Hacker Con Badges

DEF CON 27 · United States · 2019

AND!XOR DC27 Badge

Unofficial DEF CON 27 nRF52840 hardware-hacking badge

The AND!XOR DC27 Badge was an unofficial DEF CON 27 badgelife board built around a Rigado BMD-340 / Nordic nRF52840 core with an IS31FL3741 LED matrix, light pipes, glow-in-the-dark capacitive touch, USB-C, FT2232H hardware-hacking bridge, SWD/Tag-Connect programming paths, SAO 1.69bis support, BOTNET mesh behavior, and B.E.N.D.E.R. v2.0 challenges.

AND!XOR DEF CON DEF CON 27 United States Las Vegas Unofficial Badge nRF52840 BMD-340 FT2232H SWD SAO BOTNET B.E.N.D.E.R. Badgelife North America
EventDEF CON 27
SeriesDEF CON
LocationLas Vegas, Nevada
CountryUnited States

People

Authors & Credits

DOOM SAO collaborator

Parker Dillmann

The DOOM SAO log identifies Parker Dillmann / LonghornEngineer as one of the people involved in the DOOM SAO collaboration.

Source

Hackaday hands-on review author

Mike Szczys

Author of the Hackaday hands-on review used for hardware-hacking-tool framing and technical corroboration.

Source

badge art contributor

Kevin Pentecost

Hackaday's hands-on review credits Kevin Pentecost with AND!XOR DC27 badge art.

Source

badge team and project publisher

AND!XOR

Project identity behind the DC27 badge, Hackaday.io project page, project logs, and add-on documentation.

Source

badge team member

Andrew

Hackaday.io lists Andrew on the AND!XOR DC27 Badge project team.

Source

badge team member and challenge/hardware-log author

Hyr0n

Hackaday.io lists Hyr0n on the project team and attributes the B.E.N.D.E.R., FT2232H, SWD, and related DC27 logs to Hyr0n.

Source

project owner and production-log author

Zapp

Hackaday.io lists Zapp as project owner and attributes the production log to Zapp.

Source

Why It Mattered

It pushed AND!XOR's unofficial DEF CON line from badge-game hardware into a wearable hardware-hacking tool: the badge doubled as a USB-C FT2232H breakout for UART, JTAG, SPI, I2C, bit-banging, SWD work, serial console play, and badge-to-badge experimentation while still carrying the team's Bender-themed puzzle lineage.

Hardware

The project page documents a Rigado BMD-340 module with nRF52840 core, HQ19-2333RGBC RGB LEDs, IS31FL3741 LED controller, LM1117 adjustable LDO, AAT1217-3.3 boost converter, IQS333 capacitive-touch IC, Keystone 2460 battery holder, FT2232H USB-to-UART/hardware-hacking debugger, light pipes, SWD, Tag-Connect, SAO 1.69bis, and USB-C. Hackaday's hands-on coverage corroborates the BMD-340/nRF52840 platform, the FT2232H dual-channel approach, and the high-density Bender-eye LED/light-pipe construction.

Software & Apps

Public logs document a serial terminal at 115200/8/N/1, BOTNET Bluetooth mesh behavior, B.E.N.D.E.R. v2.0 embedded text-adventure hacking challenges, OpenOCD/SWD exploration through the FT2232H, and SAO 1.69bis interaction. The B.E.N.D.E.R. walkthrough covers challenge areas involving buffer overflows, firmware clues, hardware interfaces, cryptography, radio, and social collaboration.

Lore

The project described the badge as free during hacker summer camp thanks to philanthropy and sponsorship, with the makers spread across the United States. Its production log is unusually candid: initial Macrofab triage found serial, LED, capacitive-touch, and flashing failures, including BMD-340 soldering issues that required destructive inspection and manual recovery work.

Lifecycle

Add-ons & Upgrades

badge add-on source-backed

DOOM SAO and SAO 1.69bis ecosystem

The DOOM SAO log documents an ATSAMD21G18A add-on with ST7789 display, USB-C, serial terminal, bus sniffers, virtual EEPROM identity, and SAO 1.69bis logical integration with DC27 badges.

Compatibility: AND!XOR DC27 Badge and SAO 1.69bis-compatible badges

Source
badge game source-backed

B.E.N.D.E.R. v2.0

The walkthrough documents Badge Enabled Non Directive Enigma Routine v2.0 as an embedded text-adventure challenge involving software exploitation, firmware clues, hardware interfaces, crypto, radio, and social steps.

Compatibility: AND!XOR DC27 Badge

Source
badge lighting source-backed

IS31FL3741 LED matrix and light pipes

The project page documents HQ19-2333RGBC RGB LEDs, an IS31FL3741 controller, full LED matrix behavior, LED-backlit light pipes, and glow-in-the-dark capacitive-touch presentation.

Compatibility: AND!XOR DC27 Badge

Source
badge-to-badge network source-backed

BOTNET Bluetooth mesh

The project page describes an IoT Bluetooth mesh where badges connected over USB serial could join the conference network and remotely execute badge commands within the badge-game framing.

Compatibility: AND!XOR DC27 Badge

Source
hardware architecture source-backed

BMD-340 / nRF52840 badge core

The project page identifies the DC27 badge core as a Rigado BMD-340 module with Nordic nRF52840, paired with power regulation, capacitive touch, SWD/Tag-Connect, USB-C, and SAO 1.69bis hardware surfaces.

Compatibility: AND!XOR DC27 Badge

Source
hardware hacking tool source-backed

FT2232H hardware-hacking bridge

The FTDI log documents the badge's FT2232H channel split, with one channel for UART/JTAG/SPI/I2C/bit-banging hardware work and the other for the badge SoC serial terminal.

