Electronic conference badges are tiny open hardware platforms: a PCB you wear, flash, and hack with strangers for a weekend. This catalog lists projects with published hardware and/or firmware. For the featured Three.js Conf Paris 2026 speaker badge (not open-sourced) and a DIY walkthrough, see the Conference badges landing page.
How to read this list
- Prefer badges that publish schematic + PCB (KiCad or Eagle) and a clear license.
- Firmware-only repos are still useful for architecture, mesh protocols, and UI patterns.
- Event badges often ship once; forks and SAO add-ons keep them alive after the conference.
Catalog
Camp & European hacker events
| Badge | Year | MCU | License | Hardware / firmware |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHA2017 Badge | 2017 | ESP32 | MIT (PCB) | PCB · Firmware |
| badge.team ESP32 platform | 2019 | ESP32 | See repo | Shared stack for SHA / CampZone / Disobey / HackerHotel |
| MCH2022 Badge | 2022 | ESP32 | MIT | Launcher firmware on the badge.team lineage |
| EMF Camp Tildagon | 2024 | ESP32-S3 | See EMF repos | Hardware · Software · Docs |
Hackaday Supercon
| Badge | Year | MCU | License | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Supercon Badge | 2018 | PIC32 | MIT | Retrocomputing badge |
| 2019 Supercon Badge | 2019 | ICE40 FPGA | See repos | PCB · FPGA SoC |
| Vectorscope | 2023 | RP2040 | MIT | Analog vectorscope badge |
| RF Communicator | 2025 | See repo | MIT | Mesh / RF conference play |
Security conferences (BSides & friends)
| Badge | Year | MCU | License | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BSides San Diego 2024 | 2024 | ESP32-C3 | See repo | KiCad + Gerbers + CTF over SAO |
| BSides San Diego 2026 | 2026 | ESP32-C6 | See repo | BLE coop crypto challenges |
| BSides Vancouver | 2025 | ESP32-C3 | See repo | NFC, sensors, captive-portal CTF |
| Ides of DEF CON (DC25) | 2017 | See repo | Apache-2.0 | Unofficial KiCad badge |
Wearables, workshops, starters
| Badge | Year | MCU | License | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eurofurence EF28 | 2024 | ESP32-S3 | MIT / OSHW | LED matrix, SAO, USB-C, KiCad |
| ESP32 Conference Badge | 2019 | ESP32 | MIT | Through-hole workshop badge + TFT |
| TuxCon Kitty | 2024 | AVR | Apache-2.0 | Small OSHW KiCad giveaway badge |
Featured inspiration (not open source)
Three.js Conf Paris 2026 speaker badges by Romain Briaux / Hervé Studio are custom purple-and-yellow handhelds with a circular color display, three buttons, USB-C, and ESP-NOW “buddy” greetings. Enclosure iterations and finished units are documented publicly; PCB and firmware are not released as open hardware. Treat them as industrial-design inspiration, then build from the open catalog above.
Build your own (short path)
- Steal the architecture, not the artwork. Start from an ESP32-C3/S3 or RP2040 badge with published KiCad.
- Pick one interaction. Name display, LED mesh, SAO add-on, NFC unlock, or ESP-NOW greetings — not all at once.
- Design the PCB in KiCad with a clear power tree (USB-C → charge IC → LiPo → 3V3), programming pads, and a mechanical outline that matches a 3D-printed shell.
- Prototype the enclosure in FDM (PETG/PLA) with screw bosses and a display cutout; iterate before a resin or molded run.
- Version everything. Schematic, PCB, firmware, and mechanical STEP/STL belong in one git repository with an SPDX license.
- Flash, wear, break, revise. Conference badges fail in pockets — design for USB recoverability and a factory test sketch.
fabPlane is built for that workflow: versioned hardware from the first sketch, public repos when you are ready to publish. Browse public projects or start in the editor.
Suggest an addition
If you maintain an open badge with PCB source and a clear license, open a pull request against this wiki page or mention it in Discord. Prefer pins to specific commits and SPDX identifiers over “see website.”