DEF CON 34 · United States · 2026
Pre-event independent BLE number-station puzzle badge for DEF CON 34
Station 562 is a source-conservative independent DEF CON 34 badge record from its public maker announcement. The project owner describes a proximity-controlled badge with a BLE number-station puzzle, red-versus-blue proximity game, autonomous social/dance mode, expressive BLE MIDI instrument, tamper-evident mode, Setup menu, and optional hardware CTF. In follow-up comments, the maker reports about 55 units made so far, signed firmware with a distinct key pair per badge, a constrained giveaway/sale plan, and RGB blank boards that omit the OLED, LiPo, and ESP32 module. No public repository, schematic, firmware release, final availability ledger, or reusable-image permission was recovered.
People
The public Reddit account publishes the Station 562 project announcement and responds in the first person about its firmware, build snapshot, and planned availability. This preserves a source-attributed maker credit without inferring legal identity, final engineering ownership, manufacturing responsibility, DEF CON organizational status, or image-reuse authority.
SourceIt captures a newly disclosed, maker-owned DEF CON 34 BadgeLife project while preserving the unusually important boundary between a direct project announcement and a technical release. The record can trace the stated BLE interaction and signed-firmware claims without inferring a radio design, key-management model, board configuration, completed distribution, or official DEF CON role.
The maker says RGB blank boards have their SMD parts installed but omit an OLED, LiPo, and ESP32 module; this supports only those named intended full-RGB-variant components. No source identifies an ESP32 family or module, OLED driver, LiPo capacity/chemistry/protection, battery connector, charge circuit, LEDs, sensors, buttons, enclosure, RF antenna, PCB revision, dimensions, schematic, BOM, Gerbers, assembly method, electrical budget, safety guidance, or final hardware configuration.
The project owner describes BLE number-station, proximity-game, social/dance, MIDI-instrument, tamper-evident, Setup-menu, and optional hardware-CTF surfaces. The same maker says firmware is signed and each badge has its own key pair. No public source provides firmware source or binary, cryptographic algorithm, key-generation/storage/rotation policy, protocol, BLE service definitions, puzzle content, MIDI mapping, CTF materials, build/flash workflow, update/recovery path, software license, privacy policy, or security review.
The project is inspired by number stations and framed by its maker as a SIGINT puzzle. The maker says a few badges may go to the first roughly five people to solve the signal-intel puzzle, most RGB units are already accounted for, a few non-RGB units may be offered at cost, and some RGB blank boards may be given away. These are maker-stated pre-event plans and snapshots, not a final unit count, sales ledger, pickup confirmation, event authorization, DEF CON organizer affiliation, admission benefit, or completed handoff.
Lifecycle
The project owner says the firmware is signed and each badge has its own key pair. No public material identifies the signature/key algorithm, trust anchor, key generation/storage/backup/rotation/revocation model, hardware security boundary, verification path, source, binary, build provenance, update procedure, or external review.
SourceThe maker describes a BLE number-station puzzle, red-versus-blue proximity game, autonomous social/dance mode, expressive BLE MIDI instrument, tamper-evident mode, Setup menu, and optional hardware CTF. The source does not describe BLE services, radio range, pairing, player/account data, game protocol, MIDI mapping, tamper condition, CTF rules, security controls, or final behavior.
SourceThe maker says about 55 badges had been made with roughly ten boards left, a few may be given to the first roughly five signal-intel puzzle solvers, most or all RGB units are accounted for, a few non-RGB units may be sold at cost, and some RGB blank boards may be given away. These comments do not establish a production ledger, final build count, exact price, payment, eligibility, pickup site/time, receipt, donation, assembly, delivery, support, or post-event outcome.
SourceOperational history
The record does not claim wireless interoperability, participant tracking behavior, a safe game design, data practices, live puzzle availability, or an authorized security-testing target.
The catalogue does not translate a security-oriented maker claim into a cryptographic assurance, vulnerability claim, identity guarantee, or implementation recommendation.
The entry does not turn an availability comment into a complete BOM, safe battery-use statement, final product configuration, or engineering specification.
The dossier records direct maker claims while withholding a reproducible architecture, complete evidence trail, or independent technical corroboration.
The record remains source-backed and image-free rather than copying Reddit media, previews, screenshots, social posts, placeholders, or generated approximations.
Station 562 is modelled as an independent pre-event BadgeLife project associated with DEF CON 34, not an organizer-issued Human badge, admission item, universal attendee benefit, or confirmed on-floor distribution.