DEF CON 34 · United States · 2026

INSPECTRON 34 SAO (DEF CON 34)

Completed independent RP2040 CRT-TV Simple Add-On

INSPECTRON 34 is an independent retro-CRT television-shaped Simple Add-On documented by its maker's post-conference public repository. The project records an RP2040, 16 MB flash, 1.14-inch ST7789V display, CircuitPython, USB-drive GIF loading, a DC34 right-port SAO design, and a completed DEF CON 34 run of about 20 sold boards. The post-conference handoff identifies V5 as the current released firmware. It is not an official DEF CON Human badge or admission credential.

INSPECTRON 34 DEF CON DEF CON 34 United States Las Vegas Completed Badge Independent Add-On SAO SAO 1.69bis RP2040 CircuitPython ST7789V TFT USB-C USB Drive I2C KiCad BadgeLife North America

EventDEF CON 34

SeriesDEF CON

LocationLVCC West Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada

CountryUnited States

People

Authors & Credits

maker-named project and source publisher

d4rkwyng / MINDTRICKS.IO

The README names d4rkwyng and MINDTRICKS.IO as the project production credit. This records the maker-published attribution only; it does not establish DEF CON affiliation, sole manufacture, event allocation, ownership of third-party media, or gallery-image permission.

Source

Why It Mattered

It adds a completed, source-rich independent DC34 add-on with an unusually candid fabrication and firmware trail, including a documented display-footprint correction and a bounded shipped-versus-current firmware distinction. The record retains that useful engineering history without treating maker statements as a universal safety, compatibility, or event-issuer guarantee.

Hardware

The maker's public README and engineering notes identify an RP2040, 16 MB flash, a 1.14-inch 135 by 240 ST7789V IPS TFT, three channel/mode buttons, a boot control, antenna-tip LEDs, a 2 by 3 SAO 1.69bis header, and USB-C or DC34-SAO-port power through an automatic mux. The notes say the design targets DC34's right port and cite the 3.0 V, 100 mA total-rail budget. The source also documents two accepted unconnected RP2040 IOVDD pads and a corrected TFT-footprint pin order. It does not establish safe behavior on every host, final per-unit component substitutions, full electrical validation, compliance, or a universal mechanical fit.

Software & Apps

The public repository documents CircuitPython 10 firmware that plays GIF channels, offers a puzzle and menu/settings surface, exposes a USB drive for user GIFs, and uses an I2C descriptor/interaction path. Its post-conference handoff says most sold boards used V4, with V5 released on August 11. The source tree contains firmware, test tooling, and production records, but the catalogue does not turn that into a supported modification procedure, a security review, a guarantee of the installed firmware on any particular board, or a claim that third-party GIF content is reusable.

Lore

The maker frames INSPECTRON 34 as an unofficial community add-on for DEF CON 34's Agency-themed badge ecosystem, styled as a retro television with a 'TUNE YOUR OWN SIGNAL' tagline. The project history says a 30-board JLCPCB quickturn run reached the conference, with about 20 sold there; it also records one donation to the BadgeLife Village SAO museum. These are maker-published production and distribution statements, not DEF CON organizer issuance, ticket inclusion, a recipient ledger, or image-reuse permission.

Lifecycle

Add-ons & Upgrades

maker-documented hardware interface maker design documentation published

DC34 right-port SAO and USB-C power design

The maker targets DC34's right SAO port, identifies a 2 by 3 SAO 1.69bis header, and describes 3.0 V badge or USB-C power. This is an implementation-specific maker statement, not a universal fit, rail budget, hot-plug, electrical-safety, or compatibility guarantee.

Compatibility: DEF CON 34 right-side SAO design target only; other hosts and configurations unverified

Source

maker-documented software surface post-conference source and V5 update published

CRT-TV GIF player and puzzle firmware

The public README and handoff describe GIF channels, a device puzzle, settings, USB-drive loading, and the V4-to-V5 firmware history. This preserves the published software surface without making a safe flashing, recovery, support, security, or source-to-unit version claim.

Compatibility: INSPECTRON 34 only; final installed firmware and every-host behavior are unverified

Source

Operational history

Issues & Camp Impact

firmware, support, third-party-media, and image-rights boundary note

The handoff says most event boards had V4 and V5 was released later. The repository supplies code/design-file MIT terms but expressly excludes GIF files, the DEF CON name, and DC34 logo artwork. It does not establish an installed version for every board, signed/reproducible event firmware, support or warranty, security review, safe update/recovery result, or a selected badge photo/render with a complete image-specific reuse basis.

The catalogue links a substantive source and firmware trail but publishes no repository image or artwork and does not present a later source revision as a supported update or all-unit state.

Confidence: maker README, handoff, and repository license
Status: V5 source history public; third-party-media and gallery-image rights unresolved
Timeframe: post-conference update
Source note: INSPECTRON 34 README, HANDOFF.md, and LICENSE.

hardware, power, SAO, and electrical-safety boundary note

The maker documents an RP2040, display, power mux, DC34 3.0 V target, SAO interface, a corrected display footprint, and two accepted unconnected IOVDD pads. Reviewed sources do not establish final component substitutions, full BOM, per-unit inspection, rail behavior, current draw across content/brightness modes, battery/power-bank behavior, ESD/short/reverse protection, thermal result, host matrix, mechanical tolerance, compliance, certification, or safe user modification.

