DEF CON 34 · United States · 2026

DEF CON 34 Badge

Completed electronic Human badge with Baochip, QR interaction, and post-event token conversion

DEF CON's official news confirms DEF CON 34 wrapped on August 10, 2026. Its official badge-help page now documents the issued electronic Human badge's post-conference conversion to a hardware security token, current firmware-update path, public source-code links, and the in-conference encrypted-QR light-pattern exchange. The official July 31 reveal names Bunnie Huang as creator and Baochip as the inspectable silicon platform, while the public core-module KiCad archive and `dc34-vault` source provide a specific hardware and software trail. This establishes a completed official badge record without treating later public source as a production ledger or a reusable-image grant.

EventDEF CON 34
SeriesDEF CON
LocationLVCC West Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
CountryUnited States

People

Authors & Credits

badge-art, design, and ecosystem-support collaborator

Cheeso

DEF CON's official badge-help page thanks Cheeso for badge art, ecosystem advice, and marketing support, and names Yafsec and Delia for badge-design/artwork roles.

Source

badge-carrier PCB placement and initial-routing contributor

Wietsman

DEF CON's official badge-help page credits Wietsman with electrical wellness checks and placement/initial routing of the badge carrier PCB.

Source

event, registration, and badge-spec publisher

DEF CON Communications

DEF CON's homepage, official ticket page, and media server establish the DEF CON 34 event context, Human badge preregistration guarantee, and public DC34 SAO specification trail.

Source

general contractor for material handling, SMT, final assembly, and testing

AQS

DEF CON's official badge-help page identifies AQS as general contractor for material handling, SMT, final assembly, and testing. It does not publish batch quantities, unit-level test results, or a delivery ledger.

Source

official badge creator and badge-team lead

Bunnie Huang

DEF CON's official help page identifies bunnie as badge-team lead, Baochip-1x/core-module/plastics designer, firmware author, and manufacturing/operations coordinator; the July 31 official reveal independently names Bunnie Huang as badge creator. This records published roles, not a claim of sole authorship of every component.

Source

source-named third-party capture-ring designer and project publisher

Make It Hackin

The public DC34 Any Angle Pirate Wheel README identifies Make It Hackin as the designer/project publisher for the optional capture-ring design. This is a source role only, not an official DEF CON role, an accessory-approval claim, or an image-reuse grant.

Source

Why It Mattered

DEF CON 34 is now a source-backed completed entry in the main badge lineage, with an unusually concrete post-event transition from conference credential to security-token hardware. The update preserves the useful public source and firmware trail while keeping unit-by-unit production parity, final allocation, vulnerability remediation, and image rights bounded.

Hardware

DEF CON's official help page says the badge uses the newly launched Baochip-1x system-on-chip and describes a detachable clear-plastic core module: after the conference, the holder can remove that core from the badge carrier and seal the carrier holes with included parts. Bunnie's public `dc34-core-hw` repository publishes the core module's KiCad files under CERN-OHL-W-2.0. The DC34 SAO specification documents 3.0 V VDD, a tested 100 mA total supply across both SAOs, two AA batteries, USB-C continuous-power behavior, GPIO4 wake, I2C devices at 0x3C and 0x19, and mirrored unkeyed female 6-pin headers. Those sources do not provide a complete per-unit BOM, carrier-board source release, battery specification, electrical-safety or compliance result, manufacturing test record, or exact physical configuration for every issued badge.

Software & Apps

DEF CON's official help page links public `dc34-vault`, `dc34-console`, `dc34-api`, Xous OS, and core-hardware sources. `dc34-vault` identifies the conference UI as an encrypted-QR light-pattern exchange and describes the detached core's security-token mode, including FIDO2, password, and TOTP functions. The public Apache-2.0 `dc34-image` and `dc34-bio` tools document USB-serial image and BIO loading. The help page also links a current firmware-update archive and says patches were being issued after the conference. These sources establish a released software and update surface, not that every issued unit runs one later source revision, that every function is secure or supported indefinitely, or that loading custom code preserves conference secrets.

Lore

DEF CON's August 10 news post says DEF CON 34 wrapped, and its August 9 badge-sale notice confirms spare badges were offered at registration while supplies lasted. The conference used the Agency theme. The official help page explains that badges could exchange encrypted light patterns by scanning QR codes during the conference, then be repurposed after the conference as a hardware token. It names Bunnie as badge-team lead, identifies Cheeso collaborators for badge design and artwork, and credits production vendors. These published roles and feature descriptions do not establish a full recipient list, complete production count, challenge completion, every shipped firmware state, or permission to reuse official badge photos.

