Gordon Williams
The Espruino event page and Hackaday article connect the badge to Gordon Williams' Espruino/Puck.js lineage.
SourceNodeConf EU 2017 · Ireland · 2017
NodeConf EU 2017 Badge
JavaScript hackable BLE badge
An open-source hackable JavaScript badge for NodeConf EU 2017 in Kilkenny, built by NearForm around Gordon Williams' Espruino/Puck.js lineage with BLE, LCD, NFC, buttons, CR2032 power, attendee-name programming, code examples, and challenge behavior.
EventNodeConf EU 2017
SeriesNodeConf EU
LocationKilkenny
CountryIreland
Image Provenance
- Asset
- optimized WebP from official upstream repository raster render
- Status
- licensed official upstream raster render
- Source
- img/nceubadge.png
- License
- Apache License 2.0
- Attribution
- NearForm / nceubadge repository contributors
- Notes
- Original 667x731 PNG board-layout raster downloaded from the official NearForm nceubadge repository and preserved in Public/images/source. The published WebP delivery asset is metadata-stripped and otherwise kept as the official upstream repository raster embedded by the README, not a generated image, placeholder, article screenshot, or synthetic approximation. 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
NearForm
The public repository is under NearForm's GitHub organization and preserves the NodeConf EU 2017 badge project.
SourceNodeConf EU
Event represented by the Kilkenny 2017 badge record.
SourceBrian Benchoff
Author of the Hackaday article used for secondary technical and event-challenge detail.
SourceWhy It Mattered
It adds Ireland and the JavaScript community to the European badge map, showing that hackable conference badges had moved beyond security-only events into developer conferences with open hardware and firmware.
Hardware
The archived NearForm repository and hardware README document an open-source hardware project with Eagle CAD schematics and board files, firmware.hex, PDF schematic/board exports, an MDBT42Q Bluetooth module using Nordic nRF52832, and an MCCOG128064B12W-SPR LCD. Hackaday corroborates BLE, CR2032 low-power design, high-contrast LCD, buttons, NFC, prototyping area, and a hexagonal Node.js-logo-like PCB.
Software & Apps
The repository preserves JavaScript examples and badge applications including menu, REPL, Asteroids, Flappy Bird, Snake, Mario, T-Rex, sketch, image display, and name-generation tooling. Hackaday reports that documentation helped attendees write code, work through challenges, and enter hacked badges in a Grand Challenge.
Lore
Hackaday describes NodeConf EU as a key European Node.js event and says the badge was programmed with attendee names while deeper behavior was unlocked through a Konami-code sequence. Espruino's event list places NodeConf EU 2017 in Kilkenny from November 5 to 8 with custom badges.
Lifecycle
Add-ons & Upgrades
event challenge
reported
Grand Challenge and Konami unlock
Hackaday reports a Konami-code sequence, hidden behavior, and a Grand Challenge for hacked badges during the event.
Source
hardware files
source-backed
Open hardware Eagle archive
The repository hardware directory exposes Eagle schematic and board files plus exported PDFs for the badge design.
Source
radio and interaction
source-backed
BLE and NFC interaction surface
Hackaday reports BLE and NFC alongside the low-power badge design, while the hardware archive identifies the nRF52832-based MDBT42Q module.
Source
software examples
source-backed
On-badge games and code examples
The repository includes apps and examples such as menu, REPL, Asteroids, Flappy Bird, Snake, Mario, T-Rex, sketch, and image-display code.
Source
software platform
source-backed
Espruino/Puck.js JavaScript runtime
The public source trail ties the badge to the Espruino/Puck.js JavaScript runtime lineage for attendee-programmable behavior.
SourceOperational history
Issues & Camp Impact
archive split
note
Badge facts are split across the NearForm repository, hardware directory, NodeBadge app page, Espruino event note, and Hackaday report.
The dossier separates hardware, software, event, and challenge claims by source instead of treating one page as a complete archive.
