GB Remote & Receiver — User Manual
A plain-English guide for DIY electric skateboard builders.
Table of Contents
- Welcome
- How the System Works
- What You Need
- Remote Versions
- Safety First
- Quick Start
- Charging Your Remote
- Turning the Remote On and Off
- Understanding the Screen
- The Button — Every Press Explained
- Pairing Remote and Receiver
- Riding Your Board
- The Receiver
- Safety Features (Failsafes)
- The Web Configuration Tool
- Throttle Calibration
- Trim — Fine-Tuning Your Throttle
- Trip Odometer
- Auxiliary Output (Lights, Horn, etc.)
- Firmware Updates
- Troubleshooting
- Specifications
- Easter Egg
1. Welcome
Thank you for choosing the GB Remote and Receiver system. This kit is the wireless link between you and the motor controller (VESC) on your DIY electric skateboard. The remote lives in your hand. The receiver lives on your board. They talk to each other over Bluetooth so you can accelerate, brake, and read live data — speed, battery, distance — without anything getting in the way.
This manual is written for builders, not engineers. If you've ever wired up a VESC, mounted a battery pack, or set up a BMS, you have everything you need to use this guide.
2. How the System Works
A complete GB-equipped board has four parts that talk to each other:
[ Remote ] <-- Bluetooth --> [ Receiver ] <-- CAN bus --> [ VESC(s) ] --> [ Motor ]
|
+-- Serial wire --> [ BMS ]
- Remote — the handheld controller. Reads your throttle, shows your speed and battery, talks to the receiver over Bluetooth.
- Receiver — a small board you mount on your skateboard. Receives commands from the remote, tells the VESC(s) how hard to drive the motor, and reads back live data.
- VESC — your motor controller. Drives the motor. The receiver speaks to it over CAN bus.
- BMS — your battery's brain. The receiver reads cell voltages, pack voltage, current, and capacity from it so the remote can show your real state of charge.
You only ever touch the remote. Everything else runs by itself.
3. What You Need
To use the GB system on a board, you need:
- A GB Remote (Lite, Dual Throttle, Dual Pro, or Pro version)
- A GB Receiver wired to your VESC's CAN bus and powered from the VESC's 5V supply
- A VESC-based motor controller configured with your motor poles, gear ratio, and wheel diameter
- (Optional but recommended) A supported BMS — Jiabaida or Kaly. Without a BMS you'll see only pack voltage, not a percentage
- A USB-C cable for charging the remote and for connecting to the web config tool
- A laptop with Chrome, Edge, or Opera to use the web config tool (only needed for setup, calibration, or firmware updates)
4. Remote Versions
The GB Remote comes in four flavors. They all do the same core job; the differences are how you accelerate/brake, screen size, and whether the screen is touch.
| Version | Screen | Throttle | Touch | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | 240x320 TFT LCD | Single throttle (trigger) | No | Simple, classic skateboard remote feel |
| Dual Throttle | 172x320 TFT LCD | Separate throttle + brake | No | Motorcycle-style control with a dedicated brake lever |
| Dual Pro | 172x320 TFT LCD | Separate throttle + brake | Yes | Dual throttle with a touch screen |
| Pro | 368x448 AMOLED | Single throttle | Yes | The premium experience, bright AMOLED display |
Single vs. dual throttle: On Lite and Pro, one input handles both forward and braking — pull the trigger to go, push it the other way (or release, depending on calibration) to brake. On Dual Throttle and Dual Pro, the throttle only accelerates and a separate lever brakes proportionally.
Throttle inversion (flipping the throttle direction in software) is available only on single-throttle versions (Lite and Pro). It's handy if your trigger feels backwards to you.
5. Safety First
This is an electric skateboard. It can hurt you. Some house rules:
- Always wear a helmet. Wrist guards, knee pads, and slide gloves are not optional at speed.
- Test in a safe, open area before riding in traffic, on hills, or at speed.