Source-backed hardware metadata

Technical Profile

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.

Artifact type

  • Electronic badge documented

    DEF CON's official July 31, 2026 reveal names Bunnie Huang and says the Human badge features Baochip; its public event source also calls 2026 an electronic-badge year.

    Signal source

Connectors

  • USB-C documented

    DEF CON's DC34 SAO specification documents USB-C power-bank behavior for the badge; separately published user utilities document USB serial communication without identifying a complete final board.

    Signal source

Lifecycle

Add-ons & Upgrades

SAO kit and optional pre-soldered add-on official shop plus current public roster; pre-event outcome unconfirmed

Call Center Village Telephone Booth SAO Kit

Call Center Village's official shop describes a $5 pickup-only Solder-It-Yourself Telephone Booth SAO Kit for the DEF CON 34 badge. Its current public Badgelife roster row separately lists a $5 kit and $10 pre-soldered option. These source statements establish offered configurations and planned event context, not final inventory, payment, assembly, pickup, shipment, delivery, refund, replacement, or support outcome.

Compatibility: DEF CON 34 Badge

Source
add-on connector pre-event spec

Dual SAO electrical interface

The official DC34 SAO specification documents 3.0 V VDD, 100 mA tested total supply across both SAOs, GPIO pins, I2C devices at 0x3C and 0x19, and mirrored unkeyed 6-pin SAO headers.

Compatibility: DEF CON 34 Badge

Source
badge creator and silicon announcement official pre-event update

Official Bunnie Huang and Baochip reveal

DEF CON's July 31 official reveal names Bunnie Huang as the badge creator and says the badge features his open-source, fully inspectable Baochip; it does not announce final firmware, board files, or distribution details.

Compatibility: DEF CON 34 Badge

Source
power system pre-event spec

Two-AA and USB-C power behavior

The SAO spec states that the badge is powered by two AA batteries and that USB-C power-bank operation keeps the badge continuously on.

Compatibility: DEF CON 34 Badge

Source
pre-event badge teaser official pre-event update

Electronic badge year teaser

DEF CON's official badge-alert post says DEF CON 34 is an electronic badge year, that the badge comes from a hardware hacking legend, and that the SAO spec sheet is early support for add-on projects.

Compatibility: DEF CON 34 Badge

Source
public badge customization utility public Apache-2.0 source; event-unit state unconfirmed

dc34-image USB-serial image utility

The public `bunnie/dc34-image` README identifies a Python utility for uploading a black-and-white 128×128 image to a DC34 badge over USB serial. It documents a customization path, not physical display technology, a selected shipped image, a final embedded firmware build, or event-unit parity.

Compatibility: DEF CON 34 Badge; physical display and shipped state unverified

Source
public badge programming utility public Apache-2.0 source; event-unit state unconfirmed

dc34-bio USB-serial BIO utility

The public `bunnie/dc34-bio` README identifies a Python utility for loading a BIO program to a DC34 badge over USB serial, with documented SAO-I/O selection and clock configuration. It documents a user-side tooling path, not complete embedded firmware, final connector mapping, safe settings, a supported end-user workflow, or event-unit parity.

Compatibility: DEF CON 34 Badge; final firmware, connector topology, and supported settings unverified

Source
public hardware design and fabrication archive public KiCad design under CC BY-SA 4.0

Phone-booth-shaped single-LED SAO v2 design archive

Call Center Village's public source calls this a phone-booth-shaped, power-only SAO v2: one 1206 LED and one 330 ohm current-limiting resistor are wired in series from VCC to GND, with no microcontroller or I2C and the SDA, SCL, GPIO1, and GPIO2 pins left unconnected. The repository includes KiCad project, schematic, PCB, connector symbol, BOM, placement, netlist, Gerber packages, and a CC BY-SA 4.0 license. It does not prove final kit or pre-soldered population, per-unit quality, current draw under an actual host, final production revision, DC34 electrical test result, user assembly outcome, or general host safety.

