Integrated Pico Fighting Board - GP2040CE

Jasen's Customs SKU: IPFB-GP2040CE
Integrated Pico Fighting Board - GP2040CE

Integrated Pico Fighting Board - GP2040CE

Jasen's Customs SKU: IPFB-GP2040CE
Regular price $26.95
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  • In stock, ready to ship
  • Inventory on the way

Background

NEW VERSION 3.0 PCB - USB PORT for PASSTHROUGH DEVICES INTEGRATED INTO THE PCB!

Starting in August 2022, I embarked on a journey to take some of the work that FeralAI (https://github.com/FeralAI/GP2040-Config-PicoFightingBoard/) was doing with the Raspberry Pi Pico as a Fighting Board and bring it to the next level; specially I wanted a PCB that had the Pico circuitry integrated into it, this way it looked and felt like a polished final product. The idea was simple: if the fit and finish was like the Brook PCBs, all the accessories on the market would just work with them and installation would be a snap. We could finally have a Fighting Board that was super-fast, community supported, you can tinker with it, and wouldn’t break the bank. I think I managed to accomplish this with my version of the Pico Fighting Board – The Integrated Pico Fighting Board or IPFB (catchy name, right?!). Along the way I found out that FeralAI had moved on from the project and the community picked it up, created a fork, and a lot of smart people have moved it along. The current GP2040-CE Community manager, TheTrain, is doing an excellent job coordinating things.

Hardware Specifications

The IPFB uses the same foot print and relative placement of connects as most Brook Fighting Boards and the Akishop PS360+ by design. This is meant to be a direct drop in to fight sticks and systems that use wiring and connections the FGC and most stick builders have come to use over the past decade. All connectors are JST PH with the exception of the 20 pin header which uses a dual row, 2.54mm pitch, male pin connector, and the JST XH connector behind the USB-B plug as an alternate USB cable connection point. The board has a number of vias to reduce ground plane impedance between the top and bottom ground planes.

Version 2.0 Update

None of these updates render the previous version "worse" for normal use. The 2.0 Version addresses a couple of design changes, as follows:

  • Replaced the onboard crystal with an oscillator to ensure no long term issues with crystals. None have had an issue to this point but its better to improve on designs when possible.
  • Removed the inline resistors for the LEDs (P1-4 and Turbo). This will let you repurpose those pins for non-LED functions if you choose.
  • Switched the 5 pin header for the RGB function to a 3 pin header for ease.
  • Re-aligned all the screw terminals for a tighter fit with the brand we use.

A great source of information on the pinouts, connections, and design can be found in the JasensCustomsIPFBOverview-V1.2 overview document.

Version 3.0 Update

  • Added a USB A port to support PASSTHROUGH devices to authenticate on modern consoles.

What’s Included?

Each IPFB will be fully assembled, minus the debug/X14/USB BOOT pin headers, and loaded with at least version 0.60 of the GP2040-FW. Please ensure you validate the pin settings upon install for Turbo, Turbo LED, and RGB data at the very least.

GP2040-CE Open Source Firmware

The brains of the IPFB is the fantastic GP2040-CE Open Source Firmware. It is managed by @TheTrain and all of the important details regarding the firmware, its use and changes can be found on the website: https://gp2040-ce.info/ this website is updated very regularly so I encourage you to check it out for yourself. Any information posted here could very well be out dated within a few hours! The high points are:

  • The firmware supports PC, MiSTer, Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4 legacy mode.
  • There is an awesome Web Configurator for the PCB that lets you tweak settings, assign pins to various functions, and more.
  • The Open Source Firmware does support indexable RGB LEDs – the IPFB has a connector so you can take advantage of it.
  • The board using the GP2040-CE has been validated to have less than 1ms of lag using WyD’s testing techniques.

When updating your IPFB please use the Pico Fighting Board version of the firmware they post. This requires the least amount of reconfiguring in the web configurator to use with the IPFB. Specifically, on the IPFB:

  • The TURBO LED pin is connected to GPIO 23
  • The TURBO BUTTON is connected to GPIO 28
  • RGB LED Data is connected to GPIO 15

Support the GP2040-CE Community by:


Further Details

Please review the JasensCustomsIPFBOverview-V1.1 over view document. This has more information than you can ever know!

Special Considerations

Thank you to those that helped me test the builds!

  • The Real Phoenix
  • Wren
  • Black Majic
  • neo702
  • imbor3rlin3
  • Paik4Life

Thanks to TheTrain for the discussions both technical and otherwise during the development.

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Customer Reviews

Based on 16 reviews
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O
Omar
Best budget board out there!

Have this combined with my Panthera EZ Mod and have had no complaints works perfectly!

