Laser* Tag Badge DS at DEF CON 34 · United States · 2026

Laser* Tag Badge DS (DEF CON 34)

Pre-event RP2350 infrared game badge with conditional LoRa score sync

Laser* Tag Badge DS is an independent BadgeLife project planned for DEF CON 34. Its maker page describes an RP2350-based infrared tag game with a 915 MHz LoRa score-sync option and QR fallback, while a public late-July update says the boards have arrived and final assembly and flashing are in progress. The record is pre-event and independent; it is not an official DEF CON admission badge.

Laser* Tag Badge DEF CON 34 United States Las Vegas BadgeLife Pre-event RP2350 Infrared LoRa OpenLASIR OLED GC9A01 SAO Game North America

EventLaser* Tag Badge DS at DEF CON 34

SeriesLaser* Tag Badge

LocationLas Vegas Convention Center and independent DEF CON BadgeLife pickup points, Las Vegas, Nevada

CountryUnited States

People

Authors & Credits

badge creator and OpenLASIR protocol author

Dani Weidman

Named on the official Laser* Tag Badge DS page as the project creator; the linked public OpenLASIR repository is published under the `danielweidman` account.

Source

special project assistance

Zach Resmer

Named by Dani Weidman's official Laser* Tag Badge DS page for special help; the source does not provide a more specific technical role.

Source

Why It Mattered

It adds a current, source-backed independent DEF CON BadgeLife release whose hardware, shared game design, and interoperability protocol are unusually well documented before the event. The dossier keeps the boundary between a public compatibility protocol and an unreleased or undocumented complete badge firmware, and between production progress and confirmed attendee delivery, explicit.

Hardware

Dani Weidman's official page specifies a Waveshare RP2350-Zero daughterboard, VSLY5940 narrow-beam IR emitter with generic IR receiver, conditional 915 MHz LoRa radio, SMA connector with external quarter-wave antenna, small rear SSD1306 OLED, 60 RGB LEDs, 1.28-inch 240x240 GC9A01 round LCD, 5-way directional switch, Sync and rear-display buttons, rechargeable 18650 battery, vibration motor, piezo buzzer, and one SAO port. The port supplies power and is theoretically I2C, but the page says no I2C functionality is implemented. The sources do not provide a final PCB archive, schematic, BOM, dimensions, IR-drive circuit, power or charging details, radio certifications, or a final production count.

Software & Apps

The badge game awards points for IR tagging other participating badges. Scores are intended to sync to an online leaderboard over LoRa if RF conditions permit, with QR-code encoding of game data as the stated fallback. The public MIT-licensed OpenLASIR repository supplies a 38 kHz NEC-inspired 32-bit IR interoperability protocol plus MicroPython and Arduino/C++ examples, and identifies the 2026 DS as a supporting first-party badge. That protocol repository is not a complete released DS firmware, so this record does not claim the final application source, custom proprietary protocol implementation, flashing workflow, or a complete firmware license.

Lore

A late-July update says boards are in hand and the team is more than halfway through final assembly and flashing, with announced DEF CON-week pickup points and a wearable multi-day tag game. The maker page explicitly warns that LVCC lighting and reflections limit IR play, that LoRa may not reach planned base stations in a crowded ISM band, and that QR syncing may be required. It also warns production might not finish in time. This is therefore a pre-event independent BadgeLife record, not a completed run or official access credential.

Lifecycle

Add-ons & Upgrades

event game context announced pre-event

DEF CON-week pickup and multi-day game

The public late-July update announces DEF CON-week pickup points and a wearable multi-day infrared tag game, while final assembly and flashing remain in progress.

Compatibility: Laser* Tag Badge DS (DEF CON 34)

Source

infrared compatibility protocol publicly documented

OpenLASIR interoperability

The MIT-licensed OpenLASIR repository defines a NEC-inspired 38 kHz, 32-bit infrared interoperability protocol and identifies the 2026 Laser* Tag Badge DS as a first-party supporting badge.

Compatibility: Laser* Tag Badge DS (DEF CON 34)

Source

leaderboard synchronization planned with stated fallback

LoRa and QR score sync

The maker page describes online leaderboard score syncing over LoRa if RF conditions permit, with QR-code encoding of game data as the documented fallback.