- Walk before you run. After any setup change — new firmware, new calibration, new wheels — do a low-speed test first.
- Never ride with a low remote battery. If the remote dies mid-ride, the receiver will brake you to a stop on its own — but you don't want to find that out by surprise.
- Watch your board battery too. Riding a pack down past its low-voltage cutoff will damage the cells.
- Bluetooth has a range. Typical range is 10–30 meters and depends on your body, your board, and the environment. Don't ride away from your board.
- Read this entire manual before your first ride. Especially section 14 (Safety Features).
6. Quick Start
The short version, for builders who want to get rolling:
- Charge the remote — plug a USB-C cable into the remote. A circular charge indicator appears on the screen. Charge to full.
- Mount the receiver on your board, wire it to your VESC's CAN bus, and power it up.
- Pair them — first time only. Power on the receiver. With nothing connected, the receiver will start a small WiFi network named
GB-RX-XXXXXX. Connect your phone or laptop to it (password:gbreceiver). Open a browser and you'll land on the receiver's pairing page. Power on your remote. Hit "Pair New Remote", pick your remote from the list, confirm. Done. - Calibrate the throttle — plug the remote into a laptop, open the config tool, click "Calibrate Throttle", and slowly move the throttle through its full range when prompted.
- Ride. Power on both devices, wait a second or two for them to find each other (the connection icon will appear), and go.
The long version — keep reading.
7. Charging Your Remote
The remote has a built-in lithium battery. To charge it, plug a USB-C cable into the bottom (or wherever your hardware variant exposes the port) and connect to any USB power source — phone charger, laptop, power bank.
What you'll see while charging:
- A large circular progress ring on screen
- The current battery percentage in the middle
- A lightning bolt icon
- The remote stays in "charging mode" while plugged in — Bluetooth is off to save power
Two ways to leave charging mode:
- Unplug — the remote goes to sleep automatically a moment later
- Long-press the button — the remote boots fully and is ready to ride
A full charge typically takes about an hour and a half from empty. The battery percentage shown is filtered to update smoothly — it won't jump around, but it may take a few seconds to reflect a change.
8. Turning the Remote On and Off
Powering On
From sleep, press and hold the button for about half a second. The screen lights up, the remote vibrates a short startup tune, and you'll see a splash screen showing the firmware version and the remote's Bluetooth ID (MAC address). After a couple of seconds, you arrive at the home screen.
Powering Off
Powering off is a two-step process so you don't shut down by accident mid-ride:
- Press the button once. A small lock icon appears on screen. The remote is now "armed" for shutdown.
- Press and hold the button again. A progress bar fills on screen. Keep holding until it completes (about three quarters of a second). The remote vibrates twice and turns off.
If you don't follow the single-press with a long-press within about a second, the arming cancels and nothing happens. This is a feature: it prevents accidental shutdowns from a single bumped button.
Automatic Sleep
If you leave the remote on but stop using it, it manages its own power:
- 5 minutes of no input while not connected to a receiver → the remote shuts down to save battery
- While connected to a receiver → the remote will not auto-shut-down. It assumes you're using it.
Low Battery Shutdown
If the remote's own battery drops below safe levels (2.95 V per cell), the remote will alert with a vibration, show a 2-second low-battery warning screen, and shut itself off to protect the cells. The throttle is also locked out at this voltage — even if you keep using it, only neutral commands are sent to the board. This is intentional. A dying remote is a dangerous remote.
9. Understanding the Screen
The home screen is the screen you'll spend the most time looking at. From top to bottom, you'll typically see:
- Connection icon — a wedge or arc that shows how strong your Bluetooth link is. No icon means disconnected. A partial icon means weak. A full icon means strong. Range is typically 10–30 meters.
- Remote battery — the small battery on the corner with a percentage. Shows a lightning bolt when charging.
- Skateboard battery — your board's battery, shown as a percentage when a BMS is present, or as a voltage when only a VESC is connected.
