BSides Fort Wayne 2025 · United States · 2025

BSides Fort Wayne 2025 Badge

ESP32-WROVER MicroPython conference e-badge

BSides Fort Wayne 2025 had an electronic conference badge documented by a first-hand badge-team writeup and a public organization repository, with ESP32-WROVER hardware, dual SPI display headers, seven WS2812B LEDs, accelerometer, buzzer, LiPo charging, MicroPython firmware, and badge CTF challenge apps.

BSides Fort Wayne United States Indiana Fort Wayne Security BSides ESP32-WROVER MicroPython GC9A01 CTF Badge Hacking North America

EventBSides Fort Wayne 2025

SeriesBSides Fort Wayne

LocationFort Wayne, Indiana

CountryUnited States

People

Authors & Credits

badge hardware and firmware contributors

BSidesFW2025Badge contributors

GitHub contributor metadata for the public repository lists sheindel, commputethis, luke-gilsinger, Bgilsing, and thadigus as contributors during this source pass.

Source

event organizer and repository owner

BSides Fort Wayne

Owns the public BSidesFW2025Badge repository through the BSidesFortWayne GitHub organization and publishes the current official event site.

Source

Why It Mattered

It adds an Indiana Security BSides badge line to the North American compendium and preserves a modern regional-con badge that ships as both hardware and a developer-facing MicroPython app platform.

Hardware

The public hardware specification documents an ESP32-WROVER-E-N8R8, CH340C USB-serial over USB-C, seven WS2812B RGB LEDs, six function/game buttons through a PCA9535 I/O expander plus a boot/function button on IO0, LIS3DHTR accelerometer, LiPo battery monitor/protection/TP4056 charging circuit, TPS63060 3.3 V buck-boost converter, dual display headers for SPI screens, buzzer on IO15, and unpopulated expansion headers.

Software & Apps

The repository documents a custom MicroPython 1.26.0 firmware binary with compiled C modules and a Russ Hughes GC9A01 display driver, `uv` and `mpremote` development workflow, source deployment to the board, app/menu/settings code, schedule apps, Tetris, system monitor, battery monitor, badge challenge apps, and tests.

Lore

Thad Turner's first-hand writeup says the Fort Wayne BSides conference took place on June 7, 2025 and that he served on the CTF and badge teams, built badge-related challenges, and joined the badge-development talk. The public repository was created in February 2025 and remained active through the post-event source pass, preserving both end-user badge instructions and developer documentation.

Lifecycle

Add-ons & Upgrades

CTF challenge apps source-backed

Badge challenge applications

The repository includes multiple `badgechal` application files and firmware documentation stating that the custom C modules are required for CTF challenges.

Compatibility: BSides Fort Wayne 2025 Badge CTF

Source

badge I/O source-backed

WS2812B and button interface

The board exposes seven WS2812B RGB LEDs and a button set using IO0 plus a PCA9535 I2C expander for six additional controls.

Compatibility: BSides Fort Wayne 2025 Badge

Source

badge applications source-backed

MicroPython app suite

The public app tree includes menu, settings, schedule, Tetris, analog clock, battery monitor, system monitor, and other badge applications.

Compatibility: BSides Fort Wayne 2025 Badge

Source

badge controller source-backed

ESP32-WROVER-E-N8R8 core

The 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.

Compatibility: BSides Fort Wayne 2025 Badge

Source

display subsystem source-backed

Dual SPI display headers

The hardware documentation maps two SPI screen headers with separate DC, reset, chip-select, and display-enable control signals.

Compatibility: BSides Fort Wayne 2025 Badge

Source

firmware image source-backed

Custom MicroPython firmware

The firmware README documents a custom MicroPython 1.26.0 image with compiled badge-challenge modules and a Russ Hughes GC9A01 C display driver.

Compatibility: BSides Fort Wayne 2025 Badge

Source

sensor and power subsystem source-backed

Motion, battery, and audio support

The specification documents a LIS3DHTR accelerometer, LiPo voltage monitoring, DW01A protection, TP4056 charging, TPS63060 buck-boost conversion, and a PWM buzzer.

Compatibility: BSides Fort Wayne 2025 Badge

Source

Operational history

Issues & Camp Impact

current-site rollover caveat note

The live BSides Fort Wayne site has rolled forward to 2026, while the first-hand 2025 badge-team writeup and public 2025 badge repository preserve the 2025 evidence trail.

