COMBO Extension Installation Guide - v0.6 (2024)

The COMBO Extension is a 2-in-1 button that allows you to add a button to the face of your controller without having to drill any holes. This guide will help you understand and perform the installation of a COMBO Extension into most arcade controllers.

Outline

• Controller Compatibility
• Button Installation
• Wiring

Controller Compatibility

The COMBO Extension is compatible with any arcade controller that can accept and install standard arcade buttons.

General white-list of controllers that can install a COMBO Extension:

• Hit Box
• Cross|Up
• Smash Box
• Any controller that can install buttons from these manufacturers: Sanwa, Seimitsu, Gamerfinger, Crown / Samducksa, and Qanba.

COMBO Extensions cannot be installed into:

• Pads (such as the DualShock4, DualSense, or Xbox controllers)
• Keyboards
• Any controller whose buttons switches are attached directly to a board (similar to a keyboard)
• Any controller whose clearance height is less than an inch and a half

Wiring Compatibility

For controllers that can install the COMBO Extension, there will be differences in what you can wire the Extension-button to depending on the controller.

In the wiring section, we go over some specific cases of wiring but it is not yet comprehensive.

In general:

• Modern versions of PS4 Hit Box (thinner with the non-slip bottom) and the Cross|Up will have access to L3, R3, and Touchpad easily.
• Older PS4 Hit Boxes (rubber feet at bottom corners and four menu buttons on top) will only be able to easily access Touchpad.
• Smash Box will only be able to truly duplicate any other buttons already available on the face of the controller.
• Brook boards will have direct access to L3, R3, and Touchpad. Modern versions will have an easy connection, older ones will either have screw terminals or will require soldering.
• All other controllers will either only be able to duplicate already available face buttons, or will require soldering to any available boards within the controller.

If you have any questions or need help with installation, please reach out to support@hitboxarcade.com or post in the #tech-support channel in our Discord.

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Button Installation

Safety, Parts, and Tools

First, make sure your controller is unplugged.

Second, you will need a COMBO Extension.

Lastly, your tools.

• P1 Philips screwdriver for Hit Box, Cross|Up, and Smash Box.
• Other controllers may or may not need a screwdriver.
• Needle-nose pliers.
• This can help with removing the wires from the button you are removing to replace.

Installation

1 - Remove the button that you wish to replace with at COMBO Extension (CX).

2 – Put the main-button portion of the CX into the now vacant hole. Ensure the Extension-button wiring goes into the hole as well.

3 – Push the CX into the controller's case until it is flush with the top of your controller.

4 – Install the wiring onto the main button, ensure that the ground wire is on the correct terminal (ground terminal is highlighted below).

Now that your COMBO Extension is installed, you will need to wire it up.

If you have any questions or need help with installation, please reach out to support@hitboxarcade.com or post in the #tech-support channel in our Discord.

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Wiring

Every controller will be different in how it can wire a COMBO Extension and what it can wire it to. Below is a general guide to this wiring process, with examples of specific controllers and boards.

As the COMBO Extension releases and gets into more hands, this portion of the guide is expected to get more comprehensive. If any of the below needs clarity or you have any questions, please contact support@hitboxarcade.com or join or Discord and discuss the process in the #combo-extension channel.

Wiring Guides Hub

• Hit Box
• Cross|Up
• Controllers with Brook Fighting Boards
• Other controllers
• Connecting to standard terminals

Hit Box

How and what you can wire to will depend on which generation of Hit Box you have.

Which version of Hit Box do you have?

Gen 4 or Gen 5 - PS4 Hit Box: instructions.

This version will have direct access to L3, R3, and Touchpad.

It will have a clearly visible v3.1 or v3.3 marking on it.

Gen 3 - PS4 Hit Box: instructions.

This version will have direct access to L3 and R3, and will require additional wiring for Touchpad.

The board will not have a clear marking on it like above.
But it will have a foam-like non-slip bottom.

Other PS4 versions

These versions will only be able to duplicate the Touchpad.

Use these instructions: here.

Older versions (PS3, Xbox 360, dual mod)

These versions will only be able to duplicate other buttons on the controller.

Use these instructions: here.

Brook Fighting Board

If you have a Brook Fighting board in your Hit Box, then proceed to these instructions: here.

If you have any questions or need help with installation, please reach out to support@hitboxarcade.com or post in the #tech-support channel in our Discord.

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Gen 4 & Gen 5 - PS4 Hit Box

Preliminary Information

These versions of the PS4 Hit Box provide direct access to L3, R3, and Touchpad.

If your controller does not have v3.1 or v3.3 clearly visible on the main board, you will have to use other instructions: Back to Wiring Guides Hub.

If you wish to simply duplicate other standard buttons on the face of your controller, please follow these directions: here.

