<we're_so_back> what is UP everyone! spring has sprung and disengineering workshops are officially BACK.
join us on may 24th from 1-4pm for another Build Your Own Screambox Workshop! this time hosted at the wonderful @fortherecordbk .
we will be tearing apart old speakers, rewiring them into simple amplifier circuits, and learning how we can include our skin (very conductive) into the electrical system to “short” it and create a touch sensiticve distortion effect.
each participant will walk away from the workshop with their very own Screambox.
RSVP ON LUMA USING THE LINK IN THE DISENGINEERING BIO!
NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
#disengineering
<beep_phone> some shots from the super fun “Beep Phone” workshop this past saturday at the beautiful and sunny @index_space in greenpoint!
thank you to everyone who came out for it and persevered, and of course to Index for hosting. stay posted for more workshops and courses to come. beep!
photo creds: @yxl.jpg (thanks abe!)
#disengineering #beepphone
In this hands-on Disengineering workshop, you’ll transform a discarded desk phone into two playable instruments: a lo-fi phone mic and a keypad-powered synth. Learn to solder a ¼” jack, hack a 9V battery power supply, and reroute the dial-tone beeps into something you can amplify, distort, and perform with. You’ll leave with your own fully functioning Beep Phone and a new relationship to obsolete tech. Register at the link in bio!
<pot_and_switch> another recap from the super fun, chaotic, and (generally) successful "Pot and Switch" workshop series from last week at @idiotmachine.nyc , where we salvaged electronic components and used them to build homemade synths.
thanks again to everyone who came, such a blast. stay tuned for more workshops coming up in feb! (shoutout to @experienceacid too for making some of the epic cigar boxes we used as synth housing)
#disengineering #acidcigars
<pot_and_switch> last night concluded the first “Pot and Switch” workshop series. check out some of the incredible salvaged synth interfaces that participants created during this two-part workshop, and some mid-action shots.
thank you to everyone who came, persevered, drank beers, had fun, and made friends. such a great experience. and of course thank you to @idiotmachine.nyc for hosting and @_.ledi._ for your help. video with the sounds we made coming soon…
#disengineering #potandswitch #shitboxxxxxxxx #blasttttt
Screambox Workshop: Build your own touch sensitive distortion amplifier!
Wed Feb 11 from 7pm to 10pm EST
Tickets in bio
In this beginner-friendly musical hardware hacking workshop, participants will be guided through building their very own TOUCH SENSITIVE DISTORTION AMPLIFIER.
They will start by salvaging a speaker cone from a piece of discarded e-waste, and then will learn about connecting it to a simple audio amplifier circuit, known as the LM386. Once the speaker and amplifier are connected and powered, participants will solder the whole thing together and, using cardboard, construct a unique speaker housing that allows the circuit to be touched by human fingers.
When the circuit is touched, at two points, by human fingers, it causes it to overdrive, essentially "shorting" it. This effect comes through as some of the most insanely dirty distortion you've ever heard and it's amazing.
NO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE NEEDED
Who is this class for?
For anyone who wants to amplify sound in a new and creative way.
No prior experience/knowledge needed.
100% beginner friendly workshop.
CANCELLED DUE TO STORM <vape_mic_workshop> back by popular demand! the disengineering society is thrilled to announce (please excuse the linkedin-speak) yet ANOTHER "vape mic" workshop at @the_p.i.t._ on January 25th from 2:30 to 5:30pm!
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Vape Mic Workshop: Build a microphone out of a disposable vape
In a world of products planned for obsolescence, disposable vapes reign supreme as pieces of modern technology that are almost never properly recycled. While the Frozen Lush vape juice may run out, the battery, sensor, and sturdy housing are still perfectly usable…
In this completely beginner friendly workshop, participants will be guided through the reassembly of disposable vape components and the addition of a microphone element to make their very own Vape Mic (patent pending). vapes will be provided but don't hesitate to bring some (or many) that you collect between now and the workshop!
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for those of you who haven't made it to one yet, here's your chance! and for those of you who have already come, feel totally free to drop by with your vape mics to hang out and help the new batch of disengineers.
see you all soon. THIS IS A NO RSVP CLASS, 25 SPOTS AVAILABLE FIRST COME FIRST SERVE:)
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#disengineering #vapemic
<build_your_own_synth> in this two-day workshop series, “Pot And Switch”, participants will be guided through the process of building their own analog synthesizer.
instead of using all new materials, we will be salvaging as many potentiometers (knobs) and switches as we can from e-waste to create the interfaces of our synthesizers, resulting in each person’s synth being unique in its sound and playability.
we will be using a CD40106 IC chip to breadboard a 6-voice oscillator circuit to which we will be connecting our found components, then we will house this all in a small box or tin (like shown in the photo). we will provide tins and boxes for you to choose from, or feel free to bring your own if you have one that you specifically want to use!
as always, no experience necessary!
these workshops will be hosted at Idiotmachine on:
THURSDAY JANUARY 22nd from 7-10pm
THURSDAY JANUARY 29th from 7-10pm
Cost for both classes: $100 per person
DM @disengineering to RSVP or with any questions!
<year_in_review> while disengineering as a project has existed since 2021, it was only this year that we shifted our efforts from zine publishing to hosting workshops all around New York City - we back to our roots as a student organization at Wesleyan.
this year saw 14 workshops, held both publicly – at hackspaces, anarchist bookstores, etc. – and privately – in high schools, summer camps, and universities – drawings hundreds of participants of all ages. we salvaged all manners of electronic waste and though creative reuse, continued to challenge and fight back against apathetic relationships to technology and planned obsolescence.
sure, every workshop someone ends up either getting shocked, burned, or mildly cut, but most also end up leaving with new friends, an invigorated sense of technological agency, a new understanding of audio electronics, and of course, often, a vape mic.
we’re so excited to keep this momentum going, and show you what we’re working on in 2026. Thank you to everyone who has come to a workshop, bought a zine, or hosted our ridiculously chaotic events…. see you soon.
#disengineering
<holiday_market> catch us tomorrow from 12-6 at @nycresistor ‘s holiday market! we’ll be selling all sorts of wonderfully constructed ephemera alongside a fantastic group of makers. 🎄🎄🎅🎅
<screambox_workshop> we kicked off our new workshop, “screambox” at @ridgewoodcommons and @the_p.i.t._ last month. so much fun.
in this workshop, participants learn the basics of wiring a traditional sound system, but the speaker cone has been ripped out of some old thing, the amplifier distorts when you touch it, and the whole apparatus is housed in a duct-taped cardboard box.
thank you to everyone who showed up - y’all made some insanely cool screamboxes.
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SLIDE 2: just the highlights
SLIDE 3: an incredible duo screambox performance by @latherband
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#disengineering
<hacked_distortion_amp> join us this sunday nov 9, 2:30pm at @the_p.i.t._ for our very first public AMP BUILDING WORKSHOP.
we will be tearing apart old speakers, rewiring them into simple amplifier circuits, and learning how we can include our skin (very conductive) into the electrical system to “short” it and create a touch sensiticve distortion effect.
BRING YOUR ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENTS!
BRING YOUR VAPE MICS!
BRING YOUR EPIDERMIS!
(if you can) BRING YOUR DONATIONS BETWEEN $15-20!!
very excited to see all of you lovely people
<3 disengineering
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THE DEETS
TIME: 2:30pm - 5:30pm
PLACE: P.I.T. Records 441 s 5th st, Brooklyn
WHEN: November 9th, 2025
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