Knowles Acoustics
Grand Idea Studio identifies the onboard audio input device as a Knowles Acoustics SPM0408LE5H amplified MEMS microphone.
SourceDEF CON 17 · United States · 2009
DEF CON 17 Badge
Sound-reactive RGB badge with MC56F8006 DSP
A Joe Grand / Grand Idea Studio electronic badge for DEF CON 17, built around a Freescale MC56F8006 16-bit digital signal controller, an amplified MEMS microphone, an RGB LED, wired multi-badge communication, and a static serial bootloader.
EventDEF CON 17
SeriesDEF CON
LocationRiviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
CountryUnited States
Image Provenance
- Asset
- optimized WebP crop from Flickr documentary photo
- Status
- licensed original photo
- Source
- HUMAN
- License
- Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
- Attribution
- Nate Grigg / nateOne, Flickr
- Notes
- Original 4256x2832 Flickr photo downloaded from the photo page's static Flickr original URL and preserved in Public/images/source. The published WebP delivery asset is cropped from the original to the visible DEF CON 17 Human badge area, metadata-stripped, resized to 1600x1265, and kept as a real documentary conference photo. Flickr's structured metadata identifies license id 4 as CC BY 2.0 and the description identifies the image as the anonymous badge for human attendees at DEFCON 17 in Las Vegas; this is not generated content, placeholder art, a Grand Idea Studio all-rights-reserved project-page copy, or a social-media scrape. The published badge.gallery delivery file is an optimized WebP generated from the rights-cleared local derivative/source with metadata stripped, WebP quality 82, and a maximum side cap of 1600 pixels when the source is larger; upstream source URL, license, and attribution remain unchanged.
People
Authors & Credits
Kingbright
Grand Idea Studio identifies the badge's multicolor light output as a Kingbright RGB LED.
SourceGrand Idea Studio
Publisher of the project page, schematics, BOM, assembly drawing, test procedure, source-code archive, slides, article links, poem, and contest-entry archives.
SourceJoe Grand / Kingpin
Grand Idea Studio documents Joe Grand's DEF CON 17 badge design, documentation, source, and badge-hacking contest context.
SourceSmitty & The Minions / Team Halibut
Official DEF CON contest results name this team for combining all seven badges and modifying firmware for LED animations.
SourceTeam Hack the Badge
Official DEF CON contest results name Team Hack the Badge as second place for the sound-fearing blimp.
Source501d3r Guy
Official DEF CON contest results name 501d3r Guy as third place for the multifunction dialer and voice amplifier.
SourceZoz
Official DEF CON contest results name Zoz as the first-place creator of the anti-surveillance system.
SourceNate Grigg / nateOne
Flickr photo author for the CC BY 2.0 `HUMAN` photo used as the DEF CON 17 Human badge visual.
SourceWhy It Mattered
It fills the post-DEF CON 16 lineage gap with a badge that turned the attendee credential into a sound-reactive signal-processing platform, while keeping schematics, BOM, assembly, test procedure, source code, slides, contest results, and selected contest-entry archives public.
Hardware
Grand Idea Studio documents a Freescale MC56F8006 16-bit digital signal controller, Knowles Acoustics SPM0408LE5H amplified MEMS microphone, Kingbright RGB LED, wired badge-to-badge interface, single CR2032 3 V lithium coin cell, seven role-specific badge shapes for Human, Goon, Press, Speaker, Vendor, Contest Organizer, and Uber, and 6,694 manufactured badges.
Software & Apps
The released source was developed for CodeWarrior for 56800/E Digital Signal Controllers. The three documented operating states are Party, where the multicolor LED reacts to input volume and frequency; Quiet/Idle, where the LED blends through colors; and Sleep. The static serial bootloader supported in-the-field firmware upgrades.
Lore
The official DEF CON 17 badge-hacking contest drew 32 entries. Zoz won with an anti-surveillance system that used badge-driven light patterns against automated facial recognition and reused a DEF CON 16 badge for motion-sensor bypass guidance, while Team Hack the Badge's sound-fearing blimp and 501d3r Guy's dialer/amplifier placed second and third.
Lifecycle
Add-ons & Upgrades
badge interaction mode
source-backed
Sound-reactive Party mode
In Party mode, the badge's RGB LED reacted to audio input volume and frequency from the onboard amplified MEMS microphone.
Source
badge-to-badge interaction
source-backed
Wired badge-to-badge communication
The badge included multi-badge communication through a wired interface, and the role shapes also formed a seven-piece physical puzzle.
Source
event challenge
historical
DEF CON 17 badge hacking contest
The 2009 contest drew 32 official entries, with Zoz's anti-surveillance system, Team Hack the Badge's sound-fearing blimp, and 501d3r Guy's multifunction dialer/voice amplifier taking the top three places.
Source
firmware workflow
source-backed
Static serial bootloader
Grand Idea Studio documents a static serial bootloader for in-the-field firmware upgrades and links the CodeWarrior source archive.
Source
role-set puzzle
historical
Seven-badge puzzle and Uber hack
Human, Goon, Press, Speaker, Vendor, Contest Organizer, and Uber badge shapes could be placed together as a puzzle, and Smitty & The Minions / Team Halibut earned honorable mention for combining all seven badges with modified firmware animations.
