seeess at DEF CON 33 · United States · 2025

seeess DC33 Tipsy Badge

RP2040 galvanic-vestibular badgelife badge

The Tipsy Badge was an independent DEF CON 33 electronic badge by seeess, sold at the Hacker Warehouse vendor booth, with public CC BY-NC 4.0 repository documentation, firmware, a badge photo, 2xAAA power, RP2040 control, TFT display, buttons, LEDs, SAO port, custom photo storage, and galvanic vestibular stimulation modes.

seeess DEF CON DEF CON 33 Badgelife Unofficial Badge RP2040 Raspberry Pi Pico Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation TFT SAO Arduino North America

Eventseeess at DEF CON 33

Seriesseeess Badges

LocationLas Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Hacker Warehouse Vendor Booth

CountryUnited States

Image Provenance

Asset: optimized WebP from repository photo
Status: licensed original photo
Source: assets/tipsy.readme.png
License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
Attribution: seeess / Defcon-Tipsy-33-Badge repository contributors
Notes: Original 1600x727 upstream repository badge photo downloaded through the GitHub contents API from `assets/tipsy.readme.png` and preserved locally as `Public/images/source/seeess-dc33-tipsy-badge-github-photo-cc-by-nc-4.png`; the repository LICENSE and firmware header state CC BY-NC 4.0 terms. This is a real repository badge photo embedded in the README, not generated content, a placeholder, a social-media copy, or a screenshot. 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

DEF CON 33 sales booth

Hacker Warehouse

The README says the badge was sold at the Hacker Warehouse Vendor Booth during DEF CON 33.

Source

badge creator, repository publisher, and image licensor

seeess

The repository and forum announcement identify seeess with the Tipsy Badge, and the repository license provides the CC BY-NC 4.0 basis for the selected badge image.

Source

firmware co-author

G-19fffaf5943a20b2baddfb5a106d881f0058128a

The tipsy.ino source header lists G-19fffaf5943a20b2baddfb5a106d881f0058128a and seeess as authors.

Source

Why It Mattered

It adds a source-backed DEF CON 33 hallway badge that is not just another LED/game board: the artifact documents an unusual vestibular-stimulation experiment, careful public safety warnings, firmware source, mass-storage photo workflows, and an explicit nonprofit donation story around Tor.

Hardware

The README documents a Raspberry Pi Pico / RP2040-class controller with 2 MB flash split between code and file storage, two AAA batteries, USB-C, 1.77 inch 160x128 RGB565 TFT display, one 1.69bis SAO port, six menu/game buttons, charlieplexed orange LEDs, red and green status LEDs, DAC-controlled pad drive, current and voltage monitoring, 3.5 mm electrode lead, conductive pads, elastic head band, lube, custom dye-sub lanyard, spare batteries, and battery clip. The firmware header maps pins for screen SPI, H-bridge/GVS power, buttons, DAC bits, current sensing, pad voltage, VBUS detection, and battery/VSYS monitoring.

Software & Apps

The public Arduino firmware is CC BY-NC 4.0 and built for Earle Philhower's RP2040 core with Adafruit GFX and ST7735/ST7789 libraries. The README describes calibration, steering, wobble, Stroop-effect color-game, bling/photo, and custom name-scroll style behavior, while the badge exposes a USB mass-storage partition for TGA photo assets copied into `blingpic/` after flashing.

Lore

The repository announcement says the badge was sold at the Hacker Warehouse booth during DEF CON 33 and that half of profits went to Tor. The public documentation repeatedly warns that the device is experimental, not a medical device, not for children, should be used while seated and away from hazards, should not be used in zap modes while USB is connected, and should be controlled by the person wearing the electrodes.

Lifecycle

Add-ons & Upgrades

add-on and physical kit source-backed

1.69bis SAO port and lanyard kit

The hardware list includes one 1.69bis SAO port plus conductive pads, 3.5 mm lead, elastic band, lube, custom lanyard, spare batteries, and battery clip.

Compatibility: Tipsy Badge physical kit

Source

badge game documented

Stroop-effect color game

The README describes a Stroop-effect color game where positive or negative shock reinforcement can be configured before play.

Compatibility: Tipsy Badge game firmware

Source

distribution and funding source-backed

Hacker Warehouse DEF CON 33 sale and Tor donation

The README says the badge was sold at the Hacker Warehouse vendor booth during DEF CON 33 and that half of profits went to the Tor project.

Compatibility: DEF CON 33 vendor release

Source

firmware workflow documented

Arduino RP2040 flashing path

The repository guide documents Earle Philhower RP2040 board-manager setup, required Adafruit libraries, 2 MB sketch/filesystem partitioning, upload, and copying data files after first boot.

Compatibility: Tipsy Badge firmware

Source

hardware platform source-backed

RP2040 galvanic vestibular badge core

The README and firmware document a Raspberry Pi Pico / RP2040-class badge with two AAA batteries, TFT display, buttons, LEDs, DAC drive, current/voltage monitoring, and electrode output hardware.

