Debugging the coolest DEF CON badge

After a false start on the iPhone USB-C project as I lost the dockflex cable, I let chat decide what to do next and we debugged the 2019 DEFCON Furs badge.

Special thanks to @LoialOtter of the DC Furs for helping me debug this awesome part of DEF CON Badgelife!

This was streamed on Dec 9, 2020.

00:00:00 Airborne Picuris Pueblo tour by drone
Stream Starts and we see Scotty fly the drone up above his workshop, looking out over the Pueblo in Picuris.
We have an echo in the audio.
Scotty positions the drone to get the best signal reception.
Audio is fixed
Scotty starts flying round the pueblo and shows chat where the charcoal video was recorded.
Scotty Shows a broader view of the pueblo where several buildings are.
Switches to Dog cam to land the drone
Drone lands
Quick recap that dropping little army parachute men from a drone doesn’t work.
Explains the mod from Mavic 2 Zoom to Pro by replacing camera
Scotty thinks it might be fun to unbox some stuff he received in mail before announcing stream on twitter and getting to iPhone project
Some minor stream shenanigans with capture cards happen but nothing major

00:16:05 Show & Tell; 7″ IPS LCD TouchScreen
Let’s look at stuff in the mail!
Scotty starts by unpacking a 7″IPS LCD Monitor he bought off Amazon
Scotty shows some challenges of streaming, building to a point – shows multiview grid in OBS to preview next scene that he can load up
Point is; What if Scotty makes a touchscreen that he can use for just this instead of clicking in OBS; enter the little LCD Screen he unpacks!
Scotty really loves the idea of a streamdeck but would rather make one!
HE threatens to try the LCD Screen but is worried it might swamp the stream.
DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE

00:21:49 Getting the LCD Touchscreen to work
Scotty powers and plugs in LCD Screen, it immediately works.
After plugging in USB for touch, more stream shenanigans happen
Stream paused during troubleshooting while capture cards
All services are restored
LCD Touch is troubleshooted
Scotty shows chat “Is it me or is it USB?“
This “thing” shows if your USB cable has power only or also data transfer by lighting LEDs to show connected traces.
Scotty grabs a cable he knows works.
Touch works! Albeit a little funky – touch input registers but clicks on the main monitor, not the touchscreen.
More troubleshooting by making LCD the primary display.
Chat (sander____________) suggests a different method involving setting up touch input in tablet PC settings

00:42:13 The LCD Touchscreen works!
It works as intended now! It’s awesome!

00:45:13 Show & Tell and Space-X Starship
Lets get on to other bits! Scotty unboxes a camera tripod ballhead.
Space-X Starship launch reminders sent round in chat
Scotty also unpacks a bluetooth adapter for the StreamPC so he can connect his AirPods connected.
He also has a light switch with automation support
Scotty tunes in to livestream of the Space-X Starship launch
Chat and Scotty watch a spectacular explosion after an almost perfect landing of the Starship
We tune out of Space-X.
Let’s clean up this mess and actually work on a thing!

00:55:13 Chat can help with shooting videos???
Scotty has some exciting news!
Scotty has been shooting video during livestreaming for the iPhone 12 project and he wants chat to help!
He wants to do more integration between livestream and recording so he started poking round to see if there is an API
The GH5 have WiFi and BLTH. Scotty wrote a Python script that enables some interaction with the camera’s.
He intends to have an overlay turn on on twitch automatically when he starts recording.
Scotty has figured out the URL to trigger autofocus in the camera.
He wants to set this up so someone, possibly Mods only, can trigger a Nightbot command for focusing.
Scotty spends some time responding to channel point reimbursements and thinks of some trivia to drop.
Scotty has taught Ambrose the command “Load up” to jump in the truck.
Ambrose is really enthusiastic and will sometimes jump onto the hood, over the roof and into the back but he will just sit on the roof aswell.
He doesn’t distinguish other cars too well and will do this with other vehicles aswell.
COVID-19 talk during tidy up of the desk.

01:05:35 Prepare to work on the USB-C iPhone
Let’s start with the iPhone! Scotty wants to paperprototype the flexcable.
Phat32 raids with 11!
Scotty gets distracted by explaining how the drone repair went
Shop is ready but Scotty needs a quick break!