Safety, Parts, and Tools

First, make sure your controller is unplugged.

Second, you will need these parts:

• COMBO Extension
  
• Terminal block
  (for every two COMBO Extensions you are wiring, you will need one of these)
  
• CN-TOP Cable Harness - 7-pin JST wiring harness
  
• Hit Box board - v3.1 or v3.3
  (installed on the inside of Hit Box)
  

Tools are not needed for this wiring, but having needle-nose pliers can help with if needed.

Instructions

1 - Use the CN-TOP cable harness

2 - Plug it into the CN Top port

Pinch the Terminal Block directly above the port where you want to insert
the wire. Insert the wire. Then release the Terminal Block.

Your cabling should be labeled, but if not the 2nd,
3rd, and 4th pins are R3, L3, and Touchpad,
respectively.

This is what the wiring logic should look like.

If you have any questions or need help with installation, please reach out to support@hitboxarcade.com or post in the #tech-support channel in our Discord.

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Gen 3 - PS4 Hit Box

Preliminary Information

This version of the PS4 Hit Box provide direct access to L3 and R3.

If you wish to also get access to Touchpad or want to simply duplicate other standard buttons on the face of your controller, please follow these directions: here.

If your controller does not have a board with a CN5 port, you will have to use other instructions: Back to Wiring Guides Hub.

Safety, Parts, and Tools

First, make sure your controller is unplugged.

Second, you will need these parts:

• COMBO Extension
  
• Terminal block
  (for every two COMBO Extensions you are wiring, you will need one of these)
  
• CN-5 Cable Harness - 8-pin JST wiring harness
  
• Hit Box board - with CN5 port
  (installed on the inside of Hit Box)
  

Tools are not needed for this wiring, but having needle-nose pliers can help with if needed.

Instructions

1 – Use the 8-pin cabling.

2 – Plug it into the CN5 port. Labelled “CN5” on the Hit Box board.

If you have any questions or need help with installation, please reach out to support@hitboxarcade.com or post in the #tech-support channel in our Discord.

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Cross|Up

Preliminary Information

This installation will provide direct access to L3, R3, and Touchpad for the extended-buttons.

At this time, with the v2.00 firmware of the Cross|Up, these buttons will not be remappable with the Cross|Up Designer Software.

If you wish to have the extended-buttons remappable you will either have to duplicate the remappable buttons or connect the extended-buttons directly to the cabling from the main board (which can be done with the knowledge from this guide and extra wiring & terminal blocks).

Safety, Parts, and Tools

First, make sure your controller is unplugged.

Second, you will need these parts:

• COMBO Extension
  
• Terminal block
  (for every two COMBO Extensions you are wiring, you will need one of these)
  
• 4-pin JST wiring harness
  
• Cross|Up board
  (installed on the inside of the Cross|Up)
  

Tools are not needed for this wiring, but having needle-nose pliers can help with if needed.

Instructions

1 – Use the 4-pin cabling

2 – Connected it to the 4-pin port on the Cross|Up board

3 – Connect the exposed ends of the wires from the 4-pin cabling into the Terminal Block. (Do not connect the black/ground wire)

If you have any questions or need help with installation, please reach out to support@hitboxarcade.com or post in the #tech-support channel in our Discord.

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Brook Fighting Board

Preliminary Information

This installation will provide direct access to L3, R3, and Touchpad for the extended-buttons.

Your controller may already have L3, R3, and Touchpad connected to its set of menu buttons. If this is the case, then you can simply duplicate those buttons with these instructions: here.

Older versions of Brook Fighting Boards may not have the required port for this installation, but L3, R3, and Touchpad should still be accessible. Reach out to your local, trusted controller modder for guidance if this ends up being your situation.

Safety, Parts, and Tools

First, make sure your controller is unplugged.

Second, you will need these parts:

• COMBO Extension
  
• Terminal block
  (for every two COMBO Extensions you are wiring, you will need one of these)
  
• 4-pin JST wiring harness
  
• Brook Fighting Board
  (we are using a Brook UFB as an example)
  

Tools are not needed for this wiring, but having needle-nose pliers can help with if needed.

Instructions

1 – Use the 4-pin cabling

2 – Connected it to the 4-pin port on the Brook Fighting Board
(If the port is not labelled, you may need to look up the board's schematics)

3 – Connect the exposed ends of the wires from the 4-pin cabling into the Terminal Block. (Do not connect the black/ground wire)

If you have any questions or need help with installation, please reach out to support@hitboxarcade.com or post in the #tech-support channel in our Discord.

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Other Controllers

The variety of controllers that the COMBO Extension can install into is extensive. The instructions below are for general use and guidance. If your controller is not mentioned above, you will have to use these instructions. As with all cases of modding, we recommend reaching out to you local, trusted controller modder for further guidance.

