Custom firmware for the Fightboard and Fightboard MX by thnikk, supporting XInput and Nintendo Switch.
The stock Fightboard firmware supports XInput and a bunch of extra features like profiles, remapping buttons, setting LEDs, etc. Well...this firmware has none of that and is instead focused on performance and enhancing system compatibility. It currently supports XInput (PC, Android, Raspberry Pi) and Nintendo Switch modes.
NOTE: Any saved configuration will be cleared when reflashing the controller!
An update package is provided that uses PowerShell and a bundled version of avrdude to handle flashing the microcontroller in the Fightboard. If you're familiar with this process or on Linux/Mac, you can just extract the .hex file and flash it manually.
Using the Update Script:
Follow these steps to update your firmware:
- Download and extract the latest firmware update package from Releases.
- Press the reset button twice quickly on the bottom of your Fightboard. You'll need a small screwdriver or toothpick to press it. This will put the microcontroller into bootloader mode for about 10 seconds.
- Run the
update.batfile from the extracted firmware update folder. Make sure you do this within a few seconds of resetting the board otherwise it will fail.
Manual Installation:
You will need avrdude for your platform and the COM port of your board when in bootloader mode. Run the following command, replacing $port with your COM port (COM10 for example). Have this command ready and run it right after resetting into bootloader mode with the double press:
avrdude -v -Cavrdude.conf -patmega32u4 -cavr109 -P $port -b57600 -D -Uflash:w:Fightboard.ino.hex:iThat's it! If all went well you should see a success message at the end like avrdude.exe: 15206 bytes of flash verified and avrdude.exe done. Thank you. If you have issues, try running through the steps again or opening an issue.
The Fightboard uses a standard 8-button fightstick layout. To make things easy, any references to these buttons will use the Generic labels in this documentation.
Generic:
P1 P2 P3 P4
K1 K2 K3 K4
XInput:
X Y RB LB
A B RT LT
Switch:
Y X R L
B A ZR ZL
To change the input mode, hold one of the following buttons as the controller is plugged in:
SELECTfor Nintendo SwitchSTARTfor XInput
Input mode is saved across power cycles.
You can switch between the 3 modes for the D-Pad while the controller is in use by pressing one of the following combinations:
SELECT + START + UP- D-PadSELECT + START + LEFT- Emulate Left Analog stickSELECT + START + RIGHT- Emulate Right Analog stick
D-Pad mode is saved across power cycles.
By default, the controller will use an Xbox color scheme for XInput and a Super Famicom color scheme for Switch mode. You can also override the color scheme by holding the following button(s) as the controller is plugged in:
| LED Effect/Layout | Button(s) | Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Xbox | P1 |  |
| Super Famicom | P2 |  |
| Six Button Fighter (SF and KI) | P3 |  |
| Guilty Gear Type-A | P4 |  |
| Neo-Geo Straight | K1 |  |
| Neo-Geo Curved | K2 |  |
| Neo-Geo Modern (2x2 layout) | K3 |  |
| Guilty Gear Custom (my layout) | K4 |  |
| Static Rainbow | P1 + P2 + P3 + P4 |  |
The overridden LED mode will be saved across power cycles, and can be cleared by holding R3 when plugging the controller in.
- XInput support
- Switch support
- Add LED support
- Create install package
- Review button state logic
- Optimize HID report construction
- Break apart XInput and Switch USB code
- Document development setup
I'd like to thank Jack Reitano, a.k.a. thnikk on Etsy, the creator of the Fightboard controllers. It's great he used common Arduino parts, and he was also kind enough to provide me some support while making this.
As for code, the base of this project was adapted from CrazyRedMachine's LUFAHybridFightstick, which was based on fluffymadness' ATMega32U4-Switch-Fightstick and bootsector's XInputPadMicro. There's not a whole lot of the original sketch left, but a lot of the glue is still here and it was a great starting off point.