Erik Wilson
The writeup credits Erik Wilson for the PCB badge design created on short notice.
SourceCactusCon 2014 · United States · 2014
CactusCon 2014 PCB Badge
HeatSync Labs solderable PCB badge
The CactusCon 2014 PCB badge is preserved through Eric / Robot Ambassador's first-hand writeup, which describes 300 event badges designed by Erik Wilson, given away at the HeatSync Labs booth, and assembled by attendees with LEDs, resistors, batteries, and acrylic hardware.
EventCactusCon 2014
SeriesCactusCon
LocationArizona / CactusCon local security conference
CountryUnited States
People
Authors & Credits
HeatSync Labs
The writeup says HeatSync Labs sponsored the badges, hosted the booth, and brought acrylic backs, coin batteries, LEDs, resistors, and lanyards.
SourceCactusCon
Arizona security-conference lineage for the 2014 PCB badge record.
SourceEric / Robot Ambassador
The public writeup is published on Robot Ambassador and describes Eric's booth/setup perspective.
SourceWhy It Mattered
It pushes the CactusCon badge lineage back before the later CactusCon 8 registration evidence and the Badge Pirates era, while keeping the record narrow: the public writeup proves a solderable PCB badge and multifunction board-art concept, not a powered firmware platform.
Hardware
The writeup describes a PCB outline that could be split into themed functional areas: the arms and legs could become LAN taps, the head was a USB 3.0 breakout, and space was left on the front and back for a Teensy expansion. HeatSync Labs provided acrylic backs, coin batteries, LEDs, resistors, and badge lanyards, with soldering at the booth. The source says 300 PCB badges were made.
Software & Apps
No firmware, programmable controller, source repository, challenge code, or badge app was recovered for this 2014 record. The badge is modeled as a solderable PCB/electronics artifact with board functions and LED assembly rather than as a microcontroller badge.
Lore
The Robot Ambassador writeup frames the project as a scramble after original conference-badge plans fell through, with Erik Wilson producing the design at short notice and attendees encouraged to solder their own LED badges at the conference.
Lifecycle
Add-ons & Upgrades
assembly kit
source-backed
Acrylic, LED, resistor, battery, and lanyard kit
HeatSync Labs brought acrylic backs, coin batteries, LEDs, resistors, and badge lanyards so attendees could solder a working LED badge at the booth.
Source
badge distribution
source-backed
Three-hundred-board PCB giveaway
The first-hand writeup says 300 CactusCon PCB badges were made and given away at the HeatSync Labs booth.
Source
board-function concept
source-backed
LAN tap arm and leg boards
The badge outline was designed so the arms and legs could be broken out or used as LAN taps.
Source
board-function concept
source-backed
USB 3.0 breakout head
The writeup describes the badge head as a USB 3.0 breakout section.
Source
hardware expansion
source-backed
Teensy expansion area
The front and back of the badge left space intended for a Teensy expansion.
SourceOperational history
Issues & Camp Impact
event-context caveat
note
The badge writeup identifies CactusCon and the public slide trail anchors CactusCon activity on April 4, 2014, but this pass did not recover a complete official 2014 event page with full venue, ticketing, or schedule archive.
The event edition is named by year and kept source-scoped rather than assigning an unsupported CactusCon edition number.
- Confidence
- corroborated public sources
- Status
- documented
- Timeframe
- 2014 CactusCon archive pass
- Source note
- Robot Ambassador writeup and Malware Analysis and Forensics CactusCon April 4 2014 slide page.
missing rights-cleared image
note
No CactusCon 2014 PCB badge image is published because the recovered blog photos have not been paired with complete source URL, reusable license or permission basis, attribution, and processing notes for catalogue publication.
The entry remains source-backed and image-free rather than copying blog photos, social media, screenshots, or generated media.
- Confidence
- local project policy
- Status
- needs licensed original replacement
- Timeframe
- current catalogue build
- Source note
- badge.gallery image policy and Robot Ambassador CactusCon PCB Badges writeup.
technical-source caveat
note
The first-hand writeup proves the PCB badge concept, count, giveaway, assembly materials, and board-function ideas, but this pass did not recover schematics, Gerbers, BOM, fabrication files, firmware, exact LED circuit, or a design repository.
The catalogue preserves the physical badge lineage while avoiding unsupported component-level or reproducibility claims.
- Confidence
- first-hand writeup
- Status
- needs design archive recovery
- Timeframe
- current CactusCon historical pass
- Source note
- Robot Ambassador CactusCon PCB Badges writeup.
Resources
CactusCon April 4 2014 slides
event context · Public slide deck source anchoring CactusCon activity on April 4, 2014.
CactusCon PCB Badges
first-hand writeup · First-hand Robot Ambassador source for the 300-board CactusCon PCB badge giveaway, Erik Wilson design credit, HeatSync Labs booth, LAN tap, USB 3.0 breakout, Teensy expansion, acrylic, LED, resistor, battery, and lanyard context.
CactusCon official site
event lineage · Official current CactusCon page for Arizona security-conference lineage context.
Sources
CactusCon: CactusCon official site
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official current source for Arizona security-conference lineage context.
Robot Ambassador / Eric: CactusCon PCB Badges
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary first-hand source for the CactusCon 2014 PCB badge, 300-board count, Erik Wilson design attribution, HeatSync Labs booth giveaway, LAN tap arms/legs, USB 3.0 breakout head, Teensy expansion space, acrylic, LED, resistor, battery, lanyard, and image-rights boundary.
SlideShare: Malware Analysis and Forensics: CactusCon April 4, 2014
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Public event-context source anchoring CactusCon activity on April 4, 2014.