Compatibility: seeess DC33 Tipsy Badge

Source

media storage documented

USB mass-storage TGA photo workflow

The badge splits flash into code and filesystem partitions and exposes a USB mass-storage volume where users copy 128x160 TGA images into `blingpic/` for display on the badge.

Compatibility: Tipsy Badge bling/photo mode

Source

stimulation firmware mode documented with safety caveats

Calibration, steering, and wobble modes

The badge manual documents calibration plus steering and wobble modes that affect perceived left/right balance through conductive electrode pads.

Compatibility: Tipsy Badge zap modes

Source

Operational history

Issues & Camp Impact

community-badge classification note

Public sources tie the badge to DEF CON 33 and the Hacker Warehouse vendor booth, but do not describe it as the official DEF CON admission badge or an official DEF CON village badge.

The catalogue treats the Tipsy Badge as an independent DEF CON 33 badgelife release while keeping the official DEF CON 33 badge record separate.

Confidence: primary README and forum
Status: documented
Timeframe: DEF CON 33
Source note: Tipsy Badge README and DEF CON forum announcement.

image provenance note

The Tipsy visual uses the repository README's exact `assets/tipsy.readme.png` badge photo under the repository CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

The record has a real source image, attribution, license basis, retained local source original, and optimized WebP delivery file rather than generated, placeholder, social-media, or screenshot imagery.

Confidence: repository license and exact source image
Status: licensed original repository photo applied
Timeframe: current catalogue build
Source note: seeess/Defcon-Tipsy-33-Badge README, LICENSE, and assets/tipsy.readme.png.

noncommercial-license caveat note

The repository license is Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0, and the firmware header asks commercial users to seek permission.

The catalogue can publish the selected image as a credited noncommercial reference asset, but downstream reuse should preserve the noncommercial restriction and attribution.

Confidence: visible repository license
Status: documented
Timeframe: current catalogue build
Source note: Tipsy Badge LICENSE and tipsy.ino header.

safety and medical caveat warning

The README says the badge is experimental, not a medical device, not intended for children, and may affect balance, coordination, or perception.

The catalogue records the device as an event artifact and badgelife experiment, not as a safe consumer medical or therapeutic device.

Confidence: primary README
Status: documented
Timeframe: badge operation
Source note: Tipsy Badge README disclaimer and safety sections.

zap-mode operation caveat warning

The public documentation says the first attempt should be seated and away from stairs or hard surfaces, the person wearing electrodes should control the zap button, and zap modes should run on batteries rather than USB power.

User-facing wording preserves the practical safety boundary around operating surviving badges or reproductions.

Confidence: primary README and firmware
Status: documented
Timeframe: badge operation
Source note: Tipsy Badge README Safe Use Conditions and Safety sections.

Resources

Arduino IDE getting-started guide flashing guide · Repository guide for RP2040 board-manager setup, required Adafruit libraries, partitioning, flashing, and copying badge data files onto the mass-storage volume. Tipsy Badge README badge manual · Primary documentation source for DEF CON 33 sales context, Tor profit donation note, safety disclaimer, hardware list, modes, calibration, photo workflow, and flashing guidance. Tipsy Badge license license · Repository license source for Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International terms used for local image and source provenance. Tipsy Electronic Badge DEF CON forum announcement forum announcement · DEF CON forum announcement tying seeess's Tipsy Electronic Badge to DEF CON 33 and pointing readers to the public manual, code, and open-source files. seeess/Defcon-Tipsy-33-Badge badge repository · Public repository for the Tipsy Badge README, firmware, source image, data assets, STL files, and CC BY-NC 4.0 license. tipsy.ino firmware source · Arduino firmware source for RP2040 pin mapping, menu modes, zap modes, USB warning behavior, display handling, storage behavior, and CC BY-NC 4.0 source header. tipsy.readme.png source image · Exact repository badge photo used as the local source original and optimized WebP delivery image under the repository CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

Sources

DEF CON Forums / seeess: Tipsy Electronic Badge for DEF CON 33 by seeess Retrieved 2026-05-15 · First-hand forum announcement source for the Tipsy Electronic Badge, DEF CON 33 context, code/manual/open-source-file links, and brief buttons/LEDs/SAO feature framing. GitHub / seeess: Defcon 33 Tipsy Badge Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary badge manual source for Hacker Warehouse sales context, Tor profit donation note, safety disclaimer, hardware list, calibration, steering, wobble, color-game, photo, flashing, and user-operation details. GitHub / seeess: seeess/Defcon-Tipsy-33-Badge Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Repository source for public files, firmware tree, data assets, STL hardware accessories, source image, repository metadata, and visible CC BY-NC 4.0 license context. GitHub / seeess: tipsy.ino Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Firmware source for authorship, CC BY-NC 4.0 source header, RP2040 pin mapping, modes, display behavior, current measurement, USB warning behavior, file-storage support, and button handling. GitHub / seeess: LICENSE Retrieved 2026-05-15 · License source for Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International terms; used as the visible reusable image/source permission basis for the selected upstream repository photo.