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-joe- Trick Member
Joined: 08 Jan 2003 Location: lv |
540. Posted: Sun May 25, 2003 8:25 pm Post subject: |
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BluemeanieTrader wrote: | Joe:
i reccomend using copper for the contacts that are glued to the back of your plexi....thats what i use...Copper is nice and soft...Between myself and friends we've must have spent near 200 hours on the pad on heavy without any problem, the mention of copper tape a few post back seems like another option.
as far as the 1 screw goes, why aren't you just getting another one at the local hardware store????
-Blue |
copper will be too soft. My problem is the heads of the screws in the braces are demoloshing the METAL ground contacts. I keep removing screws because i guess one screw may be a TAD bit higher than the side screw next to it and thats whats causing the metal to dent and scratch.
The screws i am using are the half inch screws from the stanley corner brackets. Mabey there too small, r mabey the heads of them are whats killing the metal. On that one brace, i have 1 screw because the rest of the metal is so dented that it makes HORIBLE contact with the heads of the screws.
What i plan on doing is:
Buying a box of 1 1/4 dry wall screws
getting 16 " 22 gague" sheet metal squares (i think my metal may be too thin now?)
instead of epoxying the contacts, im using adhesive spray
(What if i get screws that screw into the braces and make them totally flush with the braces?)
It seems that all my pads i built mess up after weeks. My ddr homepad and my beefman pad. They worked AWESOME for the first 3 weeks, (the ddr home pad lasted like 5 days... haha) but then they crap out.
I guess it just requires time and patience, 2 things im running out of. I have 5 more days of high school, i definately dont want to be working on dance pads in the summer
ANY help/comments/suggestions are 100% welcome _________________
good times, good times. |
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-joe- Trick Member
Joined: 08 Jan 2003 Location: lv |
541. Posted: Sun May 25, 2003 8:41 pm Post subject: |
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ZotTower wrote: | I have new pictures up from today and yesterday of my pad building process. Theres a pic of the PS1 circuit board (with drilled holes where I am going to solder), some pics on how to transform a ps1 controller's cable so that it can be fit into an ethernet jack, completed arrow panels, underside of arrow panels, etc.
Take a look:
http://student.seas.gwu.edu/~zottower/DDR%20Pad/ |
Hey, sweet looking pad. Its coming out GREAT!
I cant tell. are you using tap switches for your design? Or are you just gunna have the controller to press x o select etc...
Also, i see your only using 2 screws per brace. What kind of screws are you using for that?
and,,, how many gagues is your ground contact sheet metal?
Thanks _________________
good times, good times. |
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MoonJihad Basic Member
Joined: 08 Oct 2002 Location: Granby, Québec |
542. Posted: Mon May 26, 2003 5:28 am Post subject: Copper tape |
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lookout321 wrote: | COPPER TAPE, which we often used for constructing Slot Racing tracks. The copper tape is then connected to the wire from the Ground of the controller. Any screw around the perimeter of the arrow base that touches the copper tape will then trigger the arrow, It is soooo sensitive. And the copper tape conducts the electricity just like wire, needs no soldering to steel plates, and no steel plates to be affixed to the bottom of the Plexiglass. Working great! |
Looks nice. What kind of store carries that? Do I just pop in at the hardware store and ask for it or do I need to go to a specialty store? |
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KrakenGuy Trick Member
Joined: 03 Feb 2002 Location: Edmonton |
543. Posted: Mon May 26, 2003 6:01 am Post subject: |
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Zottower, your going to have an awesome pad when yours is done. I need to fix my sheet metal I think, I got like 15 guage sheet metal or something, all I know is that what I have now is way to thick. Its sooo hard to bend the sheet metal, so I am going to replace all 5 panels, and I think I will decide to get stainless steel cause the stuff I have now is like rusting just from a little bit of heat and a little bit of wiped down water. Yeah... |
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ZotTower Trick Member
Joined: 28 Aug 2002 Location: Courthouse Plaza, Arlington, VA |
544. Posted: Mon May 26, 2003 2:58 pm Post subject: |
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My sheet metal on the bottom of the panels for ground is 26 guage i think. It's the same kind I used to cover the plywood panels.
But today I ran into some trouble and I'm not sure what to do. I soldered the wires to my controller (dripping some molten solder on my finger at one point...OUCH) and it works, but not very well. (I'm only done with one side by the way). I played a few songs and I was getting B's on ones I normally AA. It seemed that it wasn't being very responsive sometimes (like some steps that I think should be Perfect are Good), and it had a hell of a hard time anytime quick series of 16th notes came up. There's no way it'd be able to handle MAX300 or anything really fast.
I also have minor complaints about how I think the arrow panels move down a little bit too much. I also think it's on the noisy side.
