DEF CON 34 · United States · 2026
Small-batch pre-event RP2040 youth-coding giveaway badge for DEF CON 34
A late-July public r/Defcon post by u/ProfessionalPea2218 says its author has been designing and hand-soldering a small batch of badge PCBs to help launch Cyb3rBytes404, a self-described San Diego nonprofit for free hands-on youth coding and electronics projects. The author says the badges are not for sale and are intended for random giveaway throughout ‘the con.’ Separately, the public Cyb3rBytes404 GitHub repository calls itself the official repository for the cyber coding camp and documents a custom RP2040 cyber-cat badge, MicroPython starter material and challenges, an MPU-6050 motion module, and thirty WS2812 RGB LEDs. Its visible commit history places the reviewed README update on July 28, 2026. The shared project name supports a source-backed pre-event DEF CON 34 association, but it does not establish that the Reddit author controls the GitHub namespace, that every physical PCB matches the repository snapshot, final hardware, the run size, a completed giveaway, or a DEF CON-issued credential.
People
The public GitHub namespace publishes the repository that calls itself the official source for the Cyb3rBytes404 cyber coding camp. This is a repository-publisher credit only; it does not establish a legal entity, nonprofit status, connection to the Reddit author, individual hardware/code/art authorship, manufacture, DEF CON role, distribution responsibility, or image-reuse authority.
SourceThe public Reddit account says it designed and hand-soldered the described badge PCBs. This records a narrow post attribution and does not identify the person's legal identity, relationship to the Cyb3rBytes404 GitHub account, formal nonprofit role, authorship of repository code/artwork, production responsibility, DEF CON affiliation, or image-reuse authority.
SourceThe record preserves a current educational maker-giveaway project that would otherwise disappear into a social-media post, while keeping its evidence boundaries unusually clear. A first-person physical-build statement and a named public software repository can be cited together without equating their account identities, treating starter code as a final event image, or turning an independent small-batch plan into an official conference handout.
The immutable July 28 repository README names a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller, an MPU-6050 three-axis gyroscope/accelerometer module, and thirty WS2812 RGB LEDs for a custom cyber badge. The maker post separately says badge PCBs were designed and hand-soldered. Neither source identifies an exact RP2040 board/package, sensor or LED variant, PCB shape/artwork, LED wiring/current budget, power source or path, USB connector behavior, inputs, storage, connectors, schematic, BOM, PCB/Gerbers, dimensions, materials, assembly/test record, safety guidance, compliance, production revision, or final physical-unit parity.
The public repository exposes MicroPython starter scripts, a helper library, and educational code-challenge material for the named cyber badge. The catalogue records only that high-level source surface; it does not reproduce connection, installation, flashing, editor, pin, challenge, or operating steps. The public GitHub release page reported no releases in this source pass, and no reviewed source establishes a final event-unit image, tagged binary, source-to-unit mapping, dependency lock, build result, update/recovery policy, support commitment, security review, data practice, or code/media reuse grant.
Cyb3rBytes404 frames the artifact around a cyber-cat mascot and free hands-on youth learning. The first-person r/Defcon post calls the physical run small, says it is not for sale, and plans random giveaways ‘throughout the con.’ DEF CON's official registration page independently supplies the August 6-9, 2026 Las Vegas context but does not name Cyb3rBytes404. These are pre-event project and distribution statements, not proof of nonprofit status, a final quantity, selection method, actual handoff, event authorization, organizer relationship, admission benefit, recipient list, or post-event outcome.
Source-backed hardware metadata
Structured technical signals seeded from public badge documentation, repositories, schematics, firmware notes, or event evidence. These fields are designed for filtering, API use, repair planning, preservation, and future Companion Gear matching.
The first-person maker post says its author designed and hand-soldered a small batch of physical badge PCBs for a planned DEF CON giveaway. It does not establish an official event role, final hardware, allocation, or completed distribution.
Signal sourceThe immutable Cyb3rBytes404 README names a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller. It does not establish the exact board/package, final physical-unit population, or a source-to-giveaway mapping.
Signal sourceThe immutable README names thirty WS2812 RGB LEDs. It does not establish LED variants, wiring, brightness, current budget, power design, final unit parity, or a safe operating configuration.
Signal sourceThe immutable README identifies MicroPython starter material and code challenges. It does not establish a final event firmware release, an installed image, a supported configuration path, or a source-to-unit mapping.
Signal sourceThe immutable README names an MPU-6050 three-axis gyroscope/accelerometer module. This records the directly named motion-sensor surface, not a calibration, final hardware, reliability, or use-behavior claim.
Signal sourceRepair, preservation, and legal lab context
Parts, tools, and supplies that match this badge's documented hardware, protocols, or preservation needs. These are category-level recommendations, not compatibility guarantees.
Debug probes for ARM/RISC-V badge development, recovery, and documentation.
Debug probes can support authorized recovery, firmware work, and documentation for microcontroller badges. Matched technical signals: RP2040.
Vendor link · selected for technical relevance
USB serial adapters for logs, recovery, and firmware documentation workflows.
This badge has a documented microcontroller platform where serial logs or flashing workflows may be relevant. Matched technical signals: RP2040.
Vendor link · selected for technical relevance
Anti-static bags and storage supplies for preserving loose badge PCBs and sensitive components.
This is documented as an electronic or hardware artifact where anti-static storage can support preservation. Matched technical signals: Electronic badge.
Vendor link · selected for technical relevance
Lifecycle
The repository publishes starter scripts, a helper library, and code-challenge material for the named Cyber-Cat project. The release page reports no releases. This provides a public educational source trail, not a final installed event image, a configuration or operating guide, a supported update path, a source-to-device mapping, or a code/media reuse authorization.
SourceThe maker post says there is only a small batch, the badges are not for sale, and they will be given away randomly throughout ‘the con.’ It does not establish a quantity, eligibility rule, selection method, exact times/locations, reservation system, partner, recipient list, actual handoff, shipment, replacement, or post-event result.
SourceThe commit-pinned README names an RP2040 microcontroller, MPU-6050 gyro/accelerometer module, thirty WS2812 RGB LEDs, and MicroPython. It does not establish a complete board design, exact component variants, power design, final manufactured revision, individual-unit functionality, performance, safety, or compatibility.
SourceOperational history
Public source visibility is recorded without treating it as a finished event release, reliable operating path, security assurance, or permission to copy code, artwork, project branding, photographs, or screenshots.
The record retains the documented components without converting them into a complete electrical design, power-safety claim, performance statement, production specification, or repair/build procedure.
The catalogue classifies this as an independently documented pre-event project associated with DEF CON 34, not an official conference credential, organizer-issued badge, attendee entitlement, or verified event activity.
The catalogue can cite the corroborating project-name trail without stating that u/ProfessionalPea2218 controls Cyb3rBytes404 on GitHub, authored all code, or holds any formal nonprofit, DEF CON, or media-rights role.
The record remains source-backed and image-free rather than copying Reddit media, repository graphics, code screenshots, social posts, thumbnails, placeholders, or generated approximations.
The entry records a planned independent distribution model without presenting an announced free giveaway as manufactured stock, a confirmed recipient benefit, a completed DEF CON handoff, or a public fulfillment ledger.