DEF CON 34 · United States · 2026
Independent brass Coin M0 text-adventure and CircuitPython eChallengeCoin planned for DEF CON 34
AoSC's 2026 eChallengeCoin page describes a planned limited run of 40 brass electronic coins, framed as gifts for participants in its Choose Your Own Charity initiative rather than items for sale. It describes a Sara and the Missing Artifacts terminal text adventure, three groups of NeoPixels, a small speaker, one large touch pad for CircuitPython, no battery, 46-gram brass construction, and a Micro-USB serial connection; its form says a $100-or-greater youth-STEM-charity donation may receive a 2026 coin by U.S. mail or DEF CON pickup. The same page links the official CircuitPython Bradán Lane STUDIO Coin M0 profile as the build specifically for the eChallengeCoin. That profile identifies an ATSAMD21G1A, 4 MB flash, three RGB-NeoPixel groups, three capacitive touch pads, a speaker, and native USB-C. The linked primary sources therefore document a real planned independent DEF CON 34 electronic artifact while also disagreeing about USB connector type and touch-pad count; this record preserves the conflict rather than resolving it. They do not establish final manufactured-unit parity, confirmed donations or delivery, charity/tax treatment, official DEF CON issuance or admission, game-source licensing, or reusable-image rights.
People
AoSC's page names Bradán Lane STUDIO for brass-face engraving, while the linked CircuitPython profile names the Bradán Lane STUDIO Coin M0. This credit records source-named publisher/engraving context only, not sole hardware, firmware, game, artwork, manufacture, distribution, charity, school, DEF CON, or media-rights authorship.
SourceThe 2026 eChallengeCoin combines a current philanthropic acquisition path with unusually concrete game and platform documentation. It is also a case where related primary pages cannot safely be collapsed into one specification: the maker's eChallengeCoin description and the linked Coin M0 support page differ on both USB and touch input. The dossier keeps the artifact visible while treating the planned run, donation process, source mapping, firmware, and privacy details as bounded claims.
The AoSC eChallengeCoin page calls this a 46-gram brass coin with no battery, three groups of NeoPixels around the perimeter, a small speaker, and one large touch pad. It says connection is through Micro-USB. The official CircuitPython profile linked from that page calls the corresponding Bradán Lane STUDIO Coin M0 a round board with an ATSAMD21G1A, 4 MB flash, three RGB-NeoPixel groups, three capacitive touch pads, one speaker, and native USB-C. The sources do not reconcile those USB and touch-count differences or establish final 2026 component population, PCB revision, brass/board assembly method, dimensions, LED type/count/current, touch geometry, speaker part/volume, power path, cable requirements, ESD/short-circuit protections, current draw, operating limits, test coverage, safety guidance, or compliance.
AoSC says Sara and the Missing Artifacts is reached with terminal software after the coin presents as a serial device, and says new firmware can support other text adventures. It calls the eChallengeCoin CircuitPython compatible and suggests a one-button macropad after the game. The linked Coin M0 CircuitPython profile says the board can run CircuitPython or Arduino and supports USB serial, MIDI, keyboard/mouse HID, and disk-drive uses. These sources do not publish the 2026 game source/binary release, its version-to-production mapping, serial command/reference documentation, game save/reset behavior, flashing/recovery workflow, supported host/cable matrix, security review, accessibility guidance, warranty/support, or a license for the game, hardware, artwork, or final eChallengeCoin firmware.
AoSC presents the 2026 game as a Sara Cladlow and T.E.C. missing-artifacts adventure set around the British Museum, and frames the coin as a Choose Your Own Charity gift for youth-STEM-supporting donations. It separately says the first 20 recipients are intended to receive brass blanks made by a local high-school engineering program, while Bradán Lane STUDIO engraved the brass faces. These are maker-published story, charitable, and manufacturing statements only; they do not establish a relationship with the British Museum, any charity, a school, DEF CON, CircuitPython, or another rights holder, nor a completed donation, school project, delivery, or media-reuse permission.
Lifecycle
AoSC describes Micro-USB, one large touch pad, three NeoPixel groups, a small speaker, and no battery. The linked Coin M0 profile instead describes native USB-C, three capacitive touch pads, three RGB-NeoPixel groups, and a speaker. The shared lighting/audio concepts are source-backed, but the exact connector, touch count, board revision, LED count/current, speaker part, power path, and final 2026 configuration remain unresolved.
SourceAoSC says a confirmed $100-or-greater donation to a youth-STEM-supporting charity may receive a 2026 eChallengeCoin by U.S. mail or DEF CON pickup, and says the first 20 recipients are intended to have brass blanks created by students from a local high-school engineering program. These statements do not establish charity status, tax treatment, donation validation, privacy/retention practice, quantity awarded, recipient eligibility, shipping, pickup, school identity, manufacturing quality, payment, or final delivery.
SourceThe maker says the 2026 coin presents as a serial device when connected to a computer and hosts the Sara and the Missing Artifacts terminal text adventure. It also says new firmware can support other adventures. No public game source, binary, command reference, release/version mapping, host test matrix, reset/save guide, accessibility documentation, or support policy was recovered.
SourceAoSC says the 2026 edition is a limited release with a plan for 40 brass eChallengeCoins, each weighing 46 grams. It does not establish a finished quantity, serialized allocation, component parity, production date, inventory, recipients, shipping/pickup outcomes, replacements, resale, or post-event availability.
SourceAoSC links CircuitPython's Bradán Lane STUDIO Coin M0 build specifically for the eChallengeCoin. CircuitPython says Coin M0 has an ATSAMD21G1A with 4 MB flash and supports CircuitPython or Arduino plus USB serial, MIDI, HID, and disk uses; AoSC suggests a one-button macropad after the game. The sources do not prove final 2026 firmware, every-unit compatibility, user-safe reflashing, or a detailed implementation/license trail for the eChallengeCoin game.
SourceOperational history
Readers should not select cables, infer a connector, design touch software, rely on a touch count, or assume final board parity from either page alone.
Readers can distinguish the organizer's philanthropic request from financial, tax, legal, privacy, or data-security advice and should not assume a particular validation, deduction, confidentiality, retention, or delivery outcome.
The catalogue points to a public board platform without representing the shipped game or final coin as open source, reproducibly buildable, safe to reflash, supported, security-reviewed, or licensed for redistribution.
The record retains a traceable hardware surface without presenting the coin as electrically characterized, safe for every cable/host, reproducible, compliance-tested, or suitable for unsupervised modification.
The catalogue connects this independent maker artifact to its cited DEF CON 34 discovery/pickup context without presenting it as official conference hardware, an access item, a universal attendee benefit, or a completed organizer distribution.
The record remains source-backed and image-free rather than copying project photos, CircuitPython board artwork, embedded video, form images, screenshots, social media, placeholders, or generated approximations.
The catalogue records the announced limited-run and philanthropic path without treating it as a completed sale, charitable outcome, manufactured quantity, or delivery report.
The dossier preserves source-named narrative and manufacturing context without assigning ownership, cultural/institutional relationship, approval, sponsorship, final manufacturing responsibility, or image rights beyond the published statements.