- Speed — the big number in the middle. Units (km/h or mph) shown next to it.
- Trip distance — kilometers (or miles) since your last odometer reset.
- Temperatures — motor and motor-controller (FET/MOSFET) temperatures in Celsius. These are useful for spotting overheating before something melts.
- Aux output indicator — a small icon visible when your auxiliary output (e.g. lights, horn) is active.
The brightness of the screen can be adjusted from 1% to 100% via the web config tool. Default is 50%. The screen fades smoothly when powering on and off.
Other Screens You Might See
- Splash screen — appears for a couple of seconds when you boot. Shows logo, firmware version, and Bluetooth ID (so you can identify which remote you're holding when pairing).
- Charging screen — circular battery arc, shown whenever you're plugged in.
- Shutdown screen — progress bar that fills as you hold the button to shut down.
- Low-battery warning screen — a 2-second warning before the remote turns itself off to protect the battery.
10. The Button — Every Press Explained
The remote has one physical button. It does different things depending on how you press it and what's happening on screen.
| Action | When you're on home screen | When you're on the charging screen | When you're asleep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single press | Arms the shutdown (lock icon appears) | — | — |
| Double press (two quick clicks) | Toggles aux output ON/OFF (e.g. lights). Confirmed by a short vibration. Requires Bluetooth connection | — | — |
| Long press (~half second) | Triggers shutdown if you already armed it (single press first) | Boots fully into ride mode | Powers the remote on |
Quick rule of thumb:
- One click + a long-press = power off
- Two clicks = toggle accessories (lights, horn, etc.)
- A long-press from sleep or charging = power on
11. Pairing Remote and Receiver
The first time a remote and receiver meet, they need to be introduced. After that, they remember each other and connect automatically.
The receiver can remember up to 4 different remotes at the same time. That means one receiver can be paired with a spare remote, a second rider's remote, etc.
First-Time Pairing — The Easy Way (WiFi)
- Power on the receiver. If no remotes are paired (fresh out of the box), it will start a small WiFi access point named
GB-RX-XXXXXX(whereXXXXXXis the last six digits of the receiver's Bluetooth ID). - Connect any phone or laptop to that WiFi network. The password is
gbreceiver. - Open a browser. You should land on the receiver's web page automatically. If not, go to
http://192.168.4.1. - Power on your remote. On the splash screen, you'll see its Bluetooth ID — make a note of the last few digits.
- On the receiver web page, click "Pair New Remote". The receiver scans for nearby remotes for about 9 seconds and lists what it found.
- Select your remote from the list (the IDs will match what you saw on the splash screen) and confirm.
- The WiFi shuts down a few seconds later, the Bluetooth connection comes up, and you're paired. From now on, both devices will find each other automatically every time you power them on.
Unpairing a Remote
On the receiver's web page (same way you got there for pairing — start the WiFi AP, browse to it), you'll see a list of paired remotes. Click Unpair next to any one to remove it from the receiver's memory. The slot becomes free for a new remote.
What If the Receiver Doesn't Show a WiFi AP?
The receiver only starts the WiFi AP automatically when:
- No remotes are paired, or
- It's been idle (no Bluetooth connection) for a while
If a remote is already paired and connecting normally, the WiFi stays off because Bluetooth and WiFi can't share the same radio efficiently. To force the WiFi AP on, you can connect the receiver to a laptop via USB and use the config tool.
12. Riding Your Board
Once the remote and receiver are paired and connected, riding is straightforward.
Throttle (Acceleration and Brake)
- Single-throttle (Lite, Pro): Pull or push the trigger from its resting (neutral) position. Forward of neutral = accelerate. Backward of neutral = brake/reverse. The exact direction depends on your calibration and the throttle-inversion setting.
- Dual-throttle (Dual Throttle, Dual Pro): The throttle lever only accelerates from neutral. A separate brake lever applies proportional braking. Pulling the brake while accelerating will reduce or override the throttle.
