Introduction

Overview

Snake-V1 is a versatile, open-source hardware platform designed for researchers, developers, and hobbyists to explore and test a wide array of communication protocols and peripherals. Built around the powerful STM32WB35 microcontroller, Snake-V1 serves as a portable "Swiss Army knife" for interacting with the physical world, whether through radio frequencies, infrared signals, or direct GPIO manipulation.

The tool is engineered to bridge the gap between low-level hardware debugging and high-level protocol analysis, providing a compact interface for testing everything from TV remotes (IR) to smart home sensors (Sub-GHz).

Key Capabilities

Snake-V1 integrates several specialized modules into a single device, enabling a broad range of testing scenarios:

Sub-GHz Communication: Utilizing the Texas Instruments CC1101 transceiver and a tapered helical antenna, the device can transmit and receive signals in common sub-gigahertz bands, making it ideal for testing garage door openers, weather stations, and industrial remotes.
Infrared (IR) Interaction: Equipped with a Vishay TSAL6400 transmitter and TSOP38238 receiver, Snake-V1 can record, analyze, and replay IR signals for a variety of consumer electronics.
Wireless Connectivity: The onboard STM32WB35 provides native support for Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and other 2.4GHz protocols, allowing for wireless interfacing and peripheral testing.
Expandable Storage: An integrated microSD slot allows for logging signal data, storing complex payloads, or loading custom scripts for automated testing.
Wired Interface: A USB-C connector provides modern connectivity for power, firmware updates, and serial communication.

Primary Use Cases

Snake-V1 is designed for flexibility across several domains:

Signal Research: Capturing unknown radio or infrared signals to analyze modulation and protocol structures.
Hardware Prototyping: Using the GPIO and protocol modules to verify the behavior of external components during development.
Security Auditing: Testing the resilience of wireless systems against replay attacks or unauthorized signal injection.
Peripheral Debugging: Quickly validating the functionality of IR receivers, Sub-GHz sensors, or BLE beacons.

Hardware Specifications

Interaction and Usage

As a tool designed for "messing around" with hardware, Snake-V1 typically interacts with the user via a serial console or pre-loaded scripts on the microSD card.

Basic Workflow Example

To begin capturing a Sub-GHz signal, the user interacts with the system interface to initialize the CC1101 transceiver:

# Example serial command to begin Sub-GHz listening
snake-v1 --subghz rx --freq 433.92MHz --output /logs/capture.raw

Once captured, the data can be analyzed locally or replayed to test the target peripheral's response:

# Example serial command to replay a captured signal
snake-v1 --subghz tx --file /logs/capture.raw