While the power supply for the FTDI adapter is capable of providing the required ~300mA to the badge, I should have used a larger gauge wire to attach the pogo pins to the USB to serial adapter.

If you know where to go on the Internet, you can pick up an FTDI USB to Serial adapter for one dollar and sixty-seven cents, with free shipping worldwide. The chip on this board is an FTDI FT232RL ...

Add or Remove Programs entry for FTDI USB Serial Converter Drivers. This is a driver pack that allows USB ports to be used to connect to Serial bus devices with a USB - Serial adapter cable.