Hacker Con Badges

Kernelcon 2025 · United States · 2025

Kernelcon 2025 Race Condition Badge

Raspberry Pi Pico racing badge

Kernelcon's 2025 Race Condition badge was a Raspberry Pi Pico electronic badge with a TM1637-driven seven-segment display, three-AAA power, seven addressable RGB LEDs, buzzer, track-racing modes, reaction test, synthesizer, achievements, and CTF flag unlocks.

Kernelcon United States Omaha Raspberry Pi Pico RP2040 TM1637 Seven Segment RGB LEDs Bonus Track North America
EventKernelcon 2025
SeriesKernelcon
LocationHilton Omaha Downtown Old Market, Omaha, Nebraska
CountryUnited States

People

Authors & Credits

badge assembly

Cyber City Circuits

The official 2025 badge page states assembly was done by Cyber City Circuits in Augusta, Georgia.

Source

badge collaborator

elaboratreues

The official 2025 badge page credits elaboratreues as a collaborator.

Source

badge collaborator

popcorndan

The official 2025 badge page credits popcorndan as a collaborator.

Source

badge design and prototyping

Tyler Rosonke / zonksec

The official 2025 badge page credits zonksec / Tyler Rosonke with design and prototyping.

Source

Why It Mattered

It captures Kernelcon returning from two analog years to a programmable badge while tying the event's race-condition theme to physical racing, bonus-track soldering, and high-score/achievement play.

Hardware

The official badge site identifies a Raspberry Pi Pico rather than a bare RP2040 build, a TM1637 display driver, seven-segment display, three AAA batteries, seven addressable RGB LEDs, buzzer, touch/configuration pads, and a bonus-track connector path.

Software & Apps

The badge supported easy, normal, and hard race modes, an off-track tolerance parameter, synthesizer behavior, reaction test, sound and LED-pattern configuration, high-score viewing, earned CTF flags, achievements, and additional unlockable LED patterns and CTF flags.

Lore

The activity guide invited attendees to build a bonus track at the Badge Village by soldering headers, tracing PCB traces, adding jumper wires, jumping a detect pad, and inserting the completed track so the badge would detect and race it.

Lifecycle

Add-ons & Upgrades

badge game source-backed

Achievements and CTF flag unlocks

The official about page documents eight achievement levels that unlocked LED patterns and CTF flags.

Compatibility: Kernelcon 2025 Race Condition Badge

Source
soldering activity historical

Bonus track build

Attendees could build a bonus track with standoffs, headers, jumper wires, and a detect-pad bridge, then insert it into the badge for racing.

Compatibility: Kernelcon 2025 Race Condition Badge

Source

Operational history

Issues & Camp Impact

Resources

Kernelcon 2025 InfoconDB record event metadata · InfoconDB source for April 3-4, 2025 dates and Hilton Omaha Downtown Old Market venue. Kernelcon 2025 badge site official badge page · Official badge site for the Race Condition badge. Kernelcon 2025 bonus-track activity activity guide · Official guide for building and inserting a bonus track with soldered headers, jumper wires, detect pad, and badge detection.

Sources

Kernelcon badge site: Race Condition badge about page Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary source for Raspberry Pi Pico, TM1637, seven-segment display, three AAA power, seven RGB LEDs, buzzer, racing modes, achievements, high scores, CTF flags, and credits. Kernelcon badge site: Race Condition badge activities Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary activity source for bonus-track build, soldering, standoffs, headers, jumper tracing, detect pad, and badge detection.