There are two main options for other controllers:

• Soldering to the board.
• If there is L3, R3, and Touchpad available.
• Duplicate already accessible buttons.

Soldering to the board

Preliminary Information

If L3, R3, and Touchpad are accessible on your controllers board, then this is an available option to you.

We only recommend this option if you have a clear understanding of the board you are attempting to solder to and you have extensive soldering experience, otherwise we highly recommend that you reach out to your local, trusted controller modder to help you with this.

In addition, we recommend not soldering the COMBO Extension wire to your board but instead solder an extra wire to your board and then using the terminal block as a way to connect the COMBO Extension to that extra wire. This will ensure that the COMBO Extension can be uninstalled and replaced like other buttons in your controller.

The instructions below will help with preparing your installation process for soldering, but it will not provide soldering instructions.

Safety, Parts, and Tools

First, make sure your controller is unplugged.

Second, you will need these parts:

• COMBO Extension
  
• Terminal block
  (for every two COMBO Extensions you are wiring, you will need one of these)
  
• Additional wiring - one wire for each COMBO Extension you wish to install
• Controller board and soldering tools.

We recommend that you do not solder to your controller's board unless you have full understanding of the board in your controller and have extensive soldering experience. Otherwise, please contact your local, trusted controller modder for help.

Instructions

1 - Connect the COMBO Extension wiring to the other end of the Terminal Block.

2 - Connect the wire that is soldered to your controller's board to the other end of the Terminal Block.

If you have any questions or need help with installation, please reach out to support@hitboxarcade.com or post in the #tech-support channel in our Discord.

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Duplicating Buttons

Preliminary Information

This process will use a Terminal Splitter in order to duplicate other buttons that are already installed in your controller.

This process does not add new binds to your controller that you do not already have mapped onto installed buttons.

Why duplicate a button?

• L3, R3, and/or Touchpad are already set to menu buttons on your controller, and you wish to have better access to them on the face of your controller.
• You simply want to have better access to a specific bind instead of where it is currently located on your controller.
• You wish to have remapping on the extended-button on the COMBO Extension for the Cross|Up.
• Or all of these above.

Safety, Parts, and Tools

First, make sure your controller is unplugged.

Second, you will need these parts:

• COMBO Extension
  
• Terminal block
  (for every two COMBO Extensions you are wiring, you will need one of these)
  
• Terminal Splitter - one for each COMBO Extension you wish to install
  

Tools are not needed for this wiring, but having needle-nose pliers can help with if needed.

Instructions

1 – Disconnect the signal wire from the button you wish to duplicate.

If you have any questions or need help with installation, please reach out to support@hitboxarcade.com or post in the #tech-support channel in our Discord.

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Connecting to Standard Terminals

Preliminary Information

The extended-button on the COMBO Extension does not have a connector that will work with standard terminals found in most arcade controllers.

In order to connect to these standard terminals, you can use a Terminal Splitter and Terminal Block to chain the connection.

Why use this method?

This method is for cases where duplicating another button does not fit your needs.

• You wish to have better access to a specific bind instead of where it is currently located on your controller, and do not want to break any controller rulesets regarding multiple buttons (ie, CPT).
• You wish to have remapping on the extended-button on the COMBO Extension for the Cross|Up without it being a duplicate button.

Safety, Parts, and Tools

First, make sure your controller is unplugged.

Second, you will need these parts:

• COMBO Extension
  
• Terminal block
  (for every two COMBO Extensions you are wiring, you will need one of these)
  
• Terminal Splitter - one for each COMBO Extension you wish to install
  

Tools are not needed for this wiring, but having needle-nose pliers can help with if needed.

Instructions

1 - Use the Terminal Splitter.

2 - Connect the Splitter end of the Terminal Splitter to the terminal end of the signal wire you wish to use.

[image coming soon]

3 - Connect the exposed end of the Terminal Splitter wire into the Terminal Block.

4 - Connect the COMBO Extension wiring to the other end of the Terminal Block.

5 - Determine what you want to do with your now spare button.

• If you wish to keep it as a 'dead' button, you do not need to do anything further.
• We recommend this option if the game you compete in requires that buttons are not to be duplicated on the face of the controller (ie, CPT).
• If you wish it to connect to L3, R3, or Touchpad:
• Connect the button to a Terminal Block, similar to the Duplicate instructions.
• Then connect it to L3, R3, or Touchpad depending on the controller you have. Use the Wiring hub to determine what will work best for you.
• If you wish for it to duplicate another button:
• Use the Duplicate instructions to connect the button to the Terminal Block and then connect it to another button.

If you have any questions or need help with installation, please reach out to support@hitboxarcade.com or post in the #tech-support channel in our Discord.

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