Some GTV kit owners have experienced that after messing around in VESC Tool, they go to engage their board, and it only lets out a high pitched squeal. What’s going on? Well, that Motor Squeal indicates the configuration was likely reset to complete defaults. The likely way this happened was entering Motor Setup from the Start Tab, which pops up a message asking if you would like to reset everything to defaults. Without proper care and attention, it’s possible to tap Yes without reading or understanding, wiping your configurations completely.
First thing to check is if you have a working Backup. If you managed to save a working Backup prior, all you have to do is restore it by tapping “Restore Configs” under the Start tab. However, if you have no backup, the easiest way to proceed would be to load up the configuration files below. This will get the Motor and Float configs back to how they were out-of-the-box. But, you will have to re-do IMU calibration manually, as this is specific to your board. But first, we must load the files.
First, you must download the files below, each correlating to a specific tab at the top of VESC Tool (Float CFG, Motor CFG, App CFG). Go to each tab, tap “…” in the bottom right, select Load XML, and locate the correct file for that tab. Once loaded, be sure to tap “Write” at the bottom of the screen, this applies the change. And repeat this for the remaining CFG tabs.
GTV_Motor.xml (10.6 KB)
GTV_App.xml (12.0 KB)
GTV_Float.xml (5.6 KB)
Now, before IMU setup, we should disable the Float Package (to prevent engagement while setting up). To Disable the Float Package, go to the Float CFG tab at the top, and under the new dropdown at the top (likely set to “Tune”), tap that and switch over to the Specs menu. You will see a toggle that says “Disable Float Package.” Switch that toggle, and tap Write at the bottom of the screen to apply the change.
Now, you need to re-do IMU Setup. First, I would Backup from the Start tab so that you don’t have to worry about loading the XML’s again if you mess up somehow (since you don’t have a working backup currently anyways). Then, still on the Start tab, go to the IMU Setup.
You will see 4 buttons, with IMU Configurator being the first one. Since we loaded the App XML, we can skip this one and go straight to Gyro Calibration. Go through the IMU Setup process for the remaining three buttons (Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Orientation). Be especially patient and careful with Accelerometer, as it’s not obvious how to do properly just from looking at the app. I highly recommend following along with a guide, such as TheBoardGarage’s VESC Setup Video (starting at 1:00:32): https://youtu.be/YeFLmPA049o?si=OR_xu3jxu4qodTAg&t=3632
*Note, for the Orientation step, calibrate Roll and Pitch with a level board like normal, but then you can feel free to tap SKIP for the Yaw step (correct value was included in App XML). If you follow a guide properly, doing this step won’t cause any issue, it’s just skipping another point where you could potentially mess something up.
From here, it’s time to verify functionality. Go to the RT Data tab, and scroll down to the screen with a 3D model and IMU data (Pitch, Roll, etc.). Set the board tail down (normal resting position), and make sure Roll reads around 0, and Pitch reads as positive (probably ~20 degrees). Then bring the board level and make sure Roll and Pitch reads around 0. If so, go back to Float CFG → Specs, turn off the Disable Float Package toggle, then Write. Then, follow this process for hand-testing: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4g2xmK8zSkI
If successful, you should hopefully be good to go! Once you confirm it’s up and riding properly, feel free to make a new Backup so that you have a working Backup to restore to if ever needed. Then, follow the proper Start-up Guide to proceed: GTV Power Kit Start Guide
If the IMU readings aren’t as expected, you likely messed something up in the calibration process. Restore your backup from before the calibration and be sure to be as patient as possible, reading/watching steps carefully from a trusted guide.