- Confidence
- current source trail
- Status
- documented
- Timeframe
- post-event archive
- Source note
- NearForm GitHub repository, nodebadge.org, Espruino, and Hackaday.
component-source mix
note
Exact module and LCD identifiers come from the hardware archive, while user-facing behavior such as CR2032, NFC, challenge, and unlock details are drawn from Hackaday's technical report.
The page avoids extrapolating a complete BOM, shipped firmware history, or production quantity beyond the recovered sources.
- Confidence
- primary repo plus secondary article
- Status
- documented
- Timeframe
- current catalogue build
- Source note
- NearForm hardware README and Hackaday article.
developer-conference scope
note
NodeConf EU is a Node.js developer conference rather than a security-only hacker event, but the badge itself is a public open-hardware, attendee-programmable artifact.
The record is included because the artifact matches the hackable conference badge scope, while the event classification stays explicit.
- Confidence
- event and project sources
- Status
- documented
- Timeframe
- 2017 edition
- Source note
- Espruino event note, NearForm repository, and Hackaday writeup.
image provenance upgrade
note
The NodeConf EU 2017 visual uses the official NearForm repository `img/nceubadge.png` board-layout raster under the repository Apache-2.0 license.
The public badge page, image archive, and API point at an exact upstream raster source with source URL, license, attribution, and processing notes while avoiding generated, placeholder, article, or uncleared imagery.
- Confidence
- project image provenance and repository license
- Status
- licensed official upstream raster render applied
- Timeframe
- current catalogue build
- Source note
- nearform/nceubadge README, img/nceubadge.png, LICENSE, and badge.gallery image policy.
Resources
Espruino NodeConf EU 2017 note
project event note · Espruino event note placing NodeConf EU 2017 in Kilkenny on November 5-8 and identifying it as a custom-badge deployment.
Hackaday NodeConf EU 2017 badge report
technical article · Secondary technical writeup describing the Puck.js/Espruino lineage, BLE, CR2032, LCD, buttons, NFC, prototyping area, attendee-name programming, Konami-code behavior, and challenge context.
NodeBadge web app
badge app · Public NodeBadge app endpoint associated with the badge tooling and attendee-facing JavaScript badge workflow.
NodeConf EU 2017 badge raster
image source · Official repository PNG board-layout raster embedded by the README as the badge board image and used as the rights-cleared upstream render source for the local WebP delivery asset.
NodeConf EU 2017 badge repository
source repository · NearForm public repository preserving the open-source badge project, apps, hardware directory, firmware image, JSON/name tooling, tests, and examples.
NodeConf EU 2017 hardware archive
hardware archive · Hardware directory documenting Eagle CAD board and schematic files, PDF board/schematic exports, firmware.hex, the MDBT42Q nRF52832 module, and MCCOG128064B12W-SPR LCD.
NodeConf EU 2017 repository license
license · Apache License 2.0 text for the NearForm nceubadge repository, used as the image reuse basis for the official upstream raster render.
Sources
Espruino: NodeConf EU 2017
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Project-owner ecosystem source for the November 5-8, 2017 Kilkenny event context and custom-badge deployment.
Hackaday: Badging Around: NodeConf EU 2017
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Credible secondary technical source for BLE, CR2032 power, LCD, buttons, NFC, prototyping area, attendee-name programming, Konami-code unlock, and Grand Challenge behavior.
NearForm / GitHub: nearform/nceubadge
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary source for the open-source badge repository, JavaScript apps, firmware image, example code, attendee-name tooling, tests, and project structure.
NearForm / GitHub: nceubadge hardware
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary source for Eagle design files, exported schematic and board PDFs, firmware.hex, MDBT42Q/nRF52832 module, and MCCOG128064B12W-SPR LCD details.
NearForm / GitHub: img/nceubadge.png
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official upstream repository PNG board-layout raster embedded by the README as the board image; used only for image provenance under the repository Apache-2.0 license.
NearForm / GitHub: nceubadge LICENSE
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Apache-2.0 repository license source used to document the reuse basis for the official upstream badge raster render.
NodeBadge: NodeBadge
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Public badge-webapp source used to corroborate the attendee-facing NodeConf badge tooling surface.