Readers can inspect the source-described hardware and its own caveats without treating it as a universal plug-and-play, electrically safe, or fully validated device.

Confidence: maker README and engineering notes
Status: design and caveats published; broad validation unrecovered
Timeframe: post-conference public documentation
Source note: INSPECTRON 34 README and ENGINEERING.md.

independent DEF CON association, allocation, and credential boundary note

The maker calls INSPECTRON 34 an unofficial community add-on and says about 20 of a 30-board run sold at DEF CON 34. No reviewed DEF CON organizer, registration, or BadgeLife source says DEF CON designed, issued, sponsored, sold, or distributed it; that it was included with registration; that it grants admission; or that any named attendee received one.

The record retains a source-backed completed independent event association without representing the add-on as an official Human badge, a conference credential, a ticket benefit, or an audited distribution run.

Confidence: maker README, engineering notes, and post-conference handoff
Status: maker documents completed independent DC34 sales; official relationship and allocation unrecovered
Timeframe: DEF CON 34 and post-conference update
Source note: INSPECTRON 34 README, engineering notes, and post-conference handoff.

missing rights-cleared image note

No INSPECTRON 34 SAO (DEF CON 34) image is published because the current public source trail has not been paired with a reusable original badge or artifact photo or official upstream raster render with source URL, license or permission basis, attribution, and processing notes.

The United States record remains source-backed and image-free rather than copying source-page media, documentation screenshots, event photos, social media, placeholders, or generated approximations.

Confidence: local project policy
Status: needs licensed original replacement
Timeframe: current catalogue build
Source note: badge.gallery image policy and d4rkwyng/inspectron-sao-dc34 public repository, README, engineering notes, post-conference handoff, and MIT license with third-party-media exclusions.

Resources

INSPECTRON 34 README maker-published project documentation · Primary project overview for the retro-TV add-on form, RP2040/flash/TFT/CircuitPython surface, USB GIF loading, SAO/USB-C power claims, and independent/unofficial status. It is not a final production ledger, complete safety evaluation, or reusable-image grant. INSPECTRON 34 engineering notes maker-published engineering documentation · Primary source for the DC34-targeted 3.0 V and right-port context, I2C descriptor surface, production changes, accepted IOVDD exception, and TFT-footprint correction. It documents a maker design, not every unit's behavior or a safe modification procedure. INSPECTRON 34 firmware source public CircuitPython firmware source · Public firmware tree for the maker-described application and test surface. It is linked as provenance rather than a supported update or recovery instruction, security review, or guarantee of the firmware installed on any particular unit. INSPECTRON 34 hardware source public KiCad hardware source · Public hardware tree containing the KiCad project and production material. Its presence does not establish a complete BOM, exact event-unit revision, safe fabrication/modification procedure, electrical compliance, or a cleared raster image. INSPECTRON 34 post-conference handoff maker-published production and firmware history · Primary post-conference source for the 30-board run, maker-reported sales/disposition, V4 event firmware context, and V5 release. It is not an independent sales audit, recipient ledger, or final-unit inventory. INSPECTRON 34 public project repository maker-published hardware and firmware archive · Public independent-project repository for INSPECTRON 34. It documents the add-on's technical, production, and post-conference firmware trail, but does not establish DEF CON organizer issuance, ticket inclusion, universal host compatibility, or image reuse. INSPECTRON 34 source and design license repository license · The repository's MIT license covers code and original design files, while expressly excluding its third-party GIF content, the DEF CON name, and DC34 logo artwork. It therefore does not supply a rights-cleared gallery image.

Sources

d4rkwyng / GitHub: d4rkwyng/inspectron-sao-dc34 Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary public project archive identifying INSPECTRON 34 as a DEF CON 34 retro-TV Simple Add-On. It establishes a maker-published independent project, not DEF CON authorization, admission use, ticket inclusion, an official BadgeLife role, or image rights. d4rkwyng / GitHub: INSPECTRON 34 engineering notes Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary technical source for the post-conference status, JLCPCB quickturn, hand-assembly, maker-reported sales, hardware revisions, DC34 power/interface assumptions, and software layout. It does not replace independent manufacture, safety, compatibility, or recipient evidence. d4rkwyng / GitHub: INSPECTRON 34 project history Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary maker-published timeline for the 30-board run, about-20 sales statement, fleet disposition, V4 event firmware, and August 11 V5 update. These are source-attributed maker statements, not a third-party allocation or quality audit. d4rkwyng / MINDTRICKS.IO: INSPECTRON 34 README Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary maker documentation for the stated RP2040, 16 MB flash, ST7789V display, CircuitPython, USB-drive GIF, SAO, USB-C, and unofficial-community-add-on surfaces. It does not establish complete production parity, electrical safety, support, or reusable project media. d4rkwyng / MINDTRICKS.IO: INSPECTRON 34 LICENSE Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary source-license statement: MIT for repository code and original design files, with explicit exclusions for third-party GIFs, DEF CON name, and DC34 logo artwork. It does not grant image reuse for an asset containing excluded material.