I am going to put the other 2 screws in the corner braces (so each will have 4, and see if that helps any). If anybody has any ideas, or notices anything that doesn't look good in my pictures - please tell me if you have any advice. _________________
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lookout321 Basic Member
Joined: 10 May 2003
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545. Posted: Mon May 26, 2003 3:36 pm Post subject: Copper tape |
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You can actually find copper tape in various sizes in almost any Stained Glass store, as this is a major component in stained glass work. |
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PureDynamo Trick Member
Joined: 16 Feb 2002 Location: West Springfield, MA |
546. Posted: Mon May 26, 2003 5:43 pm Post subject: |
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I have quick question, what kind of controller do you guys recommend using for wiring the pad, and what gauge wire do you guys use. _________________
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krillin2121 Basic Member
Joined: 06 May 2003 Location: Wisconsin |
547. Posted: Mon May 26, 2003 5:49 pm Post subject: |
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PureDynamo wrote: | I have quick question, what kind of controller do you guys recommend using for wiring the pad, and what gauge wire do you guys use. |
Use a Sony PS1 controller and use Cat5 wires to solder the controller and the pad. The Sony controller works like a charm, and Cat5 should be the right gauge that you're looking for. _________________
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Xeon Transponder Trick Member
Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Location: The moon |
548. Posted: Mon May 26, 2003 6:10 pm Post subject: re: |
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omg tower of zot, i am having the EXACT same problem, i tried max 300 today and failed within the first 20 seconds, i was like wait, thats not right. Iplayed it on my old one (i call it a hometide pad) and got a B. Major problem. Sometimes the arrows dont register, one of the panels sticks, they move up and down tooo much and it is loud as all hell. i have my pad in the basement and when i play, my parents can hear it outside. I think i might have to change this one to my "hometide" design also. But dont worry beef, ill still make a site for you, i just need pics of every step. Well, i gotta go, im going to the arcade yo. _________________
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MoonJihad Basic Member
Joined: 08 Oct 2002 Location: Granby, Québec |
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-joe- Trick Member
Joined: 08 Jan 2003 Location: lv |
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Xeon Transponder Trick Member
Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Location: The moon |
551. Posted: Tue May 27, 2003 9:14 am Post subject: |
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yeah, only 50 cents a bracket but you'd need to buy 400 of em since channel beat has a 200 dollar minimum order. _________________
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statikeffeck Basic Member
Joined: 02 May 2003 Location: Neptune, NJ |
552. Posted: Tue May 27, 2003 6:13 pm Post subject: Ethernet Wires |
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That is a great idea to make the playstation cord easily disconnectable. You can simply cut the playstation cord , but a jack on each end, then re-combine it with a coupler. Right?
What I am wondering about is the Braided copper colored wire that is all over inside of the playstation cable. This seems like a "9th" wire, and will not fit into the ethernet jack. What is this wire for, and is it alright to not connect it? _________________
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shunro Basic Member
Joined: 27 May 2003
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553. Posted: Tue May 27, 2003 6:49 pm Post subject: |
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how do you make a 8 button metal pad? |
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statikeffeck Basic Member
Joined: 02 May 2003 Location: Neptune, NJ |
554. Posted: Tue May 27, 2003 6:58 pm Post subject: |
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shunro wrote: | how do you make a 8 button metal pad? |
Too may answers to this question. Are you assuming a metal pad should only have 4 buttons (the four arrows)? Some people add 4 more radioshack style pushbuttons for Start, Select, Circle, and X.
If you are talking about having the 4 standard arrow panels PLUS the other 4 panels in the corners being buttons, well you just use do the same process to create a panel button as you do for the standard arrows.
and by the way, every playstation cord has 8 wires (plus the braided copper which I have yet to figure out). I'm talking about the wire between the actual controller and the end plug. [/b] _________________
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marsman57 Trick Member
Joined: 16 Jul 2002 Location: North Augusta/Columbia, SC |
555. Posted: Tue May 27, 2003 8:18 pm Post subject: |
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The braided copper is probably just some sort of shield wire... |
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muniac007 Basic Member
Joined: 27 Apr 2003 Location: In Your Closet! |
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krillin2121 Basic Member
Joined: 06 May 2003 Location: Wisconsin |
557. Posted: Wed May 28, 2003 8:19 am Post subject: |
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muniac007 wrote: | Does Paster keep his design to himself or does he give actual directions to build the whole pad? I want to Build his design but I cant find actual directions can someone help me? |
I've been wondering this myself... _________________
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muniac007 Basic Member
Joined: 27 Apr 2003 Location: In Your Closet! |
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Xeon Transponder Trick Member
Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Location: The moon |
559. Posted: Wed May 28, 2003 9:55 am Post subject: |
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instead of asking patster for his design, which had no point in making instructions for, why dont you read the riptide design instructions, then look at the patster pictures and figure out how to do it. The only difference between the two is the placement of the contact screws and that patster has his 2X4's on their side so his design is 5 inches tall instead of three. He did this so he would have space for the micro switches. Now PLEASE stop flooding this thread. _________________
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