fast: Config Reference
This is a config file reference. Click for instructions.
This page is reference material which explains every setting and option for this section of an MPF yaml config file. See the instructions for config files for formatting and other details. See our guide to config file examples for more examples of real configs in action.
| Valid in | |
|---|---|
| machine config files | YES  |
| mode config files | NO  |
2026 Documentation Update
The following config documentation is relevant for MPF 0.57.4 and 0.80.0.
Last updated: Dec 18, 2025.
The fast: section of your machine-wide config is where you configure hardware options that are specific to the FAST Pinball Controller.
The FAST website also has thorough documentation and examples for MPF 0.57 and 0.80 compatible configurations.
fast: config reference
The top-level fast: key contains subsections for each of the various component networks available with FAST.
You do not need to include any section that is not present in your machine.
net:
This contains the configuration for the NET IO boards, which handle switches and drivers. See fast:net: config reference for more details.
exp:
This contains the configuration for the EXP boards, which handle lights and various motors and accessories.
exp_int:
When using the Raspberry PI directly connected to a Neuron board, the Neuron's LED ports are not accesible on the normal exp bus.
To enable use of these headers, define the FP-EXP-2000 model board in the exp_int instead of exp configuration.
If using other EXP boards, you still define those on the normal exp configuration.
For an example, see this pull request on Github.
See fast:exp: config reference for more details.
aud:
This contains the configuration for sounds played through the FAST Audio board. See fast:aud: config reference for more details.
Pre-2024 Documentation
The following documentation was current in mid 2023, some settings and structures may have changed since then:
fast: config settings
The fast: section of your machine-wide config is where you configure
hardware options that are specific to the FAST Pinball Controller. Note
that we have a how to guide which includes
all the FAST-specific settings throughout your entire config file, so be sure to read that
if you have FAST hardware.
ports:
List of one (or more) values, each is a type: string. Defaults to
empty.
A comma-separated list of the serial port names your FAST controller uses.
fast:
ports: com3, com4, com5
Optional settings
The following sections are optional in the fast: section of your
config. (If you don\'t include them, the default will be used).
baud:
Single value, type: integer. Default: 921600
The baud rate for the FAST COM ports.
console_log:
Single value, type: one of the following options: none, basic, full.
Default: none
Log level for the console log for this platform.
debug:
Single value, type: boolean (true/false). Default: false
See the documentation on the debug setting for details.
dmd_buffer:
Single value, type: integer. Default: 3
Max backlog for the DMD port to prevent overflows in the FAST CPU.
driverboards:
Single value, type: one of the following options: fast, wpc, None. Defaults to empty.
Which driverboards are you using? Most likely fast. Similar to
driverboards in the hardware:
section. Use this setting if you use multiple playforms (i.e. FAST and
P3-Roc) in one machine.
file_log:
Single value, type: one of the following options: none, basic, full.
Default: basic
Log level for the file log for this platform.
hardware_led_fade_time:
Single value, type: time string (ms)
Instructions for entering time strings. Default: 0
Controls how quickly LEDs will fade to their new color when they receive a color instruction from MPF.
The default is 0, which means if you set an LED to be red, it will turn
red instantly. But if you set hardware_led_fade_time: 20, that means
that when an LED receives an instruction to turn RED, it will smoothly
fade from whatever color it is now to red over a period of 20ms.
You can play with different settings to pick something you like. Some
people prefer the instant 0ms snappiness that\'s possible with LEDs.
Others like to set this value to something like 100ms which gives LEDs
the more gentle fade style reminiscent of incandescent bulbs.
ignore_rgb_crash:
Single value, type: boolean (true/false). Default: false
Ignore if the RGB CPU crashes. It will restart and the light will mostly
recovery within a few seconds. If you set this to False MPF will
shutdown when this happens because the hardware state is undefined when
this happens.
net_buffer:
Single value, type: integer. Default: 10
Max backlog for the NET port to prevent overflows in the FAST CPU.
rgb_buffer:
Single value, type: integer. Default: 3
Max backlog for the RGB port to prevent overflows in the FAST CPU.
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