DCZia

DCZia MK9 Badge at DEF CON 34

The independent 2026 DCZia MK9 BadgeLife release for DEF CON 34. Its public source repository calls it a neck-wearable mechanical macropad badge for DEF CON and preserves the KiCad and CircuitPython material; a public August 2 announcement describes Friday and Saturday BadgeLife pickup. The event remains pre-event at this catalogue update and is not an official DEF CON admission-badge programme.

Las Vegas Convention Center and DEF CON BadgeLife pickup context, Las Vegas, Nevada · United States · 2026

DCZia MK9 Badge (DEF CON 34)

DCZia's MK9 is a public-source 3×3 mechanical macropad intended as a neck-wearable DEF CON 34 BadgeLife project. Project documentation specifies nine MX switches, RGB per-key and edge lighting, an accelerometer, two 6-pin SAO connectors, USB-C or three-AAA power, CircuitPython firmware, and QMK-compatible hardware. During the August 6-9 conference the repository gained a purchaser-facing build guide saying the badge is pre-flashed with firmware, six build photos, and an August 4 UF2 commit describing the image as released on badges. This is a maker-documented independent badge release, not an official DEF CON admission credential.

Lifecycle

Add-ons & Upgrades

DCZia MK9 Badge (DEF CON 34) publicly documented / announced add-on plan

badge expansion

SAO and planned add-on expansion

The board documents two standard six-pin SAO connectors with I2C and GPIO access. A public launch announcement separately says a planned add-on board can expose three more keys or an I2C display; final add-on distribution remains unconfirmed.

Compatibility: DCZia MK9 Badge (DEF CON 34)

DCZia MK9 Badge (DEF CON 34) maker-documented during the event

delivery-facing maker documentation

Pre-flashed delivery firmware and build guide

The August 7, 2026 build guide, committed during DEF CON 34, addresses purchasers directly, states each badge is pre-flashed with firmware and should be good to go, identifies the shipped Gateron Blue switches, and documents assembly and key functions. It evidences maker-documented delivered units without a production count, recipient ledger, or sale-channel record.

Compatibility: DCZia MK9 Badge (DEF CON 34)

DCZia MK9 Badge (DEF CON 34) publicly documented

firmware workflow

CircuitPython flashing and customization

The project documents BOOTSEL entry, a CircuitPython UF2 copied to `RPI-RP2`, library and Python-file copy steps, and source-level paths for remapping keys, patterns, colours, and states. The August 4 UF2 commit describes its image as released on badges, and the during-event build guide says shipped badges are pre-flashed, making manual flashing an update path rather than a first-use requirement.

Compatibility: DCZia MK9 Badge (DEF CON 34)

DCZia MK9 Badge (DEF CON 34) publicly documented

input and host interface

Mechanical macropad and USB HID

The MK9 is a nine-switch 3×3 mechanical macropad with N-key-rollover USB HID output; the published badge mode maps it as a numpad when connected to a host.

Compatibility: DCZia MK9 Badge (DEF CON 34)

DCZia MK9 Badge (DEF CON 34) publicly documented

interactive lighting

RGB and accelerometer interaction

The public firmware documentation describes nine per-key WS2812B LEDs and six SK6812 edge LEDs, plus tilt-reactive colour changes, shake-to-cycle patterns, and per-key ripple effects using an MSA301-compatible accelerometer.

Compatibility: DCZia MK9 Badge (DEF CON 34)

Operational history

Issues & Camp Impact

DCZia MK9 Badge (DEF CON 34) note

QMK and final configuration boundary · public project documentation · partially documented

The project says the hardware is QMK-compatible but says QMK setup instructions will be posted separately, and the September 25 recheck found none. The same week the README's software section was relabelled MicroPython while the firmware README continues to document CircuitPython, and the reviewed sources do not establish the exact recipient population or completed three-key/I2C add-on distribution.

The record distinguishes current CircuitPython documentation and documented hardware capability from an asserted shipping QMK configuration or final delivery configuration, and flags the firmware-label contradiction instead of resolving it.

DCZia MK9 Badge (DEF CON 34) note

missing rights-cleared image · local project policy · needs licensed original replacement

No DCZia MK9 image is published because the public repository, source documentation, and launch announcement do not pair a specific badge image with source URL, reusable license or explicit permission basis, attribution, and processing notes. The August 7 badge_build_photos set is maker-published documentary material under a repository with no detected license, so it stays unpublished.

The United States entry remains source-backed and image-free rather than copying repository files, Reddit media, store media, screenshots, placeholders, or generated approximations.