Smart Reverse: The receiver is clever about going backwards. If you're rolling forward and pull the throttle into the reverse range, the board will brake first, come to a stop, and only then start moving backwards. This prevents surprise reversals.
Neutral Hold on Connection: When the remote and receiver first connect, the remote sends "neutral" (zero throttle) for one full second regardless of what you're doing. This prevents the board from launching if you're holding the throttle when you turn the system on.
Live Data
While you're riding, the home screen continuously updates:
- Speed updates 50 times per second for smooth display
- Battery updates about once per second
- Temperatures update with the live telemetry stream
- Trip distance counts up as you ride and is saved every hundred meters or so to flash memory, so it survives a reboot
- Connection icon updates every few seconds based on signal strength
Speed Units
You can switch between km/h and mph through the web config tool. The setting is saved and will persist across reboots.
The speed shown is not made up by the remote — it's computed by the receiver from the VESC's reported motor RPM, your motor pole count, your gear ratio, and your wheel diameter. As long as your VESC is correctly configured with those numbers, the speed will be accurate. You do not need to enter motor settings into the remote separately.
13. The Receiver
The receiver is the small box bolted to your skateboard. It has no screen and no buttons. It indicates what it's doing using a single LED.
LED Indicator
| LED Brightness | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Very dim (faint glow) | Receiver is powered and waiting for a remote to connect |
| Bright | A remote is connected and the link is healthy |
| Off | Receiver has no power, or it has gone into a fault/failsafe state |
The LED transitions smoothly between dim and bright over about a fifth of a second when a connection comes up or goes away, so you can see it happening at a glance.
Wiring
The receiver is typically wired into your VESC's CAN bus. Two wires for CAN (high and low). One pair of wires for the BMS (if you have one). Power comes from the VESC's 5 V output (BEC).
The receiver supports up to 4 VESCs on the same CAN bus (e.g. for dual-motor setups with separate front and rear controllers). The throttle is sent to all of them at once and the failsafe watches all of them together.
BMS Support
If your battery has a supported BMS (Jiabaida or Kaly), the receiver will read pack voltage, current, capacity, and individual cell voltages from it. This data is forwarded to the remote so you can see your real state of charge.
Auto-detect pins: The BMS wires can be hooked up either way around. The receiver tries both pin assignments at startup and uses whichever one talks back.
USB-C Port
The receiver has a USB-C port too. You can plug it into a laptop and use the web config tool to:
- View live telemetry (motor data, battery data, every cell voltage)
- Pair or unpair remotes
- Reset the odometer
- Update firmware
- Diagnose problems
14. Safety Features (Failsafes)
The receiver is built to fail safe. If anything goes wrong, the board's default state is "stop." Here's how it works:
Throttle Timeout
If the receiver stops receiving throttle updates from the remote for 300 milliseconds (about a third of a second), it ignores any partial signal and treats the throttle as neutral. If the silence continues for about a second, the receiver enters full failsafe.
Failsafe Triggers
The receiver will enter failsafe (and brake the board to a stop) if any of these happen:
- Bluetooth connection is lost — remote turned off, out of range, or interference
- Throttle commands stop arriving — even with a Bluetooth connection
- A VESC drops off the CAN bus — motor controller went offline
- CAN bus hardware fault — wiring or VESC issue
Failsafe Behavior
When failsafe triggers:
- The receiver stops listening to throttle input
- It applies a gradual, gentle regen-braking ramp — slowly increasing from 0% to about 30% of the VESC's configured brake current over 10 seconds
- As your motors slow down, the brake naturally tapers off (the VESC handles this automatically)
- Once you're below walking pace, the brake releases and the failsafe clears
- You can then reconnect and ride again
You cannot clear a failsafe while moving. You must come to a complete stop before the system will accept throttle input again. This is intentional.
Other Safety Features
- Low remote battery throttle lockout — described in section 8. At low voltage, only neutral commands are sent.
