CypherCon 2.0 · United States · 2017

CypherCon 2017 Cube Badge

TYMKRS cubic mesh-network puzzle badge

The CypherCon 2.0 Cube was a three-dimensional electronic badge by TYMKRS, assembled from cube-edge PCBs with LEDs, microprocessors, buses, USB, battery charging, mesh-network behavior, text-adventure firmware, and a badge-to-badge programming premise.

CypherCon United States Milwaukee Wisconsin TYMKRS Cube Badge Mesh Network Text Adventure USB CDC Puzzle Box Badge Panel North America

EventCypherCon 2.0

SeriesCypherCon

LocationDiscovery World, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

CountryUnited States

People

Authors & Credits

Cube badge creators

TYMKRS

The official history credits The Cube badge to TYMKRS; Hackaday also identifies the badge as lovingly designed by the TYMKRS team.

Source

event and history publisher

CypherCon

The official history page establishes the 2017 event facts, The Cube badge name, TYMKRS attribution, and badge-panel context.

Source

Why It Mattered

It adds a Milwaukee lineage to the North American compendium and captures an early large-run experiment in sculptural badgelife: more than 400 hand-soldered cube badges turned the attendee artifact into a puzzle box, network node, terminal game, and social programming surface.

Hardware

The official CypherCon history names the badge as The Cube by TYMKRS for the March 30-31, 2017 CypherCon 2.0 event at Discovery World. Hackaday describes a three-dimensional cube built from PCBs soldered at the edges, with cutouts exposing LEDs, microprocessors, buses, a USB port used for charging and terminal access, and a production run of over 400 hand-soldered badges.

Software & Apps

Hackaday documents terminal-emulator access over USB into a text-adventure game about rebuilding a relay-based computer in a missile silo. After completion, the badge becomes an emulator for a vintage time-sharing operating system where attendees can write code and deploy it to other badges; creator comments further describe CDC serial behavior and read-protection caveats for part of the firmware.

Lore

CypherCon's official history records the Game of Life / Hacker Glider theme, 525 attendees, The Cube badge, and a Badge Creator's Panel. Hackaday frames the badge as a mesh network and puzzle box, while the public Cube and panel videos preserve TYMKRS' badge explanation and the broader creator discussion.

Lifecycle

Add-ons & Upgrades

badge firmware historical

USB terminal text adventure

Connecting a terminal over USB exposed a text adventure about scavenging parts to rebuild a relay-based computer in a missile silo.

Compatibility: CypherCon 2017 Cube Badge

Source

badge software environment historical

Vintage time-sharing emulator

After the relay-computer game path, the badge became an emulator for a vintage time-sharing operating system where attendees could write code.

Compatibility: CypherCon 2017 Cube Badge

Source

badge-to-badge interaction source-backed

Mesh badge code deployment

Hackaday frames the Cube as a mesh network of badges and says code written inside the emulated environment could be deployed to other badges.

Compatibility: CypherCon 2017 Cube Badge

Source

mechanical badge construction historical

Three-dimensional PCB cube body

Hackaday describes the badge as a cube constructed from PCBs soldered along their edges, with a run of over 400 units assembled by hand.

Compatibility: CypherCon 2017 Cube Badge

Source

Operational history

Issues & Camp Impact

missing rights-cleared image note

No CypherCon 2017 Cube badge image is published because the Hackaday article images, official-history thumbnails, and YouTube frames have not been paired with complete original-photo provenance, explicit reuse rights, attribution, and processing notes.

The entry remains source-backed and image-free rather than copying article or video imagery without a clear catalogue reuse basis.

Confidence: local project policy
Status: needs licensed original replacement
Timeframe: current catalogue build
Source note: badge.gallery image policy, CypherCon history media, Hackaday article media, and YouTube video frames.

Resources

CypherCon 2 Badges video talk video · Official-history-linked video source for the TYMKRS Cube badge explanation. CypherCon 2.0 Badge Creator's Panel panel video · Official-history-linked panel source for badge-creator discussion at CypherCon 2.0. CypherCon history official event history · Official CypherCon history source for CypherCon 2.0 dates, Discovery World venue, attendee count, Game of Life / Hacker Glider theme, The Cube badge, TYMKRS attribution, and badge-creator panel listing. The Cubic Cyphercon Badge article · Hackaday source for the cube construction, more-than-400 hand-soldered run, LEDs, microprocessors, buses, USB terminal behavior, mesh network, text adventure, and time-sharing emulator lore.

Sources

CypherCon: History of CypherCon Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official event history source for CypherCon 2.0 dates, Discovery World venue, 525 attendees, The Cube badge, TYMKRS attribution, and badge-creator panel context. CypherCon / YouTube: CypherCon 2 Badges Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official-history-linked video source preserving the Cube badge explanation. CypherCon / YouTube: Badge Panel | CypherCon 2.0 Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official-history-linked panel source preserving badge-creator discussion at the 2017 event. Hackaday: The Cubic Cyphercon Badge Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Secondary technical source for the cube-PCB construction, mesh-network framing, more-than-400 badge run, USB terminal behavior, text adventure, relay-computer goal, and time-sharing emulator behavior.