Build guides for the gear we actually use.

Pick your board, flash the firmware, and skip the one gotcha that trips everyone up. Six guides, written from real hardware on the bench.

CYD + ESP32 Marauder

A cheap-screen ESP32 that turns into a pocket WiFi and BLE tool.

CYD + ESP32 Marauder

What you need

  • A CYD board (the "Cheap Yellow Display", ESP32-2432S028, in a 2.8" or 3.5" size)
  • A USB cable that carries data, not a charge-only one
  • ESP32 Marauder firmware (Cyber Controller fetches it for you)

Flash it

  1. Plug the CYD into your computer with a data USB cable.
  2. Open Cyber Controller. It should list the CYD’s serial port. If no port shows up, install the USB-serial driver first (CYDs use a CP2102 or CH340 bridge).
  3. Pick ESP32 Marauder in the firmware list, then choose your CYD screen size (2.8" or 3.5").
  4. Hit Flash and leave it connected until it finishes. Marauder ships as one merged image written at 0x0.
Gotcha. The 2.8" and 3.5" CYDs use different display drivers. Flashing the wrong size gives you a blank or garbled screen, not a brick, so just reflash the right one.

Where to go next

Once it reboots into Marauder, open the Operate screen in Cyber Controller to drive it, or use the touchscreen menu directly.

Pwnagotchi

A Raspberry Pi that wanders and learns to collect WiFi handshakes.

Pwnagotchi

What you need

  • A Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W (or the older Pi Zero W)
  • A microSD card, 8 GB or larger
  • Power: a USB battery or a UPS HAT (the pictured build uses a PiSugar)
  • Optional: an e-ink display for the face

Flash it

  1. Put the microSD card in your computer.
  2. In Cyber Controller, pick Pwnagotchi. This one is an SD-card image, not a serial flash, so CC writes the .img straight to the card.
  3. Choose the SD card as the target and write it. This erases the card.
  4. Eject it, put the card in the Pi, and power on. The first boot takes a few minutes.
Gotcha. Pwnagotchi runs active deauthentication by default to force handshakes. Only run it on networks you own or are allowed to test. Capturing handshakes off networks you don’t control is illegal in most places.

Where to go next

SSH in or use the web UI to set your name and plugins. Captured handshakes land in /root/handshakes, ready to crack later in the Crack Lab.

Meshtastic node

An off-grid LoRa radio that texts other nodes with no cell service.

Meshtastic node

What you need

  • A supported LoRa board (Heltec V3, LilyGo T-Beam, or a XIAO ESP32-S3 with a LoRa module)
  • The right antenna for your region’s band (915 MHz in the US)
  • A USB data cable

Flash it

  1. Screw the antenna on first. Powering a LoRa radio with no antenna attached can damage it.
  2. Plug the board in and open Cyber Controller.
  3. Pick Meshtastic and select your board.
  4. Flash it and wait for the reboot.
Gotcha. Set your region on the first boot (US is 915 MHz). Nodes set to different regions can’t hear each other, and transmitting on the wrong band is unlawful.

Where to go next

Pair the node with the Meshtastic phone app over Bluetooth, or manage it from Cyber Controller’s Meshtastic panel.

Dual-band BW16

A Realtek RTL8720DN board that scans and tests both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi.

Dual-band BW16

What you need

  • A BW16 (RTL8720DN) board
  • A USB-to-UART adapter, or a carrier board with USB (the BW16 chip has no native USB)
  • A USB cable

Flash it

  1. Wire up or plug in the BW16 so its UART shows up on a COM port.
  2. Open Cyber Controller and pick BW16 Deauther (RTL8720DN).
  3. CC flashes it with Realtek’s AmebaD method over UART, not esptool. The board auto-enters download mode over DTR/RTS, so there’s no button to hold.
  4. Flash it and wait.
Gotcha. The BW16 uses a completely different flash tool than ESP32 boards. If a flash fails, check that you picked the BW16 profile (not an ESP32 one) and that your adapter’s DTR and RTS lines are wired.

Where to go next

The Vampire Deauther firmware takes AT+ commands (AT+SCAN, AT+STOP), which you drive from CC’s Operate screen. Authorized testing only. Dual-band deauth is illegal on networks you don’t control.

ESP32 dev board

The plain ESP32 devkit that runs most of the WiFi and BLE firmwares.

ESP32 dev board

What you need

  • Any ESP32 dev board (a WROOM or WROVER DevKit)
  • A USB data cable
  • A firmware to start with: Marauder, Bruce, or GhostESP are good picks

Flash it

  1. Plug the board in. If no serial port appears, install the USB-serial driver (most boards use a CP2102 or CH340).
  2. In Cyber Controller, pick your firmware and the plain ESP32 board.
  3. Flash it. If it won’t start, hold the BOOT button as the flash begins, then release.
Gotcha. A charge-only USB cable is the number-one reason a board never shows up. Use a cable you know carries data. Some clone boards also need the BOOT button held to enter download mode.

Where to go next

Bruce and GhostESP both have on-board menus; Marauder is driven from CC’s Operate screen. Browse the full firmware list to try another build.

ESP32-S3 touch

A newer ESP32-S3 with a touchscreen and built-in USB.

ESP32-S3 touch

What you need

  • An ESP32-S3 touch dev board
  • A USB data cable (USB-C on most S3 boards)

Flash it

  1. Plug it in. S3 boards have native USB, so modern Windows and macOS see them with no driver.
  2. Open Cyber Controller, pick your firmware (Bruce and many S3 builds fit here) and the ESP32-S3 board.
  3. Flash it and wait.
Gotcha. If CC can’t see the board, put it in download mode by hand: hold BOOT, tap RESET, then release BOOT. Native-USB S3 boards sometimes need this the first time.

Where to go next

Explore the touchscreen UI, or drive the board from Cyber Controller. The firmware list shows every build that targets the S3.