- Neutral hold on connect — described in section 12. The first second after every Bluetooth connection sends neutral.
- Encrypted Bluetooth with bonding — your receiver only accepts connections from remotes it's been explicitly paired with. Random Bluetooth devices cannot take over your board.
- Smart reverse — described in section 12. Prevents surprise direction changes at speed.
15. The Web Configuration Tool
Most settings live in the web config tool, not in a menu on the remote itself. This keeps the remote's interface clean and gives you plenty of screen space when you actually want to configure things.
Where to find it: gbengineering.se/config-tool
Requirements:
- Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Opera browser — try Chrome or Edge if you run into issues, as they are the most tested (other browsers don't support USB serial)
- A USB-C cable
- The remote OR receiver plugged into your computer
When you plug in and click Connect, your browser will pop up a list of serial devices. Pick yours.
Remote Config Tool
Settings you can change on the remote:
- Speed unit — km/h or mph
- Backlight brightness — 1% to 100%
- Haptic intensity — Low / Medium / High
- Throttle inversion (Lite and Pro only) — flip the throttle direction
- Throttle calibration — guided process (see section 16)
- Trim — fine throttle offset (see section 17)
- Reset odometer — zero out the trip distance
You can also see live throttle/brake values, current Bluetooth status, and stream telemetry while connected to a board.
Receiver Config Tool
Settings and tools for the receiver:
- View paired remotes — see which remotes are bonded to this receiver (up to 4)
- Pair a new remote — same as the WiFi flow, but over USB
- Unpair a remote — remove a remote from the receiver's memory
- Reset odometer — zero out the trip distance stored on the receiver
- Live VESC data — voltage, motor current, input current, duty cycle, RPM, MOSFET temperature, motor temperature
- Live BMS data — pack voltage, current, remaining capacity, state of charge, individual cell voltages with a balance bar chart
- Motor config readout — the receiver shows you what motor poles, gear ratio, and wheel diameter it has read from your VESC
Firmware Update Card
Both tools check GitHub for a newer firmware version every time you connect. If one is available, a notification appears with a "Flash Latest" button. Click it and the tool downloads and flashes the new firmware while the device stays plugged in.
Manual Recovery
If your device ever gets into a bad state (rare, but it happens — e.g. a firmware update was interrupted), there's a "Manual Recovery" option that lets you:
- Pick your exact device model
- Choose whether to preserve settings or fully erase
- Put the device into bootloader mode by holding BOOT, pressing RESET, then releasing BOOT
- Reflash it from scratch
Crash Reports
If your device ever crashes, the config tool will detect the crash log on the next connection and ask if you'd like to send it to GB Engineering. These reports help the team improve firmware. Sharing them is voluntary.
16. Throttle Calibration
A throttle is just a variable resistor (or hall sensor). The remote needs to know what value your trigger sends when fully released and when fully pulled, so it can map the in-between to acceleration. This is calibration, and it's essential.
Calibration is required before riding. Without it, the remote sends neutral all the time and the board won't move.
How to Calibrate
- Plug the remote into your laptop via USB-C
- Open the web config tool and click Connect to Remote
- Click Calibrate Throttle
- For the next 6 seconds, move the throttle slowly through its full range — release fully, then pull fully, then release fully again. Repeat. The tool shows you the live readings as you go.
- For dual-throttle versions, you'll repeat the process for the brake lever too.
The calibration succeeds if the difference between your minimum and maximum readings is large enough (at least 150 ADC units). If it fails (a stuck pot, a too-small range, a disconnected wire), the tool shows you exactly why and the remote keeps your previous calibration so you're not stranded.
When successful, the remote vibrates a "success" pattern, the values are saved to internal flash memory, and they survive reboots and even firmware updates.
When to Re-Calibrate
- First-time setup — always
- After replacing your throttle
- If the throttle starts feeling off (won't go to full power, doesn't fully release, etc.)
