Wires
Each of the buttons will need wires prepared and connected to them:
- Connect the JST button connector cable. Those are the cables that came with your Arcade game kit with a white square plastic connector at the end (named JST connector).
![An arcade button with a JST cable](https://pxt.azureedge.net/blob/45cf6d0fb78ef56989b98215e4d42134c00af429/static/hardware/raspberry-pi/cardboard-control-panel/button.jpg)
- Insert 2 male jumper wires into the JST connector.
![A JST connector with 2 female jumper wires attached](https://pxt.azureedge.net/blob/a5d84172a681dc1c72c15c42d4885211124c5a08/static/hardware/raspberry-pi/cardboard-control-panel/headers.jpg)
- Secure the male jumper with some electrical tape. Make sure to pull hard on the tape as you wrap it giving it some stretch so it will grab good.
![Electrical tape to secure the jumper cables](https://pxt.azureedge.net/blob/1caa30a2e999cfdae6074df97c37b9ba4ebe32b2/static/hardware/raspberry-pi/cardboard-control-panel/headerstape.jpg)
- Using the wire stripper, strip one of the female jumper wires (strip off about 1/2” or 1cm).
![A female jumper wire and a stripped jumper wire](https://pxt.azureedge.net/blob/4e9cd95e82658ae804256fc6ee9ea7c0f1106c69/static/hardware/raspberry-pi/cardboard-control-panel/strip.jpg)
- Attach (optional) a piece of clear tape as a label and mark the name of the button with a permanent marker. It will make wiring much easier…
- Repeat this process for ALL of the 7 arcade buttons.
![All buttons wired and ready](https://pxt.azureedge.net/blob/44b8378203d6c83e892f287e9cd00077a8b4eda3/static/hardware/raspberry-pi/cardboard-control-panel/allwires.jpg)
- Grab the 7 stripped jumper wires and thread them together. Use electrical tape at the end of the unstripped portion to keep the wires together.
![A bundle of stripped jumper wire cables](https://pxt.azureedge.net/blob/c6ef38ef6a8053ba9e439dbe7e75d213696db543/static/hardware/raspberry-pi/cardboard-control-panel/bundle.jpg)
- Strip the male connector off of another jumper wire and thread it around the bundle of wires you just created. Use electrical tape to secure it all.
![A jumper wire attached to the bundle of jumper wires](https://pxt.azureedge.net/blob/45f06800a1389cd89c1a97ea9a3bbf0fa46ce638/static/hardware/raspberry-pi/cardboard-control-panel/gndwire.jpg)
Secure wire joints
If you have access to a soldering iron, it’s a good idea to add a bit of solder where the threaded wires join to guarantee a good electrical connection that won’t come apart.
Prepping the joysticks
For each joystick, they have 4 direction switches to prepare:
- Connect the joystick cable to the COM and NO terminals of the switch.
![Connection wires on the joystick terminals](https://pxt.azureedge.net/blob/53d8814e4cff40f7a23292febfade1606d930825/static/hardware/raspberry-pi/cardboard-control-panel/joystick.jpg)
- Connect 2 jumper wires to the JST connector.
- Strip one jumper wire for each connector.
- Repeat these steps for the terminals on ALL 4 of the joystick switches.
![Joystick cables with jumper wires attached from the JST connectors](https://pxt.azureedge.net/blob/58ac859cdc33a1d5390f75b82cbe0b85cefd2b65/static/hardware/raspberry-pi/cardboard-control-panel/joystickconnectors.jpg)
Tidy up the wires
You can use small zip ties to bundle wires together and avoid a spaghetti-like mess of wires.
![A small zip tie keep wires together](https://pxt.azureedge.net/blob/0bdeb64df6a05db2c82ac1bd90dca7154f317fc4/static/hardware/raspberry-pi/cardboard-control-panel/joystickzip.jpg)
- Join the 4 stripped jumper wires into a bundle.
![A bundle of stripped jumper cables from the joystick terminals](https://pxt.azureedge.net/blob/b7f749812465e0c4dcc8b38e801f6844832a999d/static/hardware/raspberry-pi/cardboard-control-panel/joystickbundle.jpg)
- Strip the male connector off of one more jumper wire and connect it to the bundle.
Next step…
Next, assemble the buttons and joysticks