Keep the source note explicit and prefer archive/search snapshots or future official archive pages if a dedicated 2025 official page becomes available.

Confidence: source freshness check
Status: documented
Timeframe: May 22, 2026 source pass
Source note: May 22, 2026 source check of bsidesfortwayne.org, Thad Turner writeup, and public GitHub repository metadata.

distribution-source boundary note

The attendee-wide badge statement comes from a first-hand badge-team writeup rather than a recovered 2025 official archive page or production-count document.

The catalogue may state that the badge was given to attendees, but it does not claim final production quantity, ticket-tier mechanics, or exact replacement/spare counts.

Confidence: first-hand badge-team source
Status: documented
Timeframe: BSides Fort Wayne 2025
Source note: Thad Turner BSides Fort Wayne 2025 writeup and BSidesFW2025Badge repository.

missing rights-cleared image note

No BSides Fort Wayne 2025 badge image is published because the recovered writeup photos, repository logos, badge-creator images, STLs, schematics, and project-media references have not been paired with a specific physical badge photo or official full-board render carrying complete source URL, reusable image license or explicit permission basis, attribution, and processing notes.

The record remains source-backed and image-free rather than copying blog media, logos, screenshots, schematic snippets, generated art, or approximate badge imagery.

Confidence: local project policy
Status: needs licensed original replacement
Timeframe: current catalogue build
Source note: badge.gallery image policy, Thad Turner writeup images, and BSidesFW2025Badge repository media review.

schematic-link caveat note

The hardware README contains an older cross-repository schematic link, but the current organization repository also includes `schematics/Badge Schematic V4.pdf` directly.

Hardware claims use the current hardware specification text and repository tree instead of relying on the stale embedded link alone.

Confidence: repository source review
Status: documented
Timeframe: current catalogue build
Source note: BSidesFW2025Badge HARDWARE.md and repository tree.

Resources

BSides Fort Wayne 2025 badge-team writeup first-hand project writeup · Primary first-hand source for the June 7, 2025 Fort Wayne conference context, attendee badge distribution statement, ESP32-WROVER hardware summary, MicroPython framework, CTF badge challenges, and badge-development talk. BSides Fort Wayne official site official event site · Official BSides Fort Wayne site used for event identity and current organizer context; live navigation has rolled forward to the 2026 edition. BSidesFW2025Badge repository source repository · Public BSides Fort Wayne organization repository preserving the 2025 badge README, hardware documentation, schematics, STLs, firmware binary, MicroPython app tree, and MIT license metadata. Badge apps source tree badge app source · Source tree containing menu, schedule, settings, Tetris, battery monitor, system monitor, and badge challenge application files. Badge end-user README badge guide · End-user and developer guide for badge buttons, menu navigation, app behavior, repository layout, uv setup, mpremote workflow, and custom firmware flashing. Custom firmware README firmware documentation · Firmware README for the MicroPython 1.26.0 custom binary, compiled C badge-challenge modules, GC9A01 display driver, and esptool flashing commands. Hardware specifications hardware documentation · Primary hardware specification for ESP32-WROVER-E-N8R8, CH340C USB serial, WS2812B LEDs, buttons, LIS3DHTR accelerometer, LiPo charging/protection, power conversion, display headers, buzzer, and expansion headers.

Sources

GitHub / BSidesFortWayne: BSidesFortWayne/BSidesFW2025Badge Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary public repository for the BSides Fort Wayne 2025 badge; GitHub metadata reports an MIT license, public organization ownership, Python/MicroPython code, and active source history. GitHub / BSidesFortWayne: BSidesFW2025Badge README Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary end-user and developer source for badge menu navigation, button map, default badge application, repository layout, uv setup, mpremote workflow, firmware flashing commands, and source tree organization. GitHub / BSidesFortWayne: Technical Specifications V4 Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary hardware source for the ESP32-WROVER-E-N8R8 badge core, USB-C/CH340C programming, LEDs, buttons, accelerometer, battery, display, buzzer, and expansion-header details. GitHub / BSidesFortWayne: Custom Badge Firmware Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary firmware source for the custom MicroPython 1.26.0 image, compiled badge-challenge modules, GC9A01 display driver, and flashing path. Thad Turner: BSides Fort Wayne 2025 Conference Experience Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary first-hand badge-team source proving the June 7, 2025 Fort Wayne conference context, statement that the badge was given to each attendee, ESP32-WROVER hardware summary, team roles, MicroPython app framework, badge CTF challenges, and badge-development talk.