ALL Soft Pad Discussion goes HERE

[mosaic]

My first post to the forum and it has to be about a problem with a dance mat. *sigh* I'm going to break this up into sentences in order to be descriptive, so I apologize if this looks lengthy.

Off of eBay, I bought what appears to be a Deluxe Ignition 2.0 pad from a seller named plegend2001. To my surprise, it shipped directly from CypherGames. (Makes me wonder if it's an employee selling returns??) You can find that auction at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3023683828

It looks similar to the Level Six Deluxe Ignition Dance Mat 3.0. The mat I bought has the black plastic style foam, as opposed to the smoother foam shown in the images of the 3.1 mat. FYI, The URL for the Level Six 3.0 mat is:

http://www.levelsix.com/products/playstation2/deluxeDDR_v3.shtml

Here is my problem:

Whenever I step onto the right arrow, I cannot step on the left at the same time. I can step on up and down while the right is "pressed" however.

Whenever I step onto the left arrow, I can't step on the right arrow at the same time. I can't hit up at the same time either, but I can hit down just fine. Surprisingly, I can hit the up+left or left+right tandems if I hop on them simultaneously. One nutty thing is that the lower/right arrow behaves as if I were stepping on "left."

As a result, I'm finding myself trying to stand in the middle and I'm not utilizing the entire surface of the pad. Of course, that makes any song over 1 step impossible.

Any suggestions or insights as to what the problem is and for solutions? I was on a trip last week, so I didn't begin using the pad until now, and I'm outside of the seller's ghetto seven day return window. *ouch* Right now, I'm tempted to get the LevelSix 3.1 pad or the BNS Ultra DX-Xtreme, but I thought I'd ask for opinions first.

Thanks for any help.

[Ke6dRRtY]

Did you turn off the controller buttons for dance play? Go to options -> controller options and turn off both controllers for dance play.

[Ke6dRRtY]

post bug sucks

[mosaic]

[shadowdance]

Could anyone give me a link to a site that shows you how to do a chair mat mod or could anyone explain it to me. It sounds like a good mod and would like to try it out.

[Ke6dRRtY]

[mosaic]

Kilo Echo Six wrote:

[mosaic]

Just a little update to my situation...

Being the impatient freak that I am, I used an exacto knife to slice into the plastic inside the mat in order to get at the sensors for the lower left and lower right arrows. I inserted two plastic transparency sheets where the sensors for those directions would touch, pulled things tight, and zipped the sucker back up.

For me, the pad works much better now, because I can use the entire mat and don't have to worry about those directions preventing me from stepping on left, right, up, or down at the same time. I guess my big feet were half the problem -- although I think it's lame when two arrows on a mat can prevent you from stepping on the rest. C'est la vie I guess - probably what happens when you get a $15 "Ignition" mat from eBay.

I guess I probably ought to do the chair mat mod also, to stiffen things up a bit.

[marcuslycus]

Hi!

Does anyone have schematics for the wiring in the DDR pads? I have three pads, and am about to mod two of them with the tried-and-true plywood method. However, I have large feet, and the pads are rather small. So I need to be able to disconnect the two arrows at the back of the pad - the ones to the left and right of the down arrow that are never used. They mess me up everytime!

Instead of ripping the mat apart, like others have done here, and tape-ing the sensors... I would rather just open the plastic box at the top of the pad and snip the two wires that go to those arrows.

Thanks,
Mark

[nekopunch]

how many people here have bought the DPR2 and had the bottem step
stopworking for you?!?

Well mine did a whole MONTH after I bought it!

arn't these supposed to be a reliable pad?

as you can tell this bothers me a lot!

So I riped open my pad and saw that the plastic was riped.

Well, my question is how do I bypass a tear in the plastic,
so I can play like a normal person again.
_________________

everything beeps now, and thats ok by me

[Bakuryu]

Heya. I have a quick question about two different brands of pads. I've just about had it with my two ghost-step infested RedOctane 1.0 pads , so I've decided it's time to break down and get some new pads.

