My home built metal DDR pad (Part IV)

[Tyris]

@ betaiotaomega2
no prob.
Using the MDF strips I would suggest is for the screws to go into and for the wire housing... but other than that its not needed. It also adds more weight... which is good if your pad moves alot when you play (tho mine still move a metre during maniac songs) and bad to carry.
Things to be careful about just using a single plywood base are:
Watch the brackets... if you put them too low, then you'll have to dig small rivets for them to fit into the base.
Get some proper tools it took me HOURS to dig rivets for the wires to run via. <-- this is the hardest most time consuming part if you remove the MDF strips.

[Papa Shango]

Well, the tape sin't that bad, the arrows are perfecty fine now, the problem was there wasn't even weatherstripping before , as for the control box, i'll probably bring it to someone who knows how to solder good and let them do it for a "cheap" price, after wasting my initial PSX ontroller and on a solder gun which i purchase, don't want to throw more money down the drain . the pad works nicely, i manage to get 1 boo on Hot Limit Maniac
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[thetaller1]

i need help on the wiring, is there a simplier way i can make it touch the buttons? email me at [email protected] or tell me on aim at the taller 1

[Momo -YHB-]

Finally had a friend of mine take a pic of my pads with his camera/cellphone. They work great and were not hard at all to build. Beefman contacts + Riptide base + Sony Non Analog PCB = Excellent Pad.

[conker26]

Since I Was Really Lazy, A Year Back I Purchased A Metal DDR Pad For $99.99 From Ebay. The Pad Was Great! It Still Is. It Is Very Responsive, The Slightest Touch Of Your Foot Makes The Contact, But The Pad NEVER EVER STICKS! However, My Pad Is Deceased....Well....Kinda, It Needs A Little Bit Of Help.

Problem-1: Very Crappy Button Connections.
(Wires Were Skinnier Than Speaker Wires)

Problem-2: I Cracked Every Single Arrow Panel Playing MAX300 On Maniac/Heavy Difficulty.

I Need A Little Help Rescuing My Pad, So Please Feel Free To E-Mail Me At [email protected] Or Leave Posts In My Tag-Board At My Website: http://ddr.rockingsocks.net

So Far My Plans Are To Build A Wooden Platform (Like Patster) And Take Apart My 9-Piece Metal Pad. (Six Button Pad From Dance Performance)

I Will Then Secure All Of The Metal Pieces (The Frame) Onto the Hollow Wooden Platform. Then I Will Use Patster's Method To Add Lights To The Pad.

By The Way, Someone Please Tell Me If There Is Something Wrong With What I'm Doing Or If There Is A Better Way To Do It.

Enhancements: Patster's Arrow Design Isn't Official Looking. I'll Replace Those With Official Looking Ones. (Mostly These Changes Are Little)

I Will Order An Official Trick Bar From Konami Themselves Or Get One From The Net Somewhere (If Anyone Can Help Out Here, As In Helping Find A Supplier, It Would Be Greatly Appreciated, But The Bar MUST Be Official Konami!)

I Will Also Be Using Six Panels (unless i become extremely retarded by then and forget how to do this )

Any Help Will Be Greatly Appreciated, Along With Any Additional Add-on Ideas Or Anything Else That May Help. I Will Update Every Once In A While With More Questions Or Sad Stories

Thanks To DDRHOMEPAD And Patster, You Gave Me My Inspiration!
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DDR M.O. Style!

[thetaller1]

hey guys i found a better idea for the arrows, use wood instead of the plastic, just tape the arrow on top of it with packing tape. so wut the arrow mite fall off, so u have print another out. thats cheaper than buying more plastic. and 4 mine im gonna make it actually push down just a little. I like that so then i no if i hit the arrow or not. I have a much easier way of making pads so give me a beep at [email protected].
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STUPID MACHINE

[Russ-Bus]

I have a question that someone asked on page 39 but wasn't answered and I am now re-asking it. =) Anyway, my question is where can I get a good set of instruction for Patster's pad? I found his site (http://home.comcast.net/~patster/home.html), but his e-mail is not there nor are there instructions. Could someone please point me in the right direction.

[betaiotaomega2]

Thanks Tyris again. That information was very useful.

I asked a question on pg39 about where i can find a link to the pad dimentions. Someone must know? Can someone please measure the thickness of one of their stanly brackets and tell me what it is. I really need to know soon so i can get some metal the same thickness...

