Controller Setup
Small Buttons
Insert the three buttons into their holes.
Add the spring washers and nuts to secure them tightly.
Arcade Buttons
Press the six arcade buttons into their holes. They'll snap into place with a satisfying click.
Ethernet Port
Insert the panel mount Ethernet port and secure it with the supplied hex nut. Note, if it is a tight fit you can screw the port into the hole rather than just pressing it in.
USB Port
Next is adding an external USB A port extension to the Raspberry Pi for plugging in a keyboard or player 2 gamepad. You can even plug in a hub to use mouse and keyboard for system setup and maintenance in case you don't want to SSH into the machine.
Feed it through the rectangular hole and press it into place.
KB2040 Breakout
A KB2040 board with a custom breakout PCB will be used to wire up the buttons and joystick. The KB2040 will run the open source GP2040-CE firmware and connect to the Raspberry Pi over USB.
Solder KB2040 to Breakout PCB
Use the supplied male header pins to solder the KB2040 to the Fightstick v2 PCB.
A length of silicone wire or polyamide tape can be helpful for securing things to the board while soldering.
Configuration Button
Insert the tactile button switch into the board's Web Config position and solder them in from the back side. This is optional but very helpful while setting up GP2040-CE before the full sized buttons have been wired up.
Wiring Header
Use flush cutters to snip off a 10x2 section of the double-row male header pins.
Insert them into the PCB, then secure them with silicone wire or tape before flipping them over to solder from the bottom of the board.
Snip Header Pins
Use diagonal flush cutters to snip off the excess header length from the KB2040 pins. Be sure to wear eye protection while snipping these -- the tend to shoot off like tiny little evil projectiles when snipped!
Optional JST XPH Headers
You can add additional headers to the board for an external reset switch and a power LED. These are super extra and super optional.
The Reset header is soldered to G and Rst.
The LED header is soldered to D1 and G.
Mounting Plate
The Raspberry Pi and KB2040 Fightstick v2 boards will be mounted under the top plate using the mounting plate. This helps prevent too much of a wiring sandwich once everything is connected. Big thanks to a community member for suggesting this during a livestream!
Page last edited August 17, 2026
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