DEF CON

DEF CON 16

The 2008 DEF CON edition whose Joe Grand badge combined SD-card file transfer, infrared exchange, TV-B-Gone behavior, role-color variants, and a hackable Freescale reference platform.

Las Vegas, Nevada · United States · 2008

DEF CON 16 Badge

A DEF CON 16 electronic badge built as a hackable Freescale-based platform with SD-card storage, infrared file transfer, TV-B-Gone behavior, role-color variants, one-button state control, and published source, schematics, and development resources.

Lifecycle

Add-ons & Upgrades

DEF CON 16 Badge historical

badge-to-badge interaction

Infrared SD-card file transfer

The DEF CON 16 badge could transfer attendee-selected files from an SD card to another badge over infrared, creating a PDA-style social exchange mechanic.

Compatibility: DEF CON 16 Badge

DEF CON 16 Badge historical

infrared application

TV-B-Gone fallback mode

If no SD card was inserted, the transmit state used the infrared path for TV-B-Gone-style remote-control power-off behavior.

Compatibility: DEF CON 16 Badge

Operational history

Issues & Camp Impact

DEF CON 16 Badge note

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

No local DEF CON 16 badge photo has been added because the recovered Grand Idea Studio project images are not paired with a visible reusable image license, attribution string, and processing provenance for this catalogue.

The entry remains source-linked and image-free rather than copying project-page, press, or article images without complete rights clearance.

DEF CON 16 Badge note

prototype-photo caveat · secondary press source · documented

Early press coverage warned that preview photos showed a prototype whose production colors, USB/debug headers, and SD-card inclusion differed from final badges.

The catalogue avoids binding the record to a specific public preview photo until an exact production-badge image is cleared.

Resources

Making the DEFCON 16 Badge article · Joe Grand's Nuts & Volts article covering DEF CON 16 design goals, SD-card file transfer, IR, TV-B-Gone behavior, cost, and production. Wired DEF CON 16 preview article · Pre-event coverage documenting prototype caveats, SD-card advice, designer context, and public badge expectations. DEFCON 16 badge project page project page · Primary designer page with MC9S08JM60 hardware, infrared transfer, SD-card/FAT16 support, USB bootloader, role variants, documentation, contest, and official image-path context. DEFCON 16 badge slides slides · Grand Idea Studio slide source for role-color counts, production process, design goals, hardware, and firmware framing.

Sources

Grand Idea Studio: DEFCON 16 Badge Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary project source for MC9S08JM60 hardware, infrared transfer, SD-card/FAT16 support, USB bootloader, 8,500-badge production, role variants, contest links, and official page image paths. Grand Idea Studio: Making the DEFCON 16 Badge Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary slide source for role-color counts, 8,500-piece production framing, hardware choices, and source/schematic release context. Nuts & Volts / Joe Grand: Making the DEFCON 16 Badge Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary article source for DEF CON 16 design goals, Freescale platform, SD-card infrared file transfer, TV-B-Gone behavior, operating states, and production constraints. Wired: Exclusive Defcon 16 Badge Sneak Peek Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Secondary pre-event source for SD-card use, prototype caveats, Joe Grand and Jeff Moss context, and public badge positioning.