Thankyou,
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Anyone know the closest DDR arcade machine to Worcester??

Keep on movin'!

[MoonJihad]

Russ-Bus : There are no instructions, seeing as it is a modified riptide pad.
betaiotaomega2 : Check in the part III of the thread, towards the end.
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[thetaller1]

i need help with the wiring its a little confusing? my thought is to use a phone wire but im still confused. help me!
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[robbie_gohn]

Hey Everyone,

There is a way that you can save major bucks. My friends went to an arcade near by and smashed the ddr machine and disconnected the pad to steel it. Then my friend Dave brought it to my house where we opened it up and then we saw actually what the pads used for DDR Extreme were made out of.

At www.geocities.com/ddrhomepad/ ddrhomepad explains that you need to spend around 135 dollars making this when you can make it stronger and better for a lot cheaper.

First here are the replacements that ar in the actual pads.

MDF Fiber Board Rails - Regular Plywood
Peg Board - Regular Plywood
Foam Core - Very, very thick sponge (almost like a mouse pad)

But the sensors are ay different. The reason why our homepads eventually break done are because of all the abuse my newbs that break the wires while jumping as hard as they can. Why the arcade pads don't break is because they have micro switches in the arrow panel. Kind of like a door bell, so when you step, you hit this button, which connects the circuit. They use the same idea for the lighting in the pads as shown in the other ddr homepad designs, but one. They all have there own plug in outlet inside each panel for electricity. They are using 100 watt bulbs, 2 in each panel, with a blue/red cover over them to get the glare.

So here is my advice on how you could save so much money by just following these simple instructions.

All you need to purchase is:

- Sheet Metal
- High Density Weather Stripping
- Foam Core
- Plexi Glass or lucite
- Stanel Brackets

Thanks

Robbie

[thetaller1]

hey can u get some pics of the inside, how they wired it.
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I maybe short to you, but compared to my age...

[Silly Puppy]

[quote="thetaller1"]i need help with the wiring its a little confusing? my thought is to use a phone wire but im still confused. help me!

The wiring is the most detail-requiring part of the ddrhomepad design, in my opinion. Don't use phone wire; use CAT-5 network cable instead. Why? Because you're guaranteed to have eight wires in one of those. You'll solder at least five of these wires (up, down, left, right, and ground), but could solder more if you supply start and/or cancel to the pad (I didn't, but because I have three leftover wires, I could always do so later!).

The CAT-5 wire will run from the controller, where the electrical signals are being "tapped into", to the inside of the pad, where up, down, left and right wires split off to the top parts (the half with the lucite) of their respective arrows. The ground wire, however, needs to go to all four bottom halves, so I used a wire nut to tie the four wires soldered to the bottom halves to the ground wire from the controller.

I really wish I'd taken pictures throughout the construction. I did, however, take notes so that if my buddy and I decide to build another, we know what pitfalls to avoid...
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Left-Left-Right-Up-Down-Thud-Ouch!

[Patster]

[MoonJihad]

[sokochan]

1) When he said thick I believe he meant dense not thick.
2) Solid State Idea = Bad; Simple Switch Idea = Good
3) Not many friends would be needed because the pads have wheels
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watashi wa sakki

[Weston]

Well the arcade sure doesn't look like it uses 100W bulbs. I have 40W bulbs in mine and it's twice as bright as the arcade. That post sounds way too fake. And how exactly is that going to save money? It's the same supplies used in ddrhomepad's design, except for the plywood, which in this case would be MORE expensive. Lastly, I doubt that the arcade pad has any wood inside of it.

I'd sure like to see the insides of a real arcade pad. Do such pictures exist?

[Neil_J]

to get a picture contact konamix and ask them [politely] to see it ["its for a school project" helps].
Or check out your local arcade and ask them too.
Or you could simple buy one [url="http://www.channelbeat.com/products/parts/dance_dance_revolution_parts/130.html"]Here[/url] [Don't consider since its $380!!]
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[Tomo-kun AKA s1]

First off its konami, Seccond there isnt a KOA arcade devision and for an arcade you would need to know them well for them to crack open the pad for you
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i havnt logged in for a while, stupid sims online, ill post more now.
s1400mhz

[Blue Beefman]