Lifecycle
Badge ecosystems keep moving after handout: apps, hexpansions, SAOs, antennas, cases, repair parts, firmware updates, and post-event hardware experiments.
Hackaday documents a score programmer, a 0-to-9 digit collection challenge, a secret capacitive touch sensor, and pad fields intended for attendee hacking.
SourceHITB described badge hacking as a path to unlock secret features, mini-games, and expanded functionality during the Dubai event.
SourceThe official trading page says the build guide covers submitted MiniBadges that people designed and brought to the conference, including all official MiniBadges.
SourceProject documentation and README material link a LoRa expansion shard to an adapted Meshtastic path, indicating an explicit long-range radio capability target.
SourceThe docs combine nRF52840 BLE/NFC hardware, an SX1262 LoRa radio, MeshCore contact-exchange framing, and NFC tag station taps tied to attendee-facing flow.
SourceThe 2017 badge system included a black flux-capacitor badge with a 2AL3B ESP chip, WiFi capability, power-bank wiring, USB charging path, and rear buttons.
SourceThe red RF badge carried a CC1111 RFCat-compatible chip, USB port, button, and exposed rear contacts, becoming the radio surface for the 2017 challenge.
SourceElectronic Cats describes the Camera Badge HackGDL 2026 around the RV1106G3 Linux platform with ARM Cortex-A7, RISC-V, NPU, and ISP context.
SourceThe DEF CON 32 entry documents multi-layer PCB construction, a 3D assembled design, and red and blue LED eyes.
SourceBSidesROC announced a contest for best hacked badge with prizes awarded, tying the reprogrammable badge to on-site modification rather than only event identity.
SourceThe Makefile, project files, and flashing command target an ATTiny4313 AVR powering the spinning POV badge firmware.
SourceHackaday describes the base LayerOne 2019 badge as a small ATtiny2313 board rather than an ESP32 badge core.
SourceThe project bill of materials names an Atmel ATxmega128A4U microcontroller as the badge's controller.
SourceThe README and store page document HackGDL 2025 as an ESP32-S3 badge based on the Minino platform.
SourceHackaday identifies the 2018 LayerOne badge around an ESP32-WROOM-32 module with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-capable microcontroller hardware.
SourceThe hardware specification identifies the ESP32-WROVER-E-N8R8 as the badge controller with 240 MHz dual-core CPU, 8 MB flash, and 8 MB SPI RAM.
SourceThe README identifies the BugCON 2023 badge as an ESP32S3 or RP2040 design with UART, ESP32S3 Bluetooth/Wi-Fi, and AA battery support.
SourceThe first-hand writeup and public firmware document an ESP8266 badge that advertises `BadgeBuddy` while scanning nearby WiFi networks.
SourceThe README names a PIC16F1455 badge core, and the firmware configures USB clocking, interrupts, generic HID, and keyboard HID behavior.
SourceThe Hackaday.io project describes a battery-powered blinky badge using PSoC4, ESP8266 Wi-Fi, WS2812B LEDs, I/O ports, and 3.3 V logic with LED level-shifting work.
SourceThe project description lists PSoC 4 as the controller for the 2016 badge platform.
SourceThe README lists the Puya PY32F030F28U6TR microcontroller as the badge core, and the firmware README documents the PY32F0 MCU family and Cortex-M0+ build path.
SourceThe README lists RP2040, USB, LEDs, microphone, buzzer or speaker, and EdgeImpulse-backed machine-learning context for the BugCON 2022 badge.
SourceThe README documents an RV1106G3 platform with ARM Cortex-A7, RISC-V MCU, NPU, ISP, and Linux operating-system support.
SourceThe badge-team details page names STM32F446/F405/F415-class LQFP64 support as the controller direction for the 2017 badge.
SourceThe Eagle 5 README identifies an nRF52840-QIAA controller and SX1262 LoRa radio. It does not state frequency configuration, regulatory region, antenna characteristics, actual transmit behavior, final board revision, or a complete radio/power design.
SourceThe Fox Pick talk identifies the badge as ESP32-S3 based, with Bluetooth Low Energy and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi capability.
SourceDEF CON's July 31 official reveal names Bunnie Huang as the badge creator and says the badge features his open-source, fully inspectable Baochip; it does not announce final firmware, board files, or distribution details.
SourceThe official FAQ says average yearly MiniBadge volume is well over 17,000 and that roughly 8-10 percent of attendees bring their own MiniBadges to trade.
SourceThe official page invites attendees to make each Patches badge unique with interchangeable limbs, LED choices, and personal flair.
SourceThe README documents `make HANDLE=...` personalization, and the Hackster writeup describes lanrat's quick script for flashing usernames plus serial communication hooks tied to Rx/Tx pins.
SourceThe BYOB log documents using the microSD card for custom RAW 16-bit 565 bling assets, including ffmpeg conversion and the `/SDCard/BLING/` folder workflow.
SourceThe DEF CON 33 entry documents a cyberpunk owl design with glowing pink LED eyes, detailed mechanical artwork, and metallic blue-gray finish.
SourceThe DEF CON 27 entry documents a skull-shaped PCB with steampunk mechanical design and LED eye illumination.
SourceThe official archive identifies The Original as the first Recon Village badge and foundation of the village badge tradition.
SourceThe DEF CON 30 entry documents a circular radar design with world-map overlay, compass markings, and coordinate markings.
SourceThe badge used an 8x8 LED matrix for bouncing-pixel animation and a falling-code pattern once enough nearby BadgeBuddy networks were detected.
SourceThe public README identifies an onboard e-ink driver and describes the badge as visually displaying a configured name. It does not establish the exact final panel, update behavior, display contents, power state, accessibility behavior, or participant configuration used at the event.
SourceThe HHV exchange path provided a MAX7219 LED driver IC and two 4-digit LED modules, with the BOM and soldering notes documenting sockets, headers, display color options, and resistor selection.
SourceThe README lists an OLED display as the badge's attendee-facing display surface.
SourceThe red 128-LED matrix was the main visual surface for animations, gravity simulation, messages, Tetris, challenge feedback, and blinky badge hacks.
SourceThe badge used a 5-by-19 LED matrix for user-customizable vertically scrolling text, with a default DEFCON 15 message and separate text-entry and scroll-speed states.
SourceThe badge combined a 2.9-inch 128x296 eInk screen, six side-view RGB LEDs beside the display, and twelve additional full-color edge LEDs.
SourceThe README maps six LED outputs to left ear, left eye, left mustache, right ear, right eye, and right mustache positions.
SourceThe production BOM lists twenty-four WS2811/5050 RGB LED parts plus additional red 0805 status LEDs on the badge hardware.
SourceThe official event page says the small electronic badge kit was included with the admission price and contained basic components plus batteries.
SourceThe published post-event Shield Badge account says every attendee received one event-specific piece of hardware.
SourceThe registration page lists a new social electronic badge as an included item for multiple NorthSec 2026 ticket classes while supplies lasted.
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