Project update 29 of 29
BusKill goes to DEF CON 32
by Melanie Allen
We’re happy to announce that BusKill is presenting at DEF CON 32.
What: Open Hardware Design for BusKill Cord
When: 2024-08-10 12:00 - 13:45
Where: W303 – Third Floor – LVCC West Hall
What is DEF CON?
DEF CON is a yearly hacker conference in Las Vegas, USA.
What is BusKill presenting at DEF CON?
I (goldfishlaser) will be presenting Open Hardware Design for BusKill Cord in a Demo Lab at DEF CON 32.
What: Open Hardware Design for BusKill Cord
When: Sat Aug 10 12PM – 1:45PM
Where: W303 – Third Floor – LVCC West Hall
Who: Melanie Allen (goldfishlaser)
More info
Talk Description
BusKill is a Dead Man Switch triggered when a magnetic breakaway is tripped, severing a USB connection. I’ve written OpenSCAD code that creates a 3D printable file for plastic parts needed to create the magnetic breakaway.
Should anyone need to adjust this design for variations of components, the code is parameterized allowing for easy customization. To assemble a BusKill Dead Man Switch cord you will need:
- a USB-A extension cord,
- a USB hard drive capable of being attached to a carabiner,
- a carabiner,
- the plastic pieces in this file,
- a USB female port,
- a USB male,
- 4 magnets,
- 4 pogo pins,
- 4 pogo receptors,
- wire,
- 8 screws,
- and BusKill software.
Full BOM, glossary, and assembly instructions are included in the github repository.
The room holds approx. 70 attendees seated. I’ll be delivering 3 x 30 min presentations – with some tailoring to what sort of audience I get each time.
Meet Me @ DEF CON
If you’d like to find me and chat, I’m also planning to attend:
- ATL Meetup (DCG Atlanta Friday: 16:00 – 19:00 | 236),
- Hacker Kareoke (Friday and Sat 20:00-21:00 | 222),
- Goth Night (Friday: 21:00 – 02:00 | 322-324),
- QueerCon Mixer (Saturday: 16:00-18:00 | Chillout 2),
- EFF Trivia (Saturday: 17:30-21:30 | 307-308), and
- Jack Rysider’s Masquerade (Saturday: 21:00 – 01:00 | 325-327)
I hope to print many fun trinkets for my new friends, including some BusKill keychains.
By attending DEF CON, I hope to make connections and find collaborators. I hope during the demo labs to find people who will bring fresh ideas to the project to make it more effective.
Donate
If you appreciate our progress on 3D-printable BusKill cables, please consider making a donation to help offset my expenses to attend this year’s DEF CON.
…Or Buy an Assembled Cable
If 3D printing isn’t your thing, you can purchase a BusKill cable from Crowd Supply for yourself or a loved one. Funding from cable purchases goes to continued development of the BusKill project and you get your own BusKill cable to keep you or your loved ones safe.