MCU platform
The Nordic nRF52840 is the premium Bluetooth Low Energy badge platform, used for secure, long-running BLE badges with robust radio performance.
Unofficial DEF CON 27 nRF52840 hardware-hacking badge
The AND!XOR DC27 Badge was an unofficial DEF CON 27 badgelife board built around a Rigado BMD-340 / Nordic nRF52840 core with an IS31FL3741 LED matrix, light pipes, glow-in-the-dark capacitive touch, USB-C, FT2232H hardware-hacking bridge, SWD/Tag-Connect programming paths, SAO 1.69bis support, BOTNET mesh behavior, and B.E.N.D.E.R. v2.0 challenges.
nRF52840 e-paper smart badge with audio, NeoPixels, and SAO
A source-backed ARAMCON 2019 smart badge record for an nRF52840 conference badge with a 2.9-inch e-paper display, accelerometer, flash, MP3/WMA audio codec, Cherry MX keys, NeoPixels, SAO connector, CircuitPython support, and public KiCad hardware files.
Cyber Ægg LoRa mesh badge
BornHack 2026 is documented by Badge.Team as the Cyber Ægg egg-shaped badge: nRF52840/NFC, SX1262 LoRa, 1.54-inch black/red/white e-paper, tri-colour visuals, QWIIC, USB-C, and BornPets, with open Codeberg hardware and firmware links.
Open-source pre-event 125-unit Meshtastic Simple Add-On for DEF CON 34
Darknet-NG's own current badge page identifies the Darknet-NG SMAO as its Level 3 build: a full Meshtastic node in an SAO form factor. The maker's live Uberflux product payload describes a $55 125-unit presale and currently reports 125 sold with zero remaining, no shipping options, and DEF CON 34 contest-booth pickup only; that is a time-specific availability snapshot, not proof of completed manufacture, collection, or delivery. A matching maker-owned, commit-pinned `dcbokonon/darknet-smao` release now publishes the v1.4 KiCad project, fabrication outputs, BOM/placement data, firmware build material, and RF-tuning source, alongside an MIT-licensed official upstream board render. This is a source-backed independent pre-event mesh-radio add-on record, not independent RF/compliance validation, a DEF CON organizer-issued product, conference credential, admission right, or completed fulfillment record.
Champion-tier nRF52840 LoRa Meshtastic badge
The Ekoparty 2026 electronic badge, included with the Champion ticket tier while supplies last. On October 3, 2026, four days before the October 7-9 Buenos Aires conference, badge-team member Nicolas Restbergs (Fábrica Marciana) published the ekoparty-badge-2026 repository, which calls itself the firmware for the official Ekoparty 2026 badge: a Meshtastic node on an nRF52840 with an SX1262 LoRa radio, a 0.96-inch OLED, Bluetooth pairing with the Meshtastic phone app, a piezo buzzer, six rear SK6812 backlight pixels, and a separate status pixel. The release v1.0.3 adds a schematic, pin map, user manual, and the EKOBOOT bootloader image; v1.0.4 followed on October 5, and an EasyEDA Pro project and a low-temperature-solder fragility warning were added on October 8, during the conference. By October 9, 2026 Ekoparty's own event page carried an EKO BADGE ELECTRÓNICO section describing the badge as a customized Meshtastic build that works off-grid and links to the badge team's guide, and an October 12 attendee writeup confirms the event took place with Meshtastic Eko Badges in hand. Production count and allocation stay unconfirmed.
nRF52840/SX1262 electronic conference badge with a public post-event GPL firmware archive
Hackers Teaching Hackers' official materials establish the June 3-5, 2026 Columbus-area practitioner conference with villages and a CTF. Zack Nagaich's public Eagle 5 repository labels itself the 2026 HTH conference-badge firmware and documents an nRF52840 plus SX1262 electronic badge with LEDs, USB roles, RNode/Reticulum-oriented firmware, on-badge CLI, and CTF source context. An attendee account independently says their light-up badge was part of the conference CTF, while the organizer has not directly published this 2026 repository or a distribution record.
Repair, preservation, and lab context
Parts, tools, and supplies that match the documented hardware across these nRF52840 badges. Category-level recommendations, not compatibility guarantees.
Headers and connector supplies for SAO repair, add-on testing, and preservation.
This badge has a documented SAO connector. Matched technical signals: SAO 1.69bis.
Vendor link · selected for technical relevance
Debug probes for ARM/RISC-V badge development, recovery, and documentation.
Debug probes can support authorized recovery, firmware work, and documentation for microcontroller badges. Matched technical signals: nRF52840.
Vendor link · selected for technical relevance
I2C adapter supplies for badge add-ons, sensors, and lab documentation.
SAO workflows often use I2C-compatible add-on testing and bench documentation. Matched technical signals: SAO 1.69bis.
Vendor link · selected for technical relevance
Extension wiring and jumper supplies for testing or displaying SAO add-ons away from the main badge.
Extension wiring is useful for testing and displaying SAO add-ons. Matched technical signals: SAO 1.69bis.
Vendor link · selected for technical relevance
USB serial adapters for logs, recovery, and firmware documentation workflows.
This badge has a documented microcontroller platform where serial logs or flashing workflows may be relevant. Matched technical signals: nRF52840.
Vendor link · selected for technical relevance