Compatibility: AND!XOR DC27 Badge

Source

Operational history

Issues & Camp Impact

hardware-hacking safety caveat note

The FT2232H feature intentionally exposes UART, JTAG, SPI, I2C, and bit-bang workflows for hacking other embedded systems, so the catalogue frames it as a legitimate learning/debugging tool and not as authorization to attack third-party hardware.

User-facing wording documents capability without overstating permission or harmful use.

Confidence
primary hardware guide
Status
documented
Timeframe
DC27 badge use
Source note
AND!XOR DC27 FTDI 2232H hardware-hacking log.
missing rights-cleared image note

No AND!XOR DC27 badge image is published because Hackaday.io project images, Hackaday article photos, add-on media, store images, and social media have not been paired with complete reusable image rights, attribution, and processing provenance.

The record remains source-backed and image-free rather than copying project images, article photos, screenshots, generated art, placeholders, or uncleared media.

Confidence
local project policy
Status
needs licensed original replacement
Timeframe
current catalogue build
Source note
badge.gallery image policy, AND!XOR DC27 Hackaday.io media, Hackaday hands-on review media, and linked add-on/store media.
production triage caveat note

The production log records initial triage failures including no serial on 6 of 28 sampled badges, no LEDs on 13 of 28, capacitive-touch failures on 6 of 28, cannot-flash failures on 10 of 28, and BMD-340 soldering issues that required manual diagnosis and rework.

The record preserves the badge as a real distributed artifact with documented production yield and rework constraints rather than treating the design as frictionless reference hardware.

Confidence
primary production log
Status
documented
Timeframe
2019 production
Source note
AND!XOR DC27 production log.
source-archive caveat note

This pass relies on project-owner logs and hands-on coverage and does not recover a stable public firmware, schematic, BOM, or Gerber repository for the full DC27 badge.

The record avoids stronger open-hardware or source-release claims until a complete repository or archive mirror is recovered.

Confidence
public-source recheck
Status
needs archive recovery
Timeframe
current catalogue build
Source note
AND!XOR DC27 project logs, Hackaday hands-on review, and current public-source check.

Resources

AND!XOR DC27 B.E.N.D.E.R. walkthrough challenge walkthrough · Primary log documenting the B.E.N.D.E.R. v2.0 challenge path, text-adventure framing, buffer-overflow step, firmware/hardware/radio/crypto/social areas, and post-event walkthrough status. AND!XOR DC27 Badge project project page · Project-owner Hackaday.io source for DEF CON 27 context, BMD-340/nRF52840 hardware specs, IS31FL3741 lighting, capacitive touch, FT2232H, SWD/Tag-Connect, SAO 1.69bis, BOTNET, B.E.N.D.E.R., team roster, sponsors, and free-distribution framing. AND!XOR DC27 FTDI 2232H hardware-hacking log hardware guide · Primary hardware-guide source for the FT2232H channel split, `/dev/ttyUSB0` hardware-hacking channel, `/dev/ttyUSB1` embedded-terminal channel, and UART/JTAG/SPI/I2C/bit-bang usage intent. AND!XOR DC27 SWD guide debug guide · Primary debug-guide source for SWD/OpenOCD exploration through the onboard FTDI path and badge-as-debugger concept. AND!XOR DC27 production log production log · Primary production source documenting Macrofab triage, serial failures, LED failures, capacitive-touch failures, flashing failures, BMD-340 soldering diagnosis, hot-air rework, and yield caveats. AND!XOR DOOM SAO log add-on documentation · Primary add-on source for the ATSAMD21G18A DOOM SAO, SAO v1.69bis logical integration, serial terminal, DOOM Guy interface, bus sniffers, virtual EEPROM identity, and DC27-badge compatibility context. Hackaday AND!XOR DC27 hands-on review article · Secondary hands-on source corroborating the badge as a hardware-hacking tool, BMD-340/nRF52840 core, FT2232H dual-channel USB behavior, OLED/LED/light-pipe presentation, USB-C, SWD, JTAG, SPI, I2C, UART, and bit-bang workflows.

Sources

Hackaday: Hands-On: AND!XOR DC27 Badge Is A Hardware Hacking Tool Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Secondary hands-on source for the hardware-hacking-tool framing, nRF52840/BMD-340 core, FT2232H dual-channel behavior, SWD/UART/JTAG/SPI/I2C/bit-bang workflows, USB-C, and lighting presentation. Hackaday.io / AND!XOR: AND!XOR DC27 Badge Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary project-owner source for hardware specs, DEF CON 27 dates/venue context, badge functions, BOTNET serial setup, B.E.N.D.E.R. framing, FT2232H hardware-hacking role, team roster, sponsors, and free-distribution framing. Hackaday.io / AND!XOR: AND!XOR DOOM SAO Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary add-on source for SAO 1.69bis integration, ATSAMD21G18A hardware, ST7789 display, USB-C, serial terminal, bus sniffers, virtual EEPROM identity, and DC27 badge interaction context. Hackaday.io / Hyr0n: B.E.N.D.E.R. Walkthrough Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary challenge source for the B.E.N.D.E.R. v2.0 walkthrough, embedded text adventure, buffer-overflow example, and multi-area hacking challenge design. Hackaday.io / Hyr0n: FTDI 2232H Breakout For Hardware Hacking Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary hardware-guide source for the FT2232H channel split, hardware-hacking breakout purpose, and UART/JTAG/SPI/I2C/bit-banging workflows. Hackaday.io / Zapp: Production Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary production source for Macrofab triage, serial, LED, capacitive-touch and flashing failures, BMD-340 soldering diagnosis, and manual rework.