SourceOperational history
Issues & Camp Impact
contest-archive scope
note
The official results list 32 badge-hacking contest entries and the project page links selected ZIP archives, but this pass records the top entries and selected linked archives rather than unpacking every contest artifact.
The badge page preserves the contest lineage while leaving full per-entry reconstruction and media review for a later archive pass.
- Confidence
- official results plus primary project page
- Status
- needs deeper archive review
- Timeframe
- current catalogue build
- Source note
- DEF CON 17 contest results and Grand Idea Studio DEFCON 17 badge project page.
external media caveat
note
Public YouTube, Flickr, WIRED, Hackaday, Forbes, MAKE, CNET, and NetworkWorld references exist for the badge and hacks, but they are used only as pointers unless their reuse rights and exact badge-image provenance can be reconciled.
The catalogue avoids importing media from social/gallery/press surfaces while preserving source links for future review.
- Confidence
- source-backed but rights-limited
- Status
- documented
- Timeframe
- current catalogue build
- Source note
- Grand Idea Studio documentation links and DEF CON 17 official contest-results media list.
image provenance
note
The DEF CON 17 visual uses Nate Grigg / nateOne's Flickr documentary photo `HUMAN` under CC BY 2.0, cropped to the visible Human attendee badge area.
The entry now has a rights-cleared original documentary photo while preserving the rule against copying Grand Idea Studio all-rights-reserved project-page images, press imagery, generated art, placeholders, or social-media scrapes.
- Confidence
- source-backed
- Status
- licensed original replacement applied
- Timeframe
- 2026 image replacement pass
- Source note
- Flickr photo 3793067350 structured metadata, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license page, and badge.gallery image policy.
Resources
CC BY 2.0 license
image license · Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license page for the Flickr image license recorded on the HUMAN photo page.
DEF CON 17 contest results
official contest results · Official DEF CON source for 32 badge-hacking contest entries, judging notes, top places, honorable mention, and media links.
DEF CON 17 event metadata
event page · InfoconDB source for July 30-August 2, 2009 dates and Riviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas venue context.
DEFCON 17 Badge Bulletin Board System contest entry
contest entry archive · Contest archive linked from the project page for Mark Renouf and Jason Scott's incomplete Badge Bulletin Board System port.
DEFCON 17 Fffft contest entry
contest entry archive · Contest archive linked from the project page for Simap's 32-bin FFT LED-display entry.
DEFCON 17 Haiku
lore artifact · Poem/lore artifact linked from the primary project page.
DEFCON 17 badge assembly drawing
assembly drawing · Assembly drawing source for board population and manufacturing reference.
DEFCON 17 badge bill of materials
bill of materials · Grand Idea Studio BOM PDF for parts and sourcing context.
DEFCON 17 badge project page
project page · Primary designer page with MC56F8006, MEMS microphone, RGB LED, operating states, production quantity, role-shape puzzle, documentation, source-code, and contest details.
DEFCON 17 badge schematic
schematic · Grand Idea Studio schematic PDF for the DEF CON 17 badge hardware.
DEFCON 17 badge source code
source code · Released CodeWarrior source archive for the Freescale MC56F8006 firmware.
DEFCON 17 badge test procedure
test procedure · Production test procedure source for functional verification workflow.
DEFCON 17 multifunction dialer contest entry
contest entry archive · Contest archive linked from the project page for 501d3r Guy's Blue Box / DTMF Dialer / Voice Amplifier entry.
DEFCON 17 sound-fearing blimp contest entry
contest entry archive · Contest archive linked from the project page for Team Hack the Badge's sound-fearing blimp entry.
HUMAN DEF CON 17 badge photo
licensed documentary photo · Nate Grigg / nateOne Flickr photo whose description identifies the anonymous Human attendee badge at DEF CON 17; Flickr structured metadata reports CC BY 2.0.
Making and Hacking the DEFCON 17 Badge
slides · Slide deck source for badge design, signal-processing behavior, production, and hack contest context.
Making the DEFCON 17 Badge
article · Nuts & Volts article source linked by Grand Idea Studio for a narrative badge-making account.
Sources
DEF CON: DEF CON 17 Badge Hacking Contest
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official contest-results source for 32 entries, Zoz's winning anti-surveillance system, Team Hack the Badge's second-place blimp, 501d3r Guy's third-place dialer/amplifier, and the combined seven-badge honorable mention.
Flickr / Nate Grigg: HUMAN
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Licensed documentary photo source for the DEF CON 17 Human attendee badge; Flickr structured metadata identifies CC BY 2.0, Nate Grigg / nateOne attribution, and the image description as the anonymous badge for human attendees at DEFCON 17 in Las Vegas.
Grand Idea Studio: DEFCON 17 Badge
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary source for MC56F8006 hardware, MEMS microphone, RGB LED, operating states, wired communication, serial bootloader, 6,694-badge production, role shapes, and contest summary.
Grand Idea Studio: DEFCON 17 Badge Schematic
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary schematic source for component-level hardware evidence.
Grand Idea Studio: DEFCON 17 Badge Source Code
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary released source-code archive for CodeWarrior / MC56F8006 firmware evidence.
Grand Idea Studio: Making and Hacking the DEFCON 17 Badge
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary slide source for badge design, production, and badge-hacking context.
InfoconDB: DEF CON 17 (2009)
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Event-context source for DEF CON 17 dates, schedule archive, and Riviera Hotel & Casino venue metadata.