Compatibility: Call Center Village Telephone Booth SAO Kit; source describes an SAO v2 2 by 3 connector, while actual host compatibility remains unverified

Source
registration artifact planned

Guaranteed preregistration Human badge

DEF CON's official ticket page says preregistration guarantees a DEF CON 34 Human badge when the ticket is redeemed onsite in Las Vegas.

Compatibility: DEF CON 34 registration

Source
silicon architecture source source-backed

Baochip 1x open-hardware source tree

The upstream Baochip-1x repository publishes open-source chip-hardware elements, taped-out RTL, VexRiscv configuration, simulation/FPGA material, and a CERN-OHL-W-2.0 license. It documents the announced chip context rather than a complete DC34 badge board or firmware image.

Compatibility: DEF CON 34 Badge

Source
third-party 3D-printed lanyard-orientation accessory public pre-event STL design; mechanical fit unverified

Make It Hackin DC34 Any Angle Pirate Wheel capture ring

Make It Hackin publishes one STL intended to be printed twice as a two-piece capture ring that lets a wearer suspend the official DC34 badge at different rotations, using user-supplied M3 hardware or zip ties and a dual-clip lanyard. The maker says its geometry was photogrammetrically derived and is not an official DEF CON drawing; this is a design file, not a shipped, tested, or DEF CON-approved accessory.

Compatibility: DEF CON 34 Badge; maker-intended external capture ring, physical fit and port/orientation outcome unverified

Source
third-party SAO orientation adapter pre-event marketplace listing

bud-lightbeer 180 Degree SAO Adapter

Uberflux maker `bud-lightbeer` lists a $4 180-degree SAO adapter for the DEF CON 34 ports, which the maker describes as upside-down relative to the intended SAO 2.0 orientation. The listing says the adapter does not change the badge's 3.0 V supply and warns complex SAOs may not tolerate it; its current marketplace snapshot shows 593 sold, seven remaining, and Friday/Saturday Badge Life Booth pickup. This is a third-party compatibility product, not an official finding of a port defect or a universal compatibility guarantee.

Compatibility: DEF CON 34 Badge

Source
third-party power and use claim first-party product description

Maker-described wall-brick, battery, and multiple-SAO power claim

The listing says a standard USB wall brick or portable battery pack can power the Power Back, that an SAO totem can run multiple SAOs, and that it runs three #NOICE or Not Just a Crosswalk SAOs where a regular CR2032 does not have enough power. It does not publish a pinout, USB-C or USB-PD behavior, cable requirements, regulator/protection design, output-current limit, voltage tolerance, heat test, electrical-safety certification, tested SAO matrix, or universal compatibility result.

Compatibility: USB-C Power Back for SAOs; maker-described standalone use only

Source
third-party standalone SAO power/display companion pre-event marketplace listing

caelyb USB-C Power Back for SAOs

caelyb's Uberflux listing describes a USB-C-to-SAO Power Back with maker-described 5 V-to-3.3 V conversion that lets SAOs run without a host badge, including desk or shelf display. As reviewed on 2026-08-04 it showed $7, 59 sold, 81 remaining, DC34 BadgeLife Village/LineCon/Queercon pickup labels, and post-DC34 CONUS shipping. It is a third-party standalone SAO companion associated by the maker with DEF CON 34, not an official conference item or a main-badge-mounted add-on.

Compatibility: DEF CON 34 SAO ecosystem; standalone hostless SAO power/display use, not an attachment to the official badge

Source

Operational history

Issues & Camp Impact

Call Center Village Telephone Booth SAO host-voltage, current, assembly, and final-build boundary note

The Call Center Village repository describes a power-only SAO v2 with a 1206 LED and 330 ohm resistor connected from VCC to GND, and frames SAO v2 power as nominally 3.3 V. DEF CON's own DC34 specification instead documents 3.0 V VDD and a 100 mA tested total supply across both SAO ports. The sources do not publish LED electrical characteristics, actual host current, measured brightness, DC34 fit test, reverse-orientation protection, ESD/current protection, kit/pre-soldered population, assembly quality, final production revision, or safety validation.

The catalogue can document the simple published design and its source files without calling the generic SAO v2 description a verified DC34 electrical match, a universal host compatibility result, a safe assembly procedure, or a completed unit/fulfillment record.