DCZia MK9 Badge (DEF CON 34) note

release and fulfillment boundary · public project source and during-event build guide · maker-documented release; production count and recipient ledger absent

The August 7 build guide addresses purchasers and says badges ship pre-flashed, and the August 4 UF2 commit describes the image as released on badges, so the release is maker-documented. The reviewed sources still provide no production count, recipient list, sale-channel or giveaway record, or completed distribution report, and the planned add-on board's distribution remains unconfirmed.

The catalogue records a maker-documented independent badge release, not a verified run size, universal attendee issue, or official DEF CON distribution.

DCZia MK9 Badge (DEF CON 34) note

source license and reuse gap · public repository inspection · needs explicit license statement

DCZia publicly describes the design files and firmware as available and the repository exposes KiCad, BOM, fabrication, CircuitPython, and UF2 material, but the reviewed repository root and the September 25 GitHub metadata recheck still expose no explicit software, hardware, or image-reuse license, release, or tag.

The record may describe the publicly visible technical material but does not treat availability as a license to redistribute source, hardware, firmware, or images.

Resources

MK9 firmware README firmware and flashing documentation · Public CircuitPython documentation covering the RP2040 pinout, key matrix, LEDs, MSA301-compatible accelerometer, SAO buses, state-machine behavior, USB HID numpad mapping, libraries, and BOOTSEL/UF2 update workflow. An August 7 commit relabelled the root README's software section as MicroPython while this firmware README continues to document CircuitPython; the contradiction is preserved, not resolved. MK9 build guide maker build and assembly documentation · August 7, 2026 purchaser-facing build guide committed during DEF CON 34. It thanks purchasers of the 2026 DCZia MK9 badge, identifies Gateron Blue switches, documents switch soldering and battery or USB-C power wiring, states the badge is pre-flashed with firmware and should be good to go, describes key functions, and treats manual BOOTSEL UF2 flashing as optional for updates. DCZia MK9 Badge repository public hardware and firmware repository · Public DCZia source tree titled `dczia's defcon 34 badge for 2026`. Its README documents the 3×3 mechanical macropad, hardware/features, CircuitPython/QMK direction, KiCad/BOM/fabrication material, and update path, and its August 4-7, 2026 commits added the released-on-badges UF2, a build guide, six build photos, and revised flashing instructions. Public repository images are evidence only, not a reuse license. DCZia MK9 public launch announcement public pre-event announcement · Public August 2 announcement identifying the 2026 DCZia MK9, tying it to DEF CON 34, summarizing the hardware and public source trail, and announcing planned Friday/Saturday BadgeLife pickup. Its animated/post image does not establish reusable image rights. MK9 released UF2 directory released firmware image · Repository uf2/ tree added by the August 4, 2026 commit whose message says the image is as released on badges. The repository publishes no GitHub release, tag, or license, so the tree documents the released firmware image without redistribution terms.

Sources

GitHub / dczia: Adding UF2 as released on badges Retrieved 2026-09-25 · August 4, 2026 commit adding the uf2/ tree whose message describes the image as released on badges. The maker wording evidences a released firmware image on delivered badges without a count, date-stamped delivery ledger, or license. GitHub / dczia: MK9 Badge — Firmware Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary public firmware source for the CircuitPython 8+ state machine, 3×3 key matrix pinout, 15 NeoPixels, MSA301-compatible accelerometer, SAO I2C/GPIO, visual behavior, USB HID numpad mapping, required libraries, and BOOTSEL/UF2 flash steps. GitHub / dczia: MK9 build guide Retrieved 2026-09-25 · Primary during-event delivery-facing source: the August 7, 2026 build guide addresses purchasers of the 2026 DCZia MK9 badge, states each badge is pre-flashed with firmware, identifies Gateron Blue switches, documents assembly and key functions, and reserves manual flashing for updates. It does not state a production count, allocation, sale channel, or recipient record. GitHub / dczia: Revise badge installation and flashing instructions Retrieved 2026-09-25 · August 7, 2026 commit that added the manual flashing section and clarified the badge is pre-flashed with firmware, together with the same-day buildguide.md creation and photo additions. It documents the final published flashing workflow, not a per-unit verification. GitHub / dczia: dczia/mk9-badge Retrieved 2026-09-25 · Primary public project source that calls the MK9 a DEF CON 34 2026 badge and documents the mechanical macropad form, nine switches, WS2812B and SK6812 LEDs, RP2040, accelerometer, SAO connectors, USB-C/AAA power, CircuitPython, QMK-compatible hardware, KiCad design files, BOM, fabrication outputs, and update path. The September 25 recheck found the August 4-7, 2026 during-event commits and still no explicit repository license, GitHub release, or tag. Reddit / r/Defcon public post: DCZia Mk9 Badge Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Public August 2 pre-event announcement tying the 2026 MK9 to DEF CON 34 and planned BadgeLife pickup. It corroborates the launch context and a planned add-on, but is not used as final fulfillment proof or as an image-reuse license.