DEF CON 34 · United States · 2026
Pre-event ESP32-S3 LoRa mesh BadgeLife communicator
WyrdWyrks' live Uberflux listing identifies the $150 Celestial Wayfinder Badge as a DEF CON 34 pre-sale. At this August 3, 2026 source pass, the listing shows 5 sold and 95 remaining, with four pickup labels: DC34 Reddit Meetup Wednesday, DC34 Reddit Meetup Thursday, and DEF CON 34 BadgeLife 1 and 2. The maker describes an ESP32-S3, custom four-layer PCB, 128×128 OLED, SX1276 LoRa, GPS, magnetometer/IMU, five Cherry MX-compatible switches, a rotary encoder, 61 WS2812B LEDs, a buzzer, 3D-printed parts, a Li-ion battery, USB-C updating/charging, a LoRa mesh, Wi-Fi geolocation fallback, and a PWA. The public MIT-licensed firmware repository documents v1/v2/v3 platform variants, a 915 MHz SX127x-class LoRa mesh, GPS/status PingMessage data, PlatformIO build paths, RPC, and remote USB/BLE/web configuration; v4.0.0 publishes v3 and v2 binaries. A separate Fusion360/STL CAD repository and web-companion repository are public but have no detected license. This is a source-backed pre-event independent BadgeLife record, not proof of final fulfillment, a final production BOM, radio/regulatory performance, safety certification, universal update compatibility, official DEF CON admission status, or reusable-image rights.
People
The Uberflux product and maker profile identify WyrdWyrks as the Celestial Wayfinder maker; the same GitHub organization publishes the firmware, release, CAD, and web-companion repositories. The reviewed sources do not name individual hardware, firmware, CAD, or artwork contributors.
SourceIt preserves a current, unusually well-documented DEF CON BadgeLife communicator across its live purchase terms, MIT firmware, binary release, mechanical-CAD trail, and web-companion source rather than treating any one of them as the complete artifact. The record makes the detailed hardware and mesh/navigation surface useful while keeping the final-revision, release-asset, wireless/privacy, battery, CAD/PWA-license, fulfillment, and image-provenance limits visible.
The marketplace listing describes an ESP32-S3, custom four-layer PCB, 128×128 OLED, SX1276 LoRa, integrated GPS, magnetometer plus IMU, five Cherry MX-compatible mechanical switches, tactile rotary encoder, 61 WS2812B LEDs, buzzer, Li-ion battery, USB-C, carabiner/lanyard points, and customizable/interchangeable 3D-printed parts. The MIT firmware README documents three hardware revisions: v1/v2 ESP32 variants and a v3 ESP32-S3 board with 128×128 SH1107 OLED, BQ25672 PMIC, 61 LEDs, I2C peripheral auto-detection, and IMU. It separately describes four face buttons plus an encoder, while the product page says five mechanical switches; the reviewed sources do not map those descriptions to a final DEF CON manufacturing revision. No PCB layout, schematic, BOM, Gerbers, dimensions, exact GPS/IMU/magnetometer part selection for the offered unit, RF test data, or certification is published here. The public CAD repository provides Fusion360 and STL mechanical files but no explicit reuse license.
WyrdWyrks' MIT-licensed application/firmware repository describes PlatformIO/ESP-IDF builds, a local-symlink dependency on `esp32-utilities`, LoRa PingMessage data carrying sender name, RGB theme, latitude/longitude, and short status, saved messages/locations, a windowing UI, Breakout on v3, and an RPC registry reachable through an async web server, USB serial, and BLE. Its v4.0.0 GitHub release publishes `firmware-hardware-v3-4.0.0.bin` and `firmware-local-library-v2-4.0.0.bin`. The public web-companion repository identifies itself only as a Wayfinder PWA and has no detected license. The record does not infer a complete production firmware hash, browser-app deployment, credential model, data retention policy, support lifecycle, or compatibility for a different board revision from those sources.
