-06-11 10:00 - 11:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Something came up and we had to move this workshop to Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. Sorry for the inconvenience!
##
Join us and build a tiny solar-powered square wave generator on a breadboard. No soldering required! The workshop is free to attend, but you’ll need to purchase a kit for $12.50 to complete the project.
Here’s a link to the how-to zine we’ll use.
And here’s a diagram of the oscillator circuit we’ll build:

✏️ The Writing Room
2025-06-10 17:00 - 19:30, 2025-06-03 17:00 - 19:30, 2025-05-27 17:00 - 19:30, 2025-05-20 17:00 - 19:30 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Come co-work with other writers in three 40-minute units of silent writing. Writers and projects of any type welcome. 10-minute breaks and accountability check-ins between units. BYO coffee, water, computer chargers, notepads, etc.

👻 Wi-Fi Tricks with Ghost ESP
2025-06-07 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-06-06 16:00 - 17:30, 2025-05-24 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-05-23 17:00 - 18:30, 2025-05-23 15:00 - 16:30 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
If you’re interested in learning about wi-fi and Bluetooth networking but you can’t afford a Flipper Zero, this workshop is for you! Ghost ESP is a network analysis/testing tool that can run on a low-cost ESP32 microcontroller, as well as variants including the ESP32-C3. Ghost ESP offers wi-fi scanning, custom SSID beacons, captive portal mode, BLE scanning, and even deauth attacks (for demo/testing purposes).
It’s super easy to get started! In this workshop we’ll install Ghost ESP on our ESP32 & ESP32-C3 devices using the ESPressoFlash web flasher. Then we’ll interact with Ghost ESP using the Ghost ESP web serial console or the Arduino IDE.
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

💻 Philly 2600 Meetup
2025-06-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
> The Philly 2600 meeting is a monthly gathering of local hackers, phreaks, nerds, geeks, activists, tinkerers, developers, infosec professionals, and other interesting people.

🏠 Host a Website at Home
2025-06-06 13:00 - 16:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Join us for the workshop Host a Website at Home! You’ll learn to run a web server using nginx on a single-board computer, letting you host a website from your home internet connection.
We’ll have home server kits available for $52. Here’s what’s included:
• Orange Pi Zero 3 single-board computer
• Micro HDMI adapter cable
• 20W power supply w/ USB-C port
• 60W USB-C to USB-C power cable (6″)
• 2 rubber bands
• zip tie (4″)
Here’s what you’ll need at home:
• Monitor or TV w/ HDMI input
• micro SD card (16GB or larger)
• Ethernet cable • HDMI cable
• USB keyboard with USB-A plug
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

🐍 Open Python + Linux Tutoring
2025-06-06 10:00 - 11:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Stay tuned for details!

❤️ LED Heart Soldering Class
2025-06-05 13:00 - 16:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Come out and get some soldering practice! This time we’re making a heart-shaped board with 22 LEDs, using an oscillator circuit to dim and brighten them at the speed you choose.
This project is ideal for folks who have soldered at least once before. Beginners are welcome to join us, but it may take you more than one session to finish. Working with a friend is encouraged!
The kit you’ll need to complete this project costs $5.50. We’re suggesting a $10–$25 donation for the class, no one turned away for lack of funds.
➡️ Link to instructions
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

🎲 Pico Game Timer & Dice Workshop
2025-06-05 11:15 - 12:30 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Learn to make a programmable game timer and dice with a Pi Pico microcontroller! First you’ll solder six LEDs, two switches, and a vibration motor to the board’s GPIO pins. Then you’ll install and customize the CircuitPython code that makes it work. No experience needed!
You’ll need to buy a kit for $9 to complete this project. Here’s what’s included:
• RP2040/Pi Pico Board
• 6 LED lights
• vibration motor
• 2 push button switches
• 4 screws
• 4 spacers
• wood base
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

🎵 Guitar Cable Soldering Class
2025-06-05 10:00 - 11:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Join us for a relatively quick and easy soldering workshop, suitable for total beginners! You’ll strip some wires and solder 1/4-inch plugs to the ends, creating your own guitar cable.
You can get a kit with 6 inches of cable for $4.25, or 4 feet for $13.50. We’re suggesting a $5–$15 donation for the class, notaflof.
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

🔊 DIY Audio Meter Soldering Class
2025-06-04 13:00 - 16:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Join us for another beginner-friendly soldering project at Iffy Books! You’ll assemble a DIY audio meter kit, which you can use to visualize an audio signal’s amplitude.
To complete this project you’ll need to buy a kit for $7.95. We’re suggesting a $5–$20 donation for the class, no one turned away for lack of funds. We’ll provide soldering irons and solder.
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

🎸 Thrash Bot Workshop
2025-06-04 11:15 - 12:30, 2025-05-31 10:30 - 12:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
We’re making guitar-playing robots with Pi Pico microcontrollers and 360° servo motors! We’ll provide soldering irons and supplies.
To complete this workshop you’ll need to buy a kit for $10. Here’s what’s included:
• RP2040/Pi Pico board
• 360° servo motor w/ attachments & screws
• tiny screwdriver
• micro USB cable w/data
• 6 header pins
• guitar string (11″)
• twist tie wire (5″)
• pattern for cardboard stand
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

🔁 Cassette Tape Loop Workshop
2025-06-04 10:00 - 11:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Learn to make physical audio loops with used cassette tapes! No experience needed.
For the workshop we’ll be using cassettes with screws in the corners, which are easier to take apart but less common than the ones fastened with glue. We’ll have regular cassette tapes for $1 each if you want to keep experimenting at home.
Register:

Step 1: Choose a used cassette tape.
Step 2: Rewind the tape and record a minute or two of music, your voice, and/or percussion sounds. Then eject it.
Step 3: At the bottom of the cassette there’s a small area where the magnetic tape is exposed. Use a paperclip or pencil to pull the tape out an inch or so, then cut the tape with scissors. The recording you just made is now on the smaller spool, while the bigger spool contains whatever was originally on the tape.
Step 4: If you’re using a glued-together cassette (no screws), carefully separate the plastic shells using a pry tool. Ask the instructor for help. If you have a cassette with screws, use a tiny screwdriver to unscrew all four corners.
Step 5: Print and assemble tape loop template.
Step 6: Cut several 9″–10″ lengths of cassette tape.
Step 7: Wrap a length of tape around your template tube and attach the ends with a tiny drop of superglue. To avoid using too much glue, you may want to apply it using the tip of a needle.
Step 8: Put your loop into a cassette shell and screw the corners together.
Step 9: Load the tape into a tape player and press play!

📡 Meshtastic 101
2025-05-30 15:00 - 17:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Join us for an introduction to Meshtastic, an application that lets you send private text messages over the air using pocket-sized LoRa radio transceivers. We’ll show you how to flash the latest Meshtastic firmware to the device, customize the settings, and start chatting with your friends.
Here’s a link to our zine on LoRa + Meshtastic.
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

🎵 C̶a̶s̶s̶e̶t̶t̶e̶ ̶M̶i̶x̶t̶a̶p̶e̶ ̶S̶e̶s̶s̶i̶o̶n̶ (canceled)
2025-05-30 11:00 - 12:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
̶B̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶y̶l̶i̶s̶t̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶p̶h̶o̶n̶e̶/̶c̶o̶m̶p̶u̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶w̶e̶’̶l̶l̶ ̶h̶e̶l̶p̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶r̶e̶c̶o̶r̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶a̶n̶ ̶a̶u̶d̶i̶o̶ ̶c̶a̶s̶s̶e̶t̶t̶e̶ ̶t̶a̶p̶e̶.̶ ̶W̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶p̶l̶e̶n̶t̶y̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶a̶p̶e̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶h̶a̶r̶e̶!̶
Something came up and we had to cancel this one. We apologize for the inconvenience!

🔥 Solder & Gab
2025-05-29 16:30 - 18:30 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Join us every other Thursday from 4:30 to ̶7̶:̶0̶0̶ ̶p̶.̶m̶. 6:30 p.m. for a social soldering session at Iffy Books! Everyone’s welcome, from dabblers to experts. Bring a project you’ve been meaning to work on, or pick a beginner kit off the shelf and get started. We’ll have a dozen or so soldering irons available to share.
No registration needed for now! We’re suggesting a $5–$10 donation for materials.

❤️ Soldering Practice: LED Heart Board
2025-05-29 12:00 - 13:30 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Come out and get some soldering practice! This time we’re making a heart-shaped board with 22 LEDs, using an oscillator circuit to dim and brighten them at the speed you choose.
This project is ideal for folks who have soldered at least once before. Beginners are welcome to join us, but it may take you more than one session to finish. Working with a friend is encouraged!
The kit you’ll need to complete this project costs $5.50. We’re suggesting a $10–25 donation for the class, no one turned away for lack of funds.
➡️ Link to instructions
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

🪐 Speculative Futures Reading Group: 'Piranesi' by Susanna Clarke
2025-05-28 19:00 - 20:30
The Speculative Futures Reading Group meets on the last Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m.

🎸 T̶h̶r̶a̶s̶h̶ ̶B̶o̶t̶ ̶W̶o̶r̶k̶s̶h̶o̶p̶ (Saturday!)
2025-05-28 13:00 - 15:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
This workshop has been postponed ’til Saturday the 31st. Sorry for the inconvenience!

💻 Make Your First Website
2025-05-22 18:00 - 20:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Make a home page like it’s 1999! Join us at Iffy Books for a new workshop called Make Your First Website, led by Ragman a.k.a. Richard Green. You’ll learn the basics of HTML and create a static site on the free hosting service Neocities. No experience necessary!
You can bring a laptop or use one of our lab computers. We’re suggesting a $10–$25 donation for this workshop, no one turned away for lack of funds.
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!
This workshop is now full. We'll offer it again soon!

💾☀️ Permacomputing + Solarpunk Meetup
2025-05-21 18:30 - 20:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
The Permacomputing + Solarpunk meetup is every other third Wednesday at Iffy Books! You can join us in person (404 S. 20th St., PHL) or remotely via Jitsi Meet.
➡️ Virtual meetup link
From Permacomputing.net: Permacomputing is a more sustainable approach to computer and network technology inspired by permaculture. Permacomputing is both a concept and a community of practice oriented around issues of resilience and regenerativity in digital technology. In a time where computing epitomizes industrial waste, permacomputing encourages a more sustainable approach, maximizing hardware lifespans, minimizing energy use and focussing on the use of already available computational resources. We do this because humans are part of nature and technology is an extension of humans, and we acknowledge that technology has been used to harm nature. We want to find out how we can practice good relations with the Earth by learning from ecological systems to leverage and re-center existing technologies and practices. We are also interested in investigating what a permacomputing way of life could be, and what sort of transformative computational culture and aesthetics it could bring forward. If you want to know more, please start reading about what is permacomputing in essence, and then dive into its principles.
Permacomputing Aesthetics: Potential and Limits of Design Constraints in Computational Culture by Mansoux, Howell, Barok, and Heikkilä (2023)

🚂 Model Internet Club
2025-05-18 10:30 - 12:30 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
The Model Internet Club is back! Join us every third Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for an informal meetup focused on building small-scale computer networks.
No registration needed for this event! If we run out of space we can expand into our back yard area.
