RVAsec 2013 · United States · 2013

RVAsec 2013 Badge

HackRVA electronic badge with LEDs, IR, audio, and USB

The RVAsec 2013 badge was a HackRVA-built electronic conference badge documented by official RVAsec and HackRVA sources, with LEDs, infrared badge-to-badge play, a piezo speaker, USB support, and badge-game behavior tied to conference interaction.

RVAsec HackRVA United States Richmond Electronic Badge Infrared LEDs Piezo USB Badge Game No Image North America

EventRVAsec 2013

SeriesRVAsec

LocationCommonwealth Ballroom at VCU University Commons, Richmond, Virginia

CountryUnited States

People

Authors & Credits

badge team

HackRVA

RVAsec credited HackRVA for the 2013 electronic badge work.

Source

badge-team interview credit

Morgan Stuart

The later RVAsec interview identifies Morgan Stuart as the HackRVA voice explaining the badge lineage.

Source

event host

RVAsec

RVAsec provided the conference context for the 2013 badge.

Source

Why It Mattered

It gives the Richmond RVAsec lineage an earlier source-backed electronic badge record before the later public firmware releases and preserves HackRVA's role in bringing hands-on badge hacking into the local security conference.

Hardware

Public sources document eight LEDs, IR communication, a piezo element, USB behavior, a 3D-printed button, and badge interaction around tap/turn/shake input. Later HackRVA context also notes that some 2013 badges shipped without the accelerometer.

Software & Apps

RVAsec's 2013 update promoted the badge as interactive hardware, while HackRVA's later interview describes firmware that supported badge-to-badge game mechanics, health and zombie status, audio from USB, and infrared play.

Lore

The conference teased the badges as one of the year's surprises, and HackRVA later treated the 2013 badge as part of a first-years learning curve that pushed the team toward more reliable badge hardware.

Lifecycle

Add-ons & Upgrades

badge interaction source-backed

Infrared badge play

Official sources document IR communication and badge-to-badge game behavior in the 2013 badge lineage.

Compatibility: RVAsec 2013 Badge

Source

software feature source-backed

USB audio behavior

HackRVA's later interview describes audio from USB through the badge speaker path.

Compatibility: RVAsec 2013 Badge

Source

Operational history

Issues & Camp Impact

missing rights-cleared image note

The official pages include badge imagery or context, but this pass did not recover a specific 2013 badge image with reusable license or explicit permission, attribution, source URL, and processing notes.

The record remains image-free rather than copying page media or generating an approximation.

Confidence: local project policy
Status: needs licensed original replacement
Timeframe: current catalogue build
Source note: RVAsec and HackRVA source audit.

missing rights-cleared image note

No RVAsec 2013 Badge 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 RVAsec 2013 badge source trail.

retrospective hardware caveat note

The 2014 preview discusses the 2013 badge retrospectively and notes that some 2013 badges lacked accelerometer hardware, so this record keeps input and game claims conservative.

The badge is modeled as a proven electronic badge while exact final per-attendee hardware capability remains caveated.

Confidence: official badge-team interview
Status: documented
Timeframe: RVAsec 2013
Source note: RVAs3c badge preview retrospective comments.

Resources

RVAs3c badge preview retrospective context official badge-team interview · Official RVAsec interview preserving retrospective details about the prior year's badge, including badge-game behavior, audio, USB, and 2013 hardware limitations. RVAsec 2013 registration update official event update · Official RVAsec update documenting the 2013 conference venue/date context and teasing HackRVA electronic badges with LEDs, IR, piezo, and 3D-printed button details.

Sources

RVAsec: RVA5EC 2013 Registration Opens Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official source for 2013 RVAsec event context and the public HackRVA badge teaser. RVAsec / HackRVA: RVAs3c Badge Preview Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official source for retrospective 2013 badge behavior, feature goals, and hardware caveats.