Metal Pad Discussion Part II

MaxxBPM · Trick Member Joined: 22 May 2004 Location: Tampa

Arrows which are flush are much more easy to play on, but it does take alittle getting used to. and if you have big feet it can also be a blessing. also, the second generation CF pad has a slightly raised center. but the arrows remain flush.

HitokiriX · Trick Member Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Location: Berwyn, PA

uh.....can anyone tell me the difference with 1st and 2nd generation CF's? are their prices different? and what makes second generation better? i know they hafta be cuz they're SECOND generation. they wouldn't make a second generation without makin it better....thats jus stupid if they didn't.

the flush thing does help big footed people for sure. of course if u wear shoes i don't see much of a problem....

xphoguytonyx · Trick Member Joined: 26 Dec 2003 Location: Haltom City, TX

http://www.ddrgame.com/dadareddrtra.html

is this metal pad good for xbox?
YES METAL Pad for XBOX!
_________________

Site coming sooN....
www.DDRTX.Net
Dont come to my site if u going to spam...

~~~Tony~~~

vsamaco · Trick Member Joined: 08 Mar 2004

digitalFrequency · Basic Member Joined: 11 May 2004 Location: Atlanta, GA

UberBob · Basic Member Joined: 30 Mar 2004

okay for those wondering here is my "BNS" pad that I recieved over a month ago.

After a month I must say that it still runs like new, even though I haven't modded it (but will soon) and it has taken much harsh treatment from my feet. Overall I do recommend this pad even though it does have some flaws. For one BNS sent me this CG control box.

This makes me feel uneasy because it makes me question if this pad is indeed a BNS pad or some other manufacturer's pad, but BNS assured me the pad was designed by them. Plus I doubt there is much of a difference between this pad and a 'true' BNS pad, because all of the design specifications are exactly the same as a regular BNS pad, except the dimensions for some reason and the arrow designs.

Another minor problem was that the wood underneath one of the center screws arrived cracked.

The screw at first was able to stay in place, but after much use the wood kept cracking and the screw eventually fell out.

This is only minor becuase there are 3 other screws to keep the bracket in place and the majority of the wood is still intact to keep support.

Here is the picture of the foil underneath the arrow. As you can see there is obvious wear but it doesn't seem to affect performance at all. All of the arrows have this type of wear because the foil is like aluminum foil in that it is very flakey and will wear really easily.

I definately recommend getting the sheet metal mod firstly to eliminate the wear, and secondly because the foil doesn't cover parts of the sensor and you must press more center on the arrow for it to respond.

Another problem is that on the bottom arrow a pointy screw from the bottom of the pad points against the bottom of the sensor and causes a small indentation.

I didn't realise this until after I cleaned the sensors the first time. It didn't affect performance of the pad until I lifted the sensor to take a look at the dent underneath. When I put it back it caused a "sticky" arrow affect because the bottom of the sensor was not even anymore to the top of the foil, it was slanted basically because the screw was causing unevenness when I put back the sensor. I fixed this by leveling the area underneath the sensor with some cotton material so it is flush and even with the screw poping out from below, this causes the sensor to be straight, but higher, and thus more sensistive, an effect I wanted indirectly. If you want the pad to be more sensisitive, lift up the pad sensors, then place some type of material underneath, but make sure everything sits even.

Overall, despite the small problems with the pad, I highly recommend one for anyone looking to buy a metal pad for under 200 dollars. I would not buy a Red Octance because the pad alone without shipping costs 200 dollars and it has the same design as the BNS, including the same sensor design and thus it has the same 'feel' while playing. Though it doesn't feel exactly like the arcade, the pad is great because it is the closest I can get to the arcade without buying a CF or an arcade duplicate. It is tons better than a soft pad because I can wear my shoes on it. With a soft pad whenever I would switch to an arcade pad I couldn't do well because I wasn't wearing any shoes while practicing at home, and I couldn't get used to the arcade feeling from home. With shoes I improved a bunch after playing on this pad, then moving to an arcade pad because this gave me an experience closer to the arcade.

If possible, I highly recommend playing this pad on your computer using stepmania. I am using the BNS PS2 to USB converter and it works perfectly without any flaws (just remember to put the pad into 'dance mode' by pressing and holding up start and select for three seconds). The converter is listed on the BNS website. I cannot explain how much this improved my grades over a short period of over a month. Remember to set 'judge difficulty' to 5 or 6 so it is a little bit harder than the arcade, then if you play at the arcade, you should be nailing those perfects with ease.

vsamaco · Trick Member Joined: 08 Mar 2004

nevermind, my internet firewall was blocking the pics.

UberBob · Basic Member Joined: 30 Mar 2004

