Hacker Con Badges

BSides Ballarat

BSides Ballarat 2026

The February 28-March 1, 2026 regional Victorian BSides edition whose public event page documents the Underground interactive ESP32 conference badge, SAO support, and limited BSides SAO add-on.

Emerging Technologies Hub, Central Ballarat, Victoria · Australia · 2026

BSides Ballarat 2026 Underground Badge

BSides Ballarat 2026's public event page documents an Underground interactive conference badge designed and produced by Firnsy at Ballarat Hackerspace, with ESP32 processing, a screen, controls, badge-to-badge communication, SAO support, and a limited BSides SAO add-on; a public maker writeup also documents a third-party WS2812B Simple Add-On for the badge. In a March 2026 post-event update, an organizer reported that the conference badge contained 20 puzzles and that its full source code had been released.

Lifecycle

Add-ons & Upgrades

BSides Ballarat 2026 Underground Badge organizer-reported

post-event badge challenge

20 badge puzzles and stated source release

A March 24 post-event update by Dr Paul Black says the conference badge had 20 puzzles to solve and that full source code was released. The post directs readers through a short link whose final archive target was not independently recovered in this pass.

Compatibility: BSides Ballarat 2026 Underground Badge

BSides Ballarat 2026 Underground Badge source-backed

third-party SAO add-on

WS2812B pass-through SAO

A maker writeup documents a simple BSides Ballarat 2026 SAO board with a six-pin pass-through connector and a WS2812B addressable RGB LED driven from pin 5.

Compatibility: BSides Ballarat 2026 Underground Badge

Operational history

Issues & Camp Impact

BSides Ballarat 2026 Underground Badge note

source-code archive gap · organizer-reported release but archive unrecovered · needs public canonical source-archive link

The official event page documents the Underground badge's ESP32, screen, controls, badge-to-badge communication, SAO support, and CTF framing, and a maker writeup documents a WS2812B SAO board. A March 24 organizer post says the 20-puzzle conference badge received a full source-code release, but it routes through an unresolved LinkedIn short link; this pass therefore did not independently recover or inspect firmware, schematic, PCB, BOM, radio protocol, or production files for the main badge.

The record captures the post-event challenge and stated-release evidence while avoiding unsupported chip pinout, firmware, radio, protocol, software-license, or shipped-behavior claims until the canonical archive is retrieved.

Resources

SAO BSides Ballarat 2026 SAO maker writeup · dmoges writeup documenting a BSides Ballarat 2026 SAO made for the badge ecosystem, including six-pin SAO basics, pass-through connector design, WS2812B addressable RGB LED choice, KiCad schematic/design context, PCBWay production, and first-board testing. Eurekative ctf developer reference · Organization credited on the BSides Ballarat page, alongside volunteers, for developing the conference CTF tied to the Underground badge fiction. BSides Ballarat 2026 CTF and conference badge event and badge page · Official event page documenting the February 28-March 1, 2026 Central Ballarat event, Underground interactive ESP32 badge, screen, controls, badge-to-badge communication, SAO support, limited BSides SAO, and CTF story. Ballarat Hackerspace maker-space reference · Local hackerspace credited by the event page as the production context for Firnsy's badge work and beneficiary of limited SAO proceeds. BSides Ballarat 2026 post-event CTF results post-event organizer update · March 24, 2026 first-hand organizer update confirming the CTF results and reporting that the conference badge had 20 puzzles and a full source-code release; the post's LinkedIn short-link target was not independently recovered in this pass.

Sources

BSides Ballarat: BSides Ballarat 2026 Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary source for the February 28-March 1, 2026 date range, Emerging Technologies Hub venue, Underground interactive ESP32 badge, badge-to-badge communication, screen, controls, SAO support, limited BSides SAO, Firnsy/Ballarat Hackerspace credit, and Eurekative/volunteer CTF credit. Ballarat Hackerspace: Ballarat Hackerspace Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Credited maker-space reference for the local hackerspace tied to badge production and SAO support context. Dr Paul Black: BSides Ballarat 2026 CTF results Retrieved 2026-05-15 · March 24, 2026 first-hand post-event update reporting final CTF results, more than 10 teams, five CTF challenges, 20 conference-badge puzzles, and a stated full source-code release. Its LinkedIn short link does not expose a canonical source archive in this pass. Eurekative: Eurekative Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Credited CTF developer reference for the Underground badge story and challenge context. dmoges: SAO BSides Ballarat 2026 Retrieved 2026-05-15 · First-hand maker source for a BSides Ballarat 2026 Simple Add-On built for the badge ecosystem, covering the six-pin SAO interface, WS2812B LED design, pass-through connector, KiCad and PCBWay workflow, Firnsy design review, and prototype-board completion.