The excitement is building as we lead up to DEF CON 26 from August 9th-12th at the Caesars Palace and Flamingo Hotels in Las Vegas. For those who are living the Badgelife, there are plenty of things going on during the conference.
To keep up with all the fun, make sure you’re following #badgelife on Twitter. To help you plan out your journey during DEF CON 26, here are some of the events you should keep an eye out for:
1. Badgelife Contest
Badge makers are invited to show off their creations in DEF CON’s official Badge Life Contest. Badges from the prior year between DEF CON 2017/2018 will be accepted into the contest. You can find a full list of rules here, and I suggest you read them completely.
Trust me, you don’t want to be on Cthulhu’s bad side.
2. Badge Makers Community Area
Mingle with other badge makers in this dedicated area of the Hardware Hacking Village. There will be demos, talks and workshops from TwinkleTwinkie, DCG858/619, MaraJade, B1un7 and others. Check out the full BMCA schedule at dchhv.org/schedule.
3. Tindie Blinky Badges 
Visit the Soldering Skills Village to learn or brush up on your technique. You can pick up a Tindie Blinky Badge while supplies last!
You’ll need to do some through-hole and (simple) surface mount soldering, but when you’re finished you’ll have a Tindie head lapel pin with iconic sparkling eyes.
4. Tamper Evident Village
Think you can fool everyone with a forgery of a human DEF CON badge? Check out this contest if you think you can make a fake that passes inspection. Other target badges are also available if you’re looking to have some fun with counterfeits.
The tamper village is also holding a Tamper-evident King of the Hill Contest and an electronic tamper challenge complete with traps, alarms, and a timer ticking down that the call “The Box.” Check out all the details here.
5. Chris Gammell at DEF CON 26
Chris Gammell is a good friend of Tindie and host of The Amp Hour. You can find him at the Hardware Hacking Village doing a #badgelife demo and workshop called Getting to Blinky: #badgelife begins with a single blink.
This in-person version of the “Getting to Blinky” online course series is an amazing opportunity to learn some valuable skills surrounding blinking circuits and adding customizable artwork to your PCBs. All the details, including what you need to bring, can be found here.
DEF CON 26 Badges and Add-Ons
Tindarians are known for their epic badges and SAOs, and this year is no different. Here are some of our favorites:
- Corgi Butt SAO Badgelife Addon – All hail the glorious Corgi! This SAO features a fluffy pup and a single LED tail that cycles through red, green, blue, purple, white, and yellow.
- Skeletor Badge – You can never have too many LEDs, which is why this badge features, not ten, but twenty of them! This badge will be on sale during DEF CON 26, and it even includes a last-minute lanyard.
- #Badgelife Trash Panda – It’s usually advisable to let raccoons do their own thing, and this badge with glowing red eyes reinforces that advice. This standalone coin-cell operated badge is stylish and simple!
- TwinkleTwinkie’s Badgelife SAO Add-on #2 – This DEF CON 26 add-on features a classic character with glowing red cheeks. It comes fully assembled and ready to go. You can even test it out with a 3.3v breadboard before you get your SAO compatible badge.
There’s no shortage of badgelife shenanigans happening at DEF CON 26. Whether you’re a fellow Tindarian, or a maker looking to test your badge making skills, there’s something here for everyone. If you want to show your badges to the Tindie team let us know where you’ll be via @tindie Twitter #dctindie.