Confidence
official project source plus current roster
Status
design and current offer documented; host and fulfillment outcomes unconfirmed
Timeframe
2026 pre-event source pass
Source note
Call Center Village Telephone Booth SAO repository and public DEF CON 34 Badgelife response, read with the official DEF CON 34 SAO specification.
firmware, source, and security-state boundary note

The official help page links a firmware-update archive and `dc34-vault`, `dc34-console`, `dc34-api`, Xous, and core-hardware sources; `dc34-vault` warns that custom firmware erases provisioned secrets and changes the badge to developer mode. The reviewed sources do not publish a signed unit-by-unit firmware manifest, a source-to-issued-device mapping, complete update/recovery validation, a full vulnerability/remediation history, a security audit, long-term support terms, or proof that every badge retains the same conference-token state.

The catalogue links the public archive and records the documented state transition without recommending installation, claiming that a later source tree exactly matches every badge, or presenting the token and QR features as independently validated or permanently supported.

Confidence
official support page and creator-published repositories
Status
public update and source paths available; unit-by-unit state unrecovered
Timeframe
reviewed 2026-08-24
Source note
DEF CON 34 Badge Help Page, bunnie/dc34-vault, bunnie/dc34-console, bunnie/dc34-api, bunnie/dc34-core-hw, and current firmware archive, reviewed 2026-08-24.
missing rights-cleared image note

No DEF CON 34 image is published because the recovered official badge photo, support-page media, and repository visuals are not paired with a specific reusable license or explicit permission, attribution, and local processing provenance.

The entry stays image-free rather than copying official news/support graphics, ticket media, media-server diagrams, social-media or press previews, repository screenshots, or generated badge art.

Confidence
local project policy
Status
needs licensed original replacement
Timeframe
post-event catalogue review
Source note
badge.gallery image policy and DEF CON 34 post-event source trail, reviewed 2026-08-24.
post-event allocation and production boundary note

DEF CON's official news says DEF CON 34 wrapped and records a Sunday spare-badge sale, while the official support page documents the issued badge's continuing use. Neither page publishes an attendee/recipient list, total issue count, role-variant inventory, manufacturing batch trace, per-unit configuration, handoff evidence for every preregistration, repair/replacement policy, or post-event support commitment.

The catalogue can treat the official electronic Human badge as completed without implying that every registration produced the same physical unit, that every holder received or retained one, or that a public source proves a complete manufacturing and fulfillment record.

Confidence
official wrap-up, badge sale notice, and post-conference support page
Status
event completed; aggregate allocation and manufacturing record unrecovered
Timeframe
reviewed 2026-08-24
Source note
DEF CON 34 news archive and DEF CON 34 Badge Help Page, reviewed 2026-08-24.
third-party capture-ring geometry, mechanical-fit, port-orientation, and safety boundary note

Make It Hackin's public README proposes a two-piece capture ring for the DEF CON 34 badge and says its geometry was derived photogrammetrically rather than from an official DEF CON drawing. The maker's README also asserts that an incorrect orientation could reverse pins and create a short-circuit risk, but this pass did not independently verify that assertion or any physical or electrical effect.

The catalogue records an optional third-party mechanical design without treating it as an official accessory, a fit result, a port-orientation diagnosis, an electrical-safety conclusion, or a finished product. The source does not establish print material, assembly quality, mechanical loads, badge/port clearance, pinout/orientation outcome, safety validation, production, sale, delivery, support, or image reuse rights.

Confidence
maker-published design; no independent fit or electrical verification
Status
public pre-event STL design; physical outcome unverified
Timeframe
2026 pre-event source pass
Source note
MakeItHackin/DC34AnyAnglePirateWheelBadge README, reviewed 2026-08-05.
third-party standalone SAO power companion boundary note

The caelyb marketplace listing says its USB-C Power Back lets SAOs run without a host badge. It does not say the item mounts to, ships with, has been tested on, or is approved by DEF CON's main badge, and it does not publish a pinout, output-current limit, USB-C or USB-PD behavior, regulator/protection details, electrical-safety certification, or a host test matrix.

The catalogue records a source-backed third-party standalone SAO power/display companion without treating its maker-described 3.3 V conversion or multiple-SAO example as official main-badge support, a universal-compatibility claim, or a safety endorsement.

Confidence
first-party maker storefront
Status
pre-event marketplace listing
Timeframe
2026 pre-event source pass
Source note
caelyb / Uberflux USB-C Power Back for SAOs listing, reviewed 2026-08-04.

Resources

Sources