01:19:48 Something important is missing
Scotty is back with phone parts!
Some minor panic as Scotty seems to have misplaced the power flexcable
Workshop is searched high and low but Scotty can’t find the flexcable.
Scotty resorts to searching through the trash generated during the PC Build
Scotty checks AIO box from StreamPC Build as it contains a lot of spare parts, cables and screws.
New LCD SCreen survives a fluid spillage
Scotty goes spelunking behind his desk
Scotty explains the frustration of missing or breaking parts and having to wait days or weeks on parts from Shenzhen to US as opposed to hours when he lived there.
Scotty sends a message to his shop assistant asking after the cable in case it was mistakenly tidied away
Scotty declares defeat for now but continues searching for it.
Starts interacting with chat on idea’s for what to do now to fill the stream.

02:06:55 What to do now?
Scotty starts a poll for;
– 3D Modelling (Camera switcher case)
– Electronics debugging (DEFCON Furs Badge)
– Python Programming (Monitor settings)
Chat picks debugging the DEFCON Furs badge.
Scotty loved these badges and was given a couple at 2019 DEFCON by someone involved with design

02:16:46 Reverse Show & Tell; The 2020 Furs badge
Chat shows Scotty the 2020 DEFCON Furs badges. Flex PCB over a cloth mask with LED matrix attached.
Scotty checks to see if he can get one but donations guaranteeing the gift closed in september.

02:21:13 Show & Tell: Badge Life
Scotty begins explaining more about Badge Life community
Scotty shows TwinkleTinkie’s Arc Badge
This leads into a show and tell of “Shitty Add-On” or SAO headers introduced by Brian Benchoff at Hackaday
@LoialOtter, one of the DEFCON Furs badge designers for 2020 enters chat
Scotty continues his show and tell of SAO while mounting his new LCD on a simple stand.

02:37:04 The DEFCON 2019 Furs Badge
Scotty starts to focus on the badge with @LoialOtter offering information in chat.
Scotty presumes there is a short on the board as he is not seeing the voltages he would expect.
Brief break
We’re back from break!
Scotty sets up his microscope

02:48:49 Magnify and enhance!
Microscope is ready! answering a chat question about phone repairability and right to repair, Scotty dials in the microscope and starts debugging.
Scotty discovers a part is missing, he believe a gyro, loialotter reports an accelerometer but it’ll run fine without it, perhaps some animations won’t work.
A diode is placed backwards, Scotty is told.
He confirms through the build diagram

02:55:50 Fixing the Furs badge
Scotty sets about removing the diode to solder it back on correctly.
After confirming everything else is ok using the build diagram and adhering to @loialotter’s expert support, Scotty decides to try to power on the badge
Scotty connects it to his MacBook Pro to check device status and is happy to see it looks like it’s operational.
He wants to get it fully flashed and sorted so he can put the accelerometer on the board and have it working properly.
Scotty begins the next steps, following the guide performing various actions to flash the board, power and depower it etc.

03:22:22 Fixing a dead pixel
It works!
Scotty identifies one dead LED, luckily he has extras!
He checks it with a microscope, figures out he has soldered it upside down, seems to be an easy fix.
The LED works now!

03:28:47 Replace the accelerometer
So last thing on the list is replacing the accelerometer
Scotty looks through his spare parts and finds an IC7 accelerometer
HE thinks soldering it will be tricky
After cleaning the pads with isopropyl, Scotty starts replacing the missing accelerometer.
Scotty pretins the pads before using hot air to solder the accelerometer
Tests badge to check accelerometer
checks and resolders accelerometer again, just to be sure
Now it works and it Boops!

03:48:15 There is more to the badge than just a LED matrix.
After figuring out one of the maze functions of the badge, Scotty starts show other little puzzles and riddles on the board itself such as a clue hidden under the battery holder.
Scotty shares one of the puzzles for our own entertainment; JBQSA2DBFQQG433UEB2GQ2LTEB4WKYLSFY======
Some DEFCON stories and anecdotes were shared

04:06:24 Wind Down
Starts to wind down and interacts with chat questions and comments
Scotty ends stream by raiding BaldEngineer who is converting a 9600modem to wifi