The maker calls the Wayfinder a cyberpunk industrial LoRa communicator for finding people and happenings, with indoor Wi-Fi geolocation when GPS is unavailable. Its listed DEF CON 34 options are DC34 Reddit Meetup Wednesday, DC34 Reddit Meetup Thursday, and BadgeLife 1 and 2; no dates, handoff locations, or shipping option are published in the reviewed product payload. At the August 3, 2026 source pass, Uberflux marks it PRE at $150 with 5 sold and 95 remaining. These are current maker-marketplace terms rather than proof of completed orders, attendance, firmware update delivery, final production configuration, or an official DEF CON credential.
Lifecycle
The application source documents an SX127x-class 915 MHz LoRa mesh and a PingMessage carrying sender name, RGB theme color, latitude/longitude, and a short status; the product calls its mesh self-healing with minimal configuration. It does not prove final RF parameters, privacy choices, message authentication, interference behavior, or regulatory suitability in every jurisdiction.
SourceThe listing names a configuration PWA and USB-C updating. The firmware README describes one RPC registry exposed through web, USB serial, and BLE, including settings, saved messages/locations, OTA update, and system functions. The companion PWA repository is public but unlicensed and does not establish a deployed service, credential, or data-retention model.
SourceThe firmware repository is detected as MIT and documents PlatformIO `hardware-v3` and older-revision environments; v4.0.0 publishes v3 and v2 binary assets. The source depends on a side-by-side local `esp32-utilities` repository and does not establish a supported update path for every physical unit or a released v1 v4 binary.
SourceThe listing says parts are customizable and interchangeable. The Wayfinder-CAD repository describes a one-piece clamshell case, rails/keyway, snap-on accent plates, compliant-mechanism cautions, knobs, Fusion360 source, and STL files. The repository has no detected license and its author warns the CAD is incomplete/complex, so it is a documented trail rather than a blanket redistribution or safety authorization.
SourceWyrdWyrks describes GPS plus Wi-Fi geolocation for indoor/outdoor finding and a WS2812B LED compass ring. The repository documents GPS coordinate/status traffic, saved waypoints, navigation wiring, and v3 61 LEDs, but does not provide final location accuracy, geolocation-service terms, indoor performance, or range validation.
SourceAt the August 3 source pass, the $150 product is marked PRE with 5 sold and 95 remaining. Its drop options are DC34 Reddit Meetup Wednesday, DC34 Reddit Meetup Thursday, DEF CON 34 BadgeLife 1, and DEF CON 34 BadgeLife 2; no shipping option or location/date detail is present in the reviewed product payload.
SourceThe listing names ESP32-S3, custom four-layer PCB, 128×128 OLED, five Cherry MX-compatible switches, and a tactile encoder. The firmware README documents an ESP32-S3 v3 variant with 128×128 SH1107 OLED and separately describes four face buttons plus an encoder; no final offered-board revision or full BOM is mapped by the sources.
SourceOperational history
Public source links remain available for inspection without labeling CAD/PWA material as open licensed, copying imagery, or implying a deployed/maintained companion service.
The record does not represent the badge as a certified radio, private or secure messenger, accurate indoor locator, universally legal deployment, or a performance guarantee.
The catalogue does not turn public power or CAD material into a battery-service guide, electrical-safety endorsement, charging claim, or safe-modification authorization.
The catalogue can link the MIT source and named binaries without treating them as a universal, final, supported field-update package.
The record retains supported feature families while avoiding a claim that the live offering exactly matches one repository branch, older board revision, or a complete production BOM.
The pre-event record remains source-backed and image-free rather than copying marketplace artwork, externally hosted README media, CAD screenshots, user attachments, placeholders, or generated approximations.
The catalogue records current seller-published marketplace terms without converting them into proof of completed manufacture, purchase, delivery, meetup attendance, or convention-wide distribution.