Compatibility: Laser* Tag Badge DS (DEF CON 34)

Source

Operational history

Issues & Camp Impact

LoRa score-sync reliability caveat note

The maker page says LoRa leaderboard syncing depends on RF conditions and may fail to reach planned base stations in a crowded ISM-band environment, with QR codes as the stated fallback. It also describes IR-play limitations from venue lighting and reflections.

The record does not present LoRa connectivity, leaderboard coverage, or all-vs-all IR play as guaranteed DEF CON 34 behavior.

Confidence: official maker documentation
Status: conditional design
Timeframe: pre-event source pass
Source note: Dani Weidman official Laser* Tag Badge DS maker page.

badge firmware and design archive gap note

OpenLASIR is a public MIT-licensed compatibility protocol with examples, but reviewed sources do not publish complete final DS firmware, a badge-specific flashing workflow, schematic, PCB files, Gerbers, BOM, electrical design details, or a complete badge firmware license.

The catalogue can distinguish documented interoperability and game intentions from unverified full-badge implementation or reproducible-build claims.

Confidence: official maker page and public protocol repository
Status: needs final badge archive
Timeframe: pre-event source pass
Source note: OpenLASIR repository and Dani Weidman official maker page.

missing rights-cleared image note

No Laser* Tag Badge DS image is published because the maker page, public pre-event update, and protocol repository do not pair a specific badge image with source URL, reusable license or explicit permission basis, attribution, and processing notes.

The current United States record remains source-backed and image-free rather than copying maker-site images, Reddit images, repository previews, screenshots, placeholders, or generated approximations.

Confidence: local project policy
Status: needs licensed original replacement
Timeframe: current catalogue build
Source note: badge.gallery image policy and reviewed Laser* Tag Badge DS sources.

pre-event assembly and fulfillment boundary note

The maker page calls the project a 2026 DEF CON 34 version and warns that production might not finish in time. A public late-July update says boards are in hand and final assembly/flashing is more than halfway complete, but no completed run, attendee delivery, quantity, or final fulfillment report is public.

The catalogue records a currently evidenced independent project and announced pickup path, not a confirmed delivered run, attendance-wide issue, final recipient count, or post-event game outcome.

Confidence: maker page and public assembly update
Status: awaiting DEF CON 34 outcome
Timeframe: pre-event as of 2026-08-03
Source note: Dani Weidman official maker page and public late-July assembly update.

Resources

Laser* Tag Badge DS official maker page official maker page · Dani Weidman's project page for the 2026 DEF CON 34 Laser* Tag Badge DS. It documents the planned hardware, IR game, conditional LoRa/QR scoring model, pickup context, production caveats, and named project help. Its images are evidence only, not a reuse license. Laser* Tag Badge public assembly update public pre-event assembly update · Public late-July DEF CON community update saying boards are in hand and final assembly/flashing is underway, with announced DEF CON-week pickup points and a LoRa-or-QR scoring fallback. The post image does not establish reusable image rights. OpenLASIR repository public interoperability protocol repository · Dani Weidman's MIT-licensed public OpenLASIR repository for a NEC-inspired 38 kHz IR protocol with 32-bit frames plus MicroPython and Arduino/C++ examples. It identifies Laser* Tag Badge DS as a first-party supporting 2026 badge, but is not a complete DS firmware or hardware-design archive.

Sources

Dani Weidman: Laser* Tag Badge DS Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary maker source for the 2026 DEF CON 34 DS project, including the RP2350-Zero platform, IR components, conditional 915 MHz LoRa radio, displays, LEDs, controls, 18650 battery, SAO-port limitation, game rules, pickup plans, and production/RF caveats. It does not provide reusable image permission. GitHub / danielweidman: OpenLASIR Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary public protocol source with an MIT license, NEC-inspired 38 kHz carrier and 32-bit framing documentation, MicroPython and Arduino/C++ examples, and a first-party reference to the 2026 Laser* Tag Badge DS. It does not establish a complete badge firmware, badge PCB archive, or final production build. Reddit / r/Defcon public post: Laser* Tag Badge updates / final preorders Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Public late-July pre-event update corroborating that boards had arrived and final assembly and flashing were underway, plus announced pickup and LoRa/QR-score-sync context. It is used conservatively as a production-status update, not as a final fulfillment report or reusable-image license.