- After major hardware changes to the remote
17. Trim — Fine-Tuning Your Throttle
Trim is a small offset applied to the throttle "center point." It's the difference between "neutral" feeling perfectly balanced and "neutral" having a tiny pull one way or the other.
In practice you'll use trim to:
- Eliminate a slight unwanted drift when you think you're at neutral
- Subtly bias the throttle toward acceleration or braking
The trim value ranges from -127 to +127. Adjust it from the web config tool while connected to a paired receiver — buttons appear to increase or decrease in single steps. Changes take effect immediately and are saved to flash. Default is 0.
18. Trip Odometer
The remote shows a running trip distance on the home screen, in km or miles depending on your unit setting. It accumulates while you ride and persists across power cycles.
To reset to zero:
- From the web config tool, click Reset Odometer (on either the remote or the receiver tool — both work)
Distance is actually measured on the receiver (using the VESC's RPM and your wheel size), then sent to the remote for display. So even if you change remotes, the trip distance stays consistent with the board.
19. Auxiliary Output (Lights, Horn, etc.)
The receiver has a 5 V auxiliary output pin you can toggle from the remote. Use it to switch:
- LED lights (head/tail)
- A horn buzzer
- A mechanical brake actuator
- Anything else you can switch with a control signal
To toggle aux output on/off: double-press the button on the remote (while connected). You'll feel a short confirmation vibration and an aux indicator will appear or disappear from the home screen.
The aux state is saved across power cycles, so if you turn your lights on and then power down, they'll come back on automatically next time you ride.
Important wiring note: the aux output is a 5 V signal, not a power source. It's there to switch a relay or MOSFET, which in turn switches your lights/horn from a higher-current source (your main battery, or a dedicated 5 V supply). Do not wire LED strips, horns, or solenoids directly to the aux pin — you'll overload it and possibly damage the receiver.
20. Firmware Updates
GB releases firmware updates periodically to add features, fix bugs, and improve performance.
Updating via the Config Tool (Recommended)
- Plug the remote (or receiver) into your laptop
- Connect via the web config tool
- If a newer version is available, you'll see a notification at the top
- Click Flash Latest and wait — typically a couple of minutes
- Stay plugged in until the tool says it's done
Updating the Receiver via WiFi (No Cable Needed)
The receiver also supports over-the-air updates through its WiFi access point:
- Power on the receiver with no remote paired (so the WiFi AP starts), or trigger the AP through the USB tool
- Connect to its
GB-RX-XXXXXXWiFi network - On the receiver's web page, scroll to the firmware section
- Upload a
.binfirmware file from your laptop - The receiver reboots automatically when done
If the new firmware turns out to be unstable (the device crashes within 60 seconds), the bootloader automatically rolls back to the old firmware. This makes OTA updates safe to try.
21. Troubleshooting
The Remote Won't Turn On
- Is it charged? Plug into USB-C. A charging screen appears within a couple of seconds if there's power.
- Holding the button long enough? Hold for at least half a second.
- Battery completely dead? Plug in for a few minutes before trying again.
The Remote Won't Connect to the Receiver
- Is the receiver powered? Check that your board is on and the receiver LED is lit (even dimly).
- Are they paired? First-time setup requires a one-time pairing — see section 11.
- In range? Bluetooth Low Energy typically reaches 10–30 meters. If you're far away, the connection won't come up.
- Conflicting Bluetooth? Phone or laptop nearby trying to also pair with the remote? Turn off Bluetooth on other devices briefly.
- Try a power cycle of both remote and receiver.
The Throttle Feels Sluggish or Won't Reach Full Power
- Re-calibrate. See section 16.
- Check the trim. If trim is heavily offset, the throttle range may be compressed on one side.
- Inspect the throttle mechanism for grit or binding.
The Throttle Is Backwards
- On Lite and Pro, toggle Throttle Inversion in the web config tool.
- On Dual Throttle and Dual Pro, throttle inversion is not supported — the levers themselves determine direction.
The Board Suddenly Brakes While Riding (Failsafe)
- Did the remote disconnect? Check the connection icon. If it went away, the receiver brakes for safety.
- Did the remote battery die? Low battery will lock the throttle to neutral and shut the remote off.
- Out of range? Distance, walls, or interference can break the link.
- VESC fault? Plug the receiver into a laptop and use the config tool to check for VESC fault codes.
Speed Reads as 0 Even Though I'm Moving
- Is your VESC configured? The motor poles, gear ratio, and wheel diameter must all be set in your VESC. The receiver reads these automatically.
- Is the receiver getting telemetry from the VESC? Plug into the config tool and look at the live VESC data section. If voltage and RPM are reading 0, check your CAN wiring.
The Battery Percentage Doesn't Match My BMS
- The percentage is calculated from remaining capacity divided by nominal capacity, both read from the BMS. Make sure your BMS is correctly configured with your actual pack capacity.
- If the BMS isn't connected or detected, the remote falls back to showing only pack voltage instead of percentage.
The Remote Crashed
- Plug it in and the config tool will offer to send the crash report. This helps GB Engineering find and fix the issue.
- Power-cycle the remote (long-press shutdown, then long-press to turn back on).
- If the remote is fully unresponsive, hold the button while plugging USB in — that puts it in charging mode at least.
- As a last resort, use Manual Recovery in the config tool to fully reflash the firmware.
The WiFi AP on the Receiver Doesn't Appear
- The AP only starts when no remote is paired or no remote has connected for a while. If you have a remote currently connecting fine, the WiFi stays off because BLE and WiFi share the radio.
- To force it on, plug the receiver into a laptop via USB and use the config tool — it can trigger the AP on demand.
22. Specifications
Remote
- Processor: ESP32-S3
- Display: 240x320 TFT (Lite), 172x320 TFT (Dual Throttle / Dual Pro), 368x448 AMOLED (Pro)
- Touch: Dual Pro and Pro only
- Throttle: Hall sensor / potentiometer via 12-bit ADC
- Wireless: Bluetooth Low Energy 4.2, 2.4 GHz
- Bluetooth range: 10–30 m typical
- USB: USB-C (charging and configuration)
- Battery: Single-cell lithium, ~2.95 V to 4.20 V
- Sleep current: ~1 µA
- Inactivity timeout: 5 minutes (when not connected to a receiver)
- Vibration motor for haptic feedback
Receiver
- Processor: ESP32-C3
- VESC interface: CAN bus (up to 4 VESCs)
- BMS interface: UART (Jiabaida and Kaly protocols), auto-detect pins
- Wireless: Bluetooth Low Energy + WiFi (not used simultaneously)
- USB: USB-C (configuration and OTA fallback)
- Auxiliary output: 5 V signal (control only, not power)
- Max paired remotes: 4
- Failsafe brake ramp: 0% to 30% over 10 seconds when remote signal is lost
- Throttle timeout: 300 ms before signal is treated as neutral
System
- Throttle update rate: ~50 times per second
- Telemetry update rate: ~10 times per second
- Connection security: BLE encrypted with passkey bonding (Secure Connections + MITM)
- VESC compatibility: Any VESC supporting standard CAN bus messages
- BMS compatibility: Jiabaida, Kaly
23. Easter Egg
There is a Snake game hidden in the remote firmware. Find it and you've unlocked a piece of GB history. Move the snake with the throttle. Choose your difficulty. Don't crash. Don't ride and play.
Need Help?
- Documentation and downloads: gbengineering.se
- Config tool: gbengineering.se/config-tool
- Source code (firmware): github.com/georgebenett/gb_remote
- Community: see the support page on the website
This manual covers the GB Remote and Receiver as of firmware version 2.2.0 and later. Earlier firmware versions may behave slightly differently — update before troubleshooting.
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).