hows this pad look?

[Darean]

You guys might've already seen this..Im not sure where my friend got the link from but anyways...
http://www.harmlesslion.com/stuff/text/ddr/
Now the pad is ghettofunkified, but changing some of the cardboard to wood..and uh maybe get better looking floor tiles =P and I think it'd be decent atleast, and very very cheap...I was wondering though, he uses that aluminum screening for the sensors to connect the wire too, would it be viable to put in a metal sheet somehow? or something else..or do you think the screens will be fine?

[tursi]

Heyas! That's the pad that Binky and I created. ;) I found these comments through my web page's referral log.

Anyway, normally I just sit back and chuckle at people's amusement of the pad, but since you asked some questions I can answer, I thought I'd sign up and say hi! :)

First, the cardboard to wood. For the base it could be done, and should be. I was considering building a new pad using hardboard for the base instead, (and also dropping the cork) as it worked well on the FrankenSleeve project.

You can't change the top layer to wood, as whatever the top layer is made of must be able to flex enough to apply pressure to only the pad you're stepping on. Cardboard isn't perfect, but it has the right flexibility. (A note is that FrankenPad, now nearly a year and a half old, is starting to have the top cardboard layer disintegrate. That still beats any of the thin pads I've owned, ghetto or not.) ;)

We considered using thick pieces of flexible plastic, as in the FrankenSleeve, but we need to find a better glue to hold the tiles on, as contact cement just slips. (One of the epoxies that chemically bonds the plastics would probably work well.)

Better looking floor tiles is a matter of opinion. ;) But you could use anything there, it's just so you can tell where you are standing. The tiles were cool and easy (self-stick, even), but they didn't hold up as well as the cardboard, they started to crack after about six months.

For the contacts, it would certainly be possible to use metal plates, but the decision to use screen didn't come lightly. I originally used the aluminum screen experimentally to repair my Konami Deluxe pads when the contact sheet inside tore. The screen is cheap, light, flexible (very important for a soft pad!), and reasonably easy to work with. After much experience, the main gotcha to watch out for with aluminum screen is to tape the edges with a bit of duct tape so that the frayed wires at the ends don't peel or poke through to the contact layer.

Aluminum screens also tend to oxidize, which reduces the conductivity slightly. Even on the first run, though, the contacts work very well, and tend to get better with use as the screens get used to pressing together. Usually by the time you're done your warmup song, the pad's in good shape. ;)

One other thing I'd change about the construction for my next one - the foam at 1/2" is a little too thick. I'd aim for closer to 1/3" or maybe even 1/4".

All told, for all the razzing it gets online, that pad held up really well and never had any serious problems. Not everyone prefers the soft pads, but I certainly do, and this project was a fun way to go.

[sokochan]

Hey, how'd you get them to honor the warranty? It states that wear and tear aren't covered, or is all that BS and they'll just make you(us) happy and replace it?
_________________

watashi wa sakki

[AllYourBase]

it makes you look fat. you should consider something more slimming
_________________

[tursi]

[quote]Hey, how'd you get them to honor the warranty? It states that wear and tear aren't covered, or is all that BS and they'll just make you(us) happy and replace it?[/quote]

Well, I was just along for the ride, but the store was happy to do the exchange, the pad was only 6 months old.

I wonder how they'd claim wear and tear when that's the only way they die.... I would imagine most larger game store chains (this was EB) wouldn't care. ;)