G
George Cepeda
Best value version of the GP2040 out there

If you're going to get a PCB alternative to the Brook Fighting Boards, then I believe this is the version to get. It's reasonably priced and has excellent support for PS4/PS5 upgrades and works with existing 4-pin and 5-pin cable harnesses produced for other replacement joystick PCBs. It's also compatible with the EZ Mod turbo panel replacement for the classic Mad Catz TE joysticks. The labeling on the IPFB is more orthodox and inline with what people have been used to from replacement PCBs for joysticks for over a decade now.
The IPFB has some advantages over other PCBs in that you DO NOT have to install a dedicated "HOME" button and that its flash memory allows it to remember the joystick lever mode (Left Analog, Right Analog, D-pad) you choose. This last point is important since the IPFB does not support an LS-DP-RS switch.
I recommend reading Jasen's Set Up tutorials and following those to the letter as much as possible. The Configurator website has changed a little bit but the Turbo values to be set remain the same.
Also, besides getting the firmware updates, make you sure you obtain the flash.nuke file from the GP2040 website in case you get into trouble with firmware updates. It's very difficult to brick this PCB but you want to be aware of what you need to do to restore a Pico PCB that has incompatible firmware revisions. Keep in mind that if you do get into trouble that you have to press a button on the Pico PCB to reset it before you plug in the USB cord! This is the button by the 2-pin JST connection on the IPFB, btw. It's laid out in the diagram photo Jasen provides for the IPFB.
I've managed to download and install incompatible firmware when trying to upgrade. Right now, firmware 0.7.9 (the latest revision) is ultra-compatible with the IPFB GP2040 CE Jasen has designed. I would recommend skipping over firmware 0.7.6 and 0.7.7 since they caused issues with the IPFB PCBs I own -- ie, buttons stopped working and the joystick lever no longer registered inputs. Earliest firmware I would go back to would be 0.7.5 but be aware this firmware revision is NOT fully compatible with some PS3 fighting games (which WILL require a jump drive/USB converter to allow full-PS3 compatibility on games like Super Street Fighter II HD Remix) and that the Turbo functions a bit differently with the earlier firmware. IMHO, you're better off sticking with firmware 0.7.9 which has full PS3 compatibility.

G
George Cepeda
IFPB has issues with Pico FB firmware updates v0.7.6 and v0.7.7; stick with firmware v0.7.5

The IPFB Jasen sells is an excellent product for max compatibility with the wire harnesses sold for the Brook PCB format as well as EZ Mod/Mad Catz TE Turbo panel replacement.
The IPFB is different enough from the stock model Pico Fighting Board that there are issues with Pico FB firmware v0.7.6 and v0.7.7
IF you choose to flash your IPFB past firmware v0.7.5, you may encounter issues with joystick mode assignment. In my case, I found that the directions got scrambled regardless of joystick mode assignment and that the lever was not functioning properly. Flashing back to v0.7.5 resolved these issues. You really don't need to to have higher v0.7.5 at any rate to use with PC and PlayStation consoles.
My pushbuttons became disabled after testing v0.7.6 and v0.7.7
I needed to use the Nuke File to reset the IPFB AFTER rebooting the IPFB manually -- ie, plug the USB cord of the IPFB into the PC while holding down the BOOTSEL button on the IPFB PCB itself. (See provided IPFB diagram sheets uploaded by Jasen; they are a GODSEND to understanding this PCB and are NOT hard to follow.)
It's these specific reboot issues that may cause problems for people who do not read directions or know how to resolve problems on their own.
I really didn't feel like the GP2040CE website was all that user-friendly. The menu interface is a bit complex. I'm very, very glad that Jasen posted specific instructions for setting up the IPFB or I might have gotten very, very lost when setting up the IPFB. I can't say that GitHub website has a very good layout, period.
I brought up some of these points and a certain GitHub mod got on my case and treated me like I'd insulted him personally. I felt like I was dealing with an ultra-thin-skinned, ultra-bratty 3-yr-old. He is one of THE WORST moderators I've dealt with in 30 years of Net-browsing. I was not impressed with this emotionally-stunted individual who could not tell the difference between mild criticism of firmware/product and a personal attack. Never did I have any problems asking for advice from other people on SRK forums when similar issues were brought up. We dealt with issues with other PCBs (MC Cthulu, the PS360+) and the designers and vendors of these product were never as nasty to people as this GitHub JERK was to me.
Deal with GitHub at your own risk. If you ask politely around the older members of the Gaming Community, you might get help from other end-users. Just don't count on these GitHub coders to be anything but thin-skinned. Guys like the SOB I ran across would have been shut down quickly on SRK TechTalk 10-15 years ago. Yes, on other parts of SRK we had bad actors but for the most part TechTalk was more laid back and helpful. Autism is NOT an excuse for being an impolite jerk to people who are trying to help improve the accessibility of a product.

S
Shawn Jimenez

Amazing service, extremely fast shipping. Jasen never fails to deliver amazing products

G
George Cepeda
IPFB's PS3 compatibility issue MIGHT have a fix!

IPFB is an excellent PCB with broad compatility with PS3 (70-80% of the games do work with the PCB) and near unanimous compatibility with current-day PC (Windows 7+).
There are still a few PS3 games that will not authenticate with the IPFB due to some coding/security that is not in the IPFB.
Given that the newer Brook converters DO work with IPFB and you get near 100% compatibility with PS4 and PS5 when you use jump driver converters, I decided to do an experiment with my PS3=>PS4 Brook converter (White, A1 PCB revision).
I plugged my IPFB joystick into the P3/P4 jump drive converter and tested it with 2 fighting games I'd always been locked out of with my IPFB joystick.
We have a working solution, Folks! Using the Brook P3/P4 jump drive converter, the IPFB joystick is now compatible with Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix AND Marvel Vs Capcom 2 on PS3! The buttons that weren't working before ARE working now with the converter attached to controller. All directionals are registering, too!
Thank goodness it took less than a year to find a solution to the security/lockout problems! The hardware is already there to do this. Sure, people are going to gripe but what can you do?!? They probably COULD find a coding solution for this in the year AND include it with a firmware revision for the Pico Fighting Board but you have this now!
The P3/P4 jump drive converter is still available. $40. It's compatible with many PS3 controllers (not all -- the Hori Soul Calibur V/HRAP N3SA are NOT compatible with this converter) already on market including HRAP 3/SA/SE, HRAP V3 SA and I think the first 3-4 generations of Mad Catz joysticks including the problematic/incompatible with PC Generation 1/TE/PS3 joysticks. There's a full list of compatible joysticks on the description for the Brook P3/P4 converter on Amazon.
At this point, I'll never own an XBox console so "universal compatibility" is not a priority for me... Having my legacy controllers work across PS3, PS4, PS5, Mac, AND especially Windows IS my priority.