whats wrong with the pics? too big?

mgcloud · Trick Member Joined: 11 May 2004

UberBob, wow, thanks for the info. That looks like a really great pad! Can it take the weight if you play really hard songs on it (9/10 feet?) Sorry, I haven't played DDR since 5th mix (I'm looking to get started again), and I don't recognize the song in your screenshot.

I'm in the market for a really good pad right now, because I want to get back into DDR for fitness and also to do well in the arcade. So, I'm looking for a reasonably priced pad that will allow me to play very difficult songs as well as be durable. I'm also horrible with tools, so a pad requiring minimal modification would be nice.

Any suggestions?

I've looked into this BNS pad, and it seems good. I just don't want to mod them.

Also, I saw the TX-1000's/TX-2000s on eBay, and they seem quite good. Reviews for them on gamegear.com and lik-sang seem to be quite high. Are they worth it?

The Cobalt Flux truly looks awesome. I'm just not sure if I can afford it unless it's absolutely necessary for me to get one. I live in Canada so shipping is expensive, as well as the currency conversion. Also, I heard it was quite different from the arcade, which is something I'm concerned about, as I want to also improve my score at the arcade. Does it still help my game, or will I get used to the "uber sensitivity" of this pad?

Thanks

xphoguytonyx · Trick Member Joined: 26 Dec 2003 Location: Haltom City, TX

vsamaco · Trick Member Joined: 08 Mar 2004

Hey uberbob, do you have a pic of the wooden base or is the copper grid surface attached to it?

In some old pics/posts of a BNS branded pad, the build looks exactly the same with different graphics. In that post, people (I assume that have a RO) say the BNS is like their RO. Even ebay pictures of a neo pad have similar comestics and prob same build. Does anyone have an actual picture of a cyphergame pad v2.0? Despite it not having a metal frame in the picture, I'm thinking it does have a frame that would prob put it in the same league as all the other metal pads.

If RO, BNS, NEO, and Cyphergames do end up have similar/same builds (frame, copper contact, brackets), except for RO extra 3 inch that houses their logo... then the difference among these pads would be the arrows? Polycarbon? Acrylic? Vendors state polycarbon is sturdier and acrylic arrows are inferior. They are both plastics and I wonder how much sturdier polycarbon really is. Is there a way to tell the difference? Replacement acrylic arrows go for $6 - $15. So a 6 arrows would go for $36-$90. I have no clue how much polycarbon replacement are going for...

RO go for $200 and NEO go for $89 on ebay. If the build is the same, then your paying $100+ for the different arrows right? Maybe the polycarbon arrows are sturdier... But there are even some RO pads that breakdown as fast as the other parties and other parties w/o polycarbon last longer than RO. So why? Bad luck? Good luck? or maybe the factory that makes RO pads aren't as careless... People that buy the cheaper pad fail to take care of it? Whatever the case, is there much of a difference?

When people ask for the best metal pad and can't afford or chose to get a CF, I suggest a RO. Even though I'm questioning the build of its pad to other parties, they seem to have more happy customers or not as many problems. What is RO doing different with their pads?!

Dubble Oh Kevin · Trick Member Joined: 07 May 2003 Location: Reading, MA

Here's a little mini CF testimonial:

9 months. No problems. Better than the arcade. Buy it or else!

Okay, the last part was a lie. But I have had both of my V1's for over 9 months now with NO PROBLEMS WHATSOEVER! These are the sturdiest pads available. You really should try to get these in any way possible. They are worth every penny, even more!

MaxxBPM · Trick Member Joined: 22 May 2004 Location: Tampa

damit, I can't waite for mine to come in ! I'll post my thoughts of it after I play on it for a couple of hours.. but it will probally sound like everyone else's review.

Joe P. · Trick Member Joined: 10 May 2004 Location: Boston, MA

I just have a quick (kindof noobish) question...

Ok, I have obtained a CF pad in a recent tournament I attended. Right now, it is sitting in my basement because I have to wait till I can set up my own room in august. My question is will it be safe to keep it in a basement for 3 months before using it, and will it still work to its full potential?

(i pretty much have the same problem with a spare PS2 i have

)

treeflood · Basic Member Joined: 05 Jun 2004

im looking to buy a metal pad soon and since i cant really afford the cobalt flux pads i want something reasonably priced. anybody know if this pad is realiable http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=21188&item=8109580224&rd=1? is it worth the price

vsamaco · Trick Member Joined: 08 Mar 2004

treeflood · Basic Member Joined: 05 Jun 2004

are the 3 inch pads more reliable than the 1.5 inch pads? or would u still have to do some modding to the 3 inch before playing?

vsamaco · Trick Member Joined: 08 Mar 2004

chibidjinn · Trick Member Joined: 11 Nov 2003 Location: Central Oregon

I just got a metal pad yesterday, and my mom says that I am going to "break" the pad by sitting on it while playing other games. I only wiegh 118 lbs, and I am not sure if sitting on it should be a good thing to do.

It's about the size of the actual arcade pad. (Has a bar too).