After looking through this thread quite a bit, I've read that the BNS DX X-treme pad is perhaps the best of the best among soft pads with it's thicker foam insert. However, I've also read (though in far fewer posts) that the pads from ddrnation.com Ignition 2.0 pads are also quite good. My question has to do with the difference in quality. Two of the ddrnation pads would cost me roughly $70.00, whereas two of the BNS pads would cost me roughly $100.00. Can anyone tell me if the difference in quality is worth the extra $30.00 in price? I would rather have a much better pad and pay more, but I also would love to save $30.00 if it doesn't matter that much... Also please let me know if I'm overlooking anything I should be considering.

Thanks in advance for any and all replies.
_________________

SPOON!!! ~ The Tick

[diabloslayer469]

Which one of these ignition pads would be the best after a chair mat mod?
http://www.redoctane.com/ignitionpad.html
http://store.yahoo.net/mxbox/mxdxv25b.html
http://www.levelsix.com/products/playstation2/deluxeDDR_v3.shtml
http://www.levelsix.com/products/playstation2/deluxeDDR_v31.shtml
http://www.levelsix.com/products/playstation2/deluxeDDR.shtml
http://www.cyphergames.com/50501054.html
http://www.buynshop.com/productinfophp3/VG-DDR-ULTDX

[Ke6dRRtY]

They would be the same.

[diabloslayer469]

How should one go about taping an ignition pad to a piece of plywood? Where should I tape it? Can somebody post a pic of an ignition pad taped to a piece of plywood?

[JasonM]

Hey, I recently got several DX pads off ebay from seller ourcost2u. They look like just about every other DX pad I've seen, but have a 'DDRNation' logo on the bottom left side of the pad. It was working fine for a couple days, when the cord apparently crapped out. I know this because the light still turns on when arrows are stepped on. I use an EMS USB2 adapter, and there it doesn't read input from the pad. Instead of buying another pad, I was thinking of resoldering a working psx controllers cord into the pad in an attempt to get it working again. I've read similar stories of people who have done this, and I was wondering if anyone would be able to give any more information regarding the processes involved. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[ThyrstyFysh]

Okay, tell me if this is a good idea. I am new but I play on my friends cheap-o soft pads so im not really a newbie. This is what I'm planning on buying:

Cypher Games Deluxe Ignition Pad v2.0 -39.99
Chair Mat -?.??

Is this a good idea. I need help with the chair mat mod. I hear people talk about it all the time but I have no idea what it really is. All help is appreciated. I am buying the pad from Cypher Games direct. Does the 2.0 come with the hard insert. With the insert do I still need the Chair Mat mod. PLEASE EXPLAIN HOW TO PREFORM THE CHAIR MAT MOD!!! Thanks again. Sorry for caps there.

[ThyrstyFysh]

Okay, tell me if this is a good idea. I am new but I play on my friends cheap-o soft pads so im not really a newbie. This is what I'm planning on buying:

Cypher Games Deluxe Ignition Pad v2.0 -39.99
Chair Mat -?.??

Is this a good idea. I need help with the chair mat mod. I hear people talk about it all the time but I have no idea what it really is. All help is appreciated. I am buying the pad from Cypher Games direct. Does the 2.0 come with the hard insert. With the insert do I still need the Chair Mat mod. PLEASE EXPLAIN HOW TO PREFORM THE CHAIR MAT MOD!!! Thanks again. Sorry for caps there.

[mosaic]

I have the CypherGames 2.0. In addition to the glitchy lower left/right arrows (which may not bug you if your feet aren't size 13s like mine), it comes with cheaper foam padding than the higher quality RedOctane and BNS pads.

I did the chair mat mod and it made me a believer. Steps register quicker and more accurately, and it shores up the lame padding better.

The chair mat mod is pretty straightforward. Go to your favorite office store and purchase a chairmat meant for hardwood floors -- e.g. without the spikes on the bottom. Staples has 'em for $20, Officemax for $40, and your mileage may vary.

Grab some strong scissors or see if you know someone that has a good set of power tools. You need to cut up the chair mat to fit inside the dance pad -- the Cypher Games pad has roughly 32" by 31" of space to fill if you don't bother supporting the start/select buttons.

It's a good idea to sand down or tape over the outer edges of the chair mat after you cut it.

Insert the chair mat inside the pad, under the sensors and on top of the foam padding. Zip up and wow, you have a sturdy dance pad.

[diabloslayer469]

Isn't taping an ignition pad to a piece of plywood more effective than a chair mat mod?

[diabloslayer469]