My home built metal DDR pad (Part IV)

Munkepunk · Basic Member Joined: 09 Sep 2004

Heh deadsunrise what are you using for the arrows to keep them off the Ground. i love your design super smart idea using one big ground but what are you using for the connector ? it looks like an RJ45 phone cord or maybe you didn't finish it yet when you took the picture.

moonmen0 · Trick Member Joined: 08 Jul 2004

i recently built a parallel to psx adapter and finally got it working in the controll panell properties, which is good, but i still cant get it set up in stepmania, i went to configure keys and tried to change the buttons and nothing happens when i push a button, i am using psxpad.

Thanks for the help

i know that this prob shouldnt be posted here, if its a problem please tell me where i need to go, cause i looked and searched and found nothing.
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superduperblake · Trick Member Joined: 29 Jul 2004

I am apsalutely going insane! I am trying to solder the wires of the controller to the large peices of steel (Using Homepads design) but the solder will not stick. I even used flux, and scraped the steel to get it a lil rough, still won't stick. I am about to kill myself over this, lol. How did you get yours to stick?

Munkepunk · Basic Member Joined: 09 Sep 2004

heh what i did was I scraped really hard on the pad and you have to press down with the solder iron and leave it there i just solder last night and thats what i did

ComX · Trick Member Joined: 21 Jan 2004

Hello, I started to build a pad in April and got the materials for DDRHomepad. I never got really started; I had too much stuff going on for all this time until now. However, Riptide's design is looking good. My question is it possible to use 3/32 inch plexiglas and use it in Riptides's design? I really dont want to buy another plexiglas sheet for that .22 inch since its really the most expensive part of it. Thanks

superduperblake · Trick Member Joined: 29 Jul 2004

riptide · Trick Member Joined: 14 Aug 2002

moonmen0 · Trick Member Joined: 08 Jul 2004

hey you could always drill a small hole in the metal, that i what i did, just make sