WHY2025 Badge
The Dutch 2025 camp badge mixed ambitious hardware with late distribution, LoRa caveats, battery-safety controversy, and a documented pre-event team conflict.
Dutch Hacker Camps
What Hackers Yearn 2025
A badge remembered both for capable hardware and for serious delivery, safety, process, and camp-impact issues.
Geestmerambacht, near Alkmaar · Netherlands · 2025
Lifecycle
Add-ons & Upgrades
WHY2025 Badge
documented caveat
LoRa connector and antenna
LoRa use depended on attaching the connector and a suitable, matched antenna; the wiki records VNA/SWR antenna checks and warns that transmitting without a proper antenna could permanently damage RF hardware.
WHY2025 Badge
community documented
Cases, spacers, and repair parts
The wiki tracks 3D-printed cases, spacers, covers, and repair guidance, reflecting the post-event mechanical support ecosystem.
Operational history
Issues & Camp Impact
WHY2025 Badge
critical
The badge was publicly flagged as a fire hazard when used with unprotected 18650 cells because short circuits around battery traces and holders could cause dangerous heating.
The warning shaped distribution, battery handling, user confidence, and the badge's public reputation.
WHY2025 Badge
major
Feedback says there was little badge hacking during camp compared with SHA2017 and MCH2022, partly due to late arrival, limited distribution, missing app-store workflow, LoRa limitations, and sparse documentation.
The badge's technical potential was hard to realize while the camp was happening.
WHY2025 Badge
major
A CTF participant reported receiving their badge only on the final day of camp, making it difficult to work on an embedded-device challenge during the event.
Badge-dependent embedded work became timing-constrained for at least one participant; this aligns with public feedback about late handout.
WHY2025 Badge
major
Public feedback describes late and limited distribution, long queues, poor communication, and not enough badges for all visitors.
Many attendees could not use the badge as a nametag or as a normal camp hacking object.
WHY2025 Badge
major
Epoxy was applied as a last-minute mitigation, and the badge wiki later warned about reports of uncured epoxy.
Volunteers spent substantial camp time applying epoxy; users had handling and curing concerns.
WHY2025 Badge
major
Public sources document a Badge Team conflict before the event. Hackaday reported that the original Dutch badge team resigned en masse after disagreement with organizers; orga mailing-list posts confirm a conflict involving project leadership, a hardware lead, and others while cautioning that public facts were incomplete.
The conflict forms part of the badge's production history and likely contributed to a hurried replacement effort, but individual claims should not be overstated beyond public evidence.
WHY2025 Badge
moderate
The LoRa connector was not pre-soldered, the supplied antenna was documented as a compromise 868/915 MHz antenna, and the wiki warned that transmitting without a connected or correctly matched antenna could permanently damage the Semtech SX1262 transmitter. The dedicated antenna page records VNA/SWR measurements, including one report above the safe SWR threshold at EU frequency before antenna rework; the compendium treats the colloquial bricked-antenna story as a source-backed RF-transmitter damage risk rather than as a literal claim that antennas themselves were bricked.
LoRa was not a simple out-of-box feature: users needed soldering, antenna choice or tuning, and caution with auto-transmitting firmware such as Meshtastic to avoid RF damage.
WHY2025 Badge
moderate
Issue reports include OTA stalls, blue screens, missing apps after reflashing, wrong USB-port confusion, SD-card boot problems, and settings-app failures.
Users needed post-event reflashing and troubleshooting before the badge became a stable hacking platform.
Resources
BadgeHub
app store · Badge app distribution service.
Badge Issues
issue tracker · Community issue page with hardware, firmware, LoRa, and user problems.
WHY2025 badge wiki
official wiki · Main badge page, warnings, LoRa notes, repair notes, app install instructions.
WHY2025 LoRa antenna
radio advisory · Dedicated antenna page for LoRa/FSK transmitter damage risk, SWR/VNA measurements, tuning notes, and antenna caveats.
Team Badge GitLab
source · Hardware and firmware project files.
WHY2025 Team:Badge
team page · Public team page listing Team:Badge contacts, development groups, and team members.
Sources
Hackaday: The WHY 2025 Badge And Its 18650s
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Secondary coverage of the battery-safety controversy and badge-team resignation context.
Tweakers: Toilethokjes vol glasvezel en badges vol drama
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Dutch report on queues, epoxy mitigation, and camp context.
WHY2025 orga mailing list: Personal Statement Dany around the Badge Team conflict
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary public mailing-list evidence that a conflict existed.
WHY2025 orga mailing list: Truth-finding w.r.t. Team:Badge conflict
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary public mailing-list evidence and caution about incomplete public facts.
WHY2025 wiki: Badge
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary badge warnings, LoRa details, repair notes, and app install information.
WHY2025 wiki: Badge Issues
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Community-maintained issue and repair record.
WHY2025 wiki: Badge/Fire hazard
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Detailed fire-hazard advisory and response links.
WHY2025 wiki: Badge/LoRa-Antenna
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary LoRa antenna advisory covering irreversible transmitter damage risk without a proper antenna, SWR thresholds, VNA measurement, and tuning notes.
WHY2025 wiki: Feedback
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Public attendee feedback on late distribution, queues, limited hacking, and documentation.
WHY2025 wiki: Team:Badge
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary public team page for Team:Badge member names and development-group structure.