Build a Rapid-Response Cyberdeck with the CrowView Note
Security researcher Trevor Unland shows how to turn a single-board computer into a portable RF monitoring station that looks and works like a field laptop. The write-up, Building the Rapid-Response Cyberdeck with CrowView Note and CrowPanel HMI, pairs an Elecrow CrowView Note lapdock with a CrowPanel 7" ESP32-S3 HMI and an RTL-SDR.
The CrowView Note is the main screen: a 15.6-inch 1920×1080 IPS lapdock with keyboard, touchpad, speakers, and a 6000mAh battery. It runs the full web dashboard in kiosk mode, including the spectrum waterfall, anomaly timeline, and analysis view. The CrowPanel 7.0" (ESP32-S3, 800×480 capacitive touch) sits as a heads-up display. It polls the computer every two seconds and shows live/demo status, active band and frequency, a color-coded SNR bar with history, an ML signal classifier, scan and anomaly counts, and system telemetry (CPU, RAM, temperature, uptime). Firmware is LVGL on the ESP32-S3; a small Python stats service on the SBC feeds it over Wi-Fi.
Unland built the demo on an Indiedroid Nova (Rockchip RK3588S, 16GB RAM). The same stack runs on a Raspberry Pi 5, which the project lists as the recommended board, and on other Linux SBCs with a USB port for the SDR dongle and a network path to the CrowPanel. Project files are on GitHub.
Shop the build at ameriDroid
CrowView Note 15.6" lapdock
15.6" FHD IPS display, full keyboard, touchpad, dual speakers, microphone, and built-in battery. Connect a phone, Raspberry Pi, or other SBC over USB-C or mini HDMI. CrowView Note 15.6" — $164.95
Raspberry Pi 5 Bridge Kit
Optional adapter that mounts a Raspberry Pi 5 on the CrowView Note and carries video, USB data, and power so you do not need hanging HDMI and USB cables. Raspberry Pi 5 Bridge Kit — $9.95
Raspberry Pi 5
The project’s recommended computer: quad-core Cortex-A76 at 2.4 GHz, with broad software support for the SDR dashboard. Raspberry Pi 5 — from $134.95
Indiedroid Nova
The board Unland used for the original build. RK3588S in a Pi-sized footprint, up to 16GB RAM, 6 TOPS NPU, and 8K video. Includes a full-body heatsink, fan, and swappable eMMC. Indiedroid Nova — $199.95
The status display in the article is the Elecrow CrowPanel 7.0" ESP32-S3 HMI (800×480 capacitive touch). That exact panel is not in the current ameriDroid catalog. Related Elecrow CrowPanel HMI boards are listed in the Elecrow collection.