Getting started with NanoGig Screen

NanoGig Screen is firmware for small ESP32 touchscreens. Once it is installed, the screen powers up from USB, finds the Nano Cortex over Bluetooth on its own and shows the gig view. No phone, no app, no pairing.

1. Get a screen

Either:

• a kit: a screen in a printed case with the firmware already installed and licensed, or
• one of the supported boards, bought on its own.

2. Install the firmware

Kits are ready to go: skip to step 3.

For your own board, use the web installer. You need a computer with Chrome or Edge (Safari, Firefox and phones can’t talk to USB boards) and a USB cable that carries data.

1. Open /install and pick your board.
2. Plug the board in, press Connect and choose its port. The installer checks that the chip matches the board you picked and shows the chip’s ID.
3. Press Install. Writing takes a minute or two; keep the cable in and the tab open. The board restarts by itself.

If the board doesn’t answer, hold BOOT, tap RESET, let go of BOOT and press Connect again. The installer page has more tips.

A full install starts the board from scratch: it replaces any other firmware and resets the screen’s Wi-Fi and settings. To move an installed screen to a newer version, update over Wi-Fi instead.

3. Power it

Plug the screen into any USB power: a phone charger, a power bank, or the same supply as the pedal through a Y cable or a small hub. Use a cable that carries data and power for the board; the board guide says which (the 2.8” CYD needs a USB-A to USB-C cable).

The screen boots in about a second.

4. Connect to the pedal

1. Make sure nothing else is connected to the pedal: close Cortex Cloud and the NanoGig app. The pedal takes one Bluetooth connection at a time.
2. Power on the pedal. The screen looks for it and connects by itself.
3. The first time, it reads all 64 preset names, which takes a few seconds. They are remembered on the screen, so later it shows them right away.

If it doesn’t find the pedal within about 30 seconds the status line says so. The pedal only advertises for a short while after a disconnect and not at all in tap tempo mode: leave tap tempo, or power-cycle the pedal.

5. Set it up

• Upside down? Menu (≡) → Settings → NanoGig tab → page 2 → Rotate display. Brightness is next to it.
• Bank labels: Settings → NanoGig tab → presets per bank and label style, to match your MIDI controller.
• Hand the pedal to Cortex Cloud: Menu → Disconnect. Menu → Connect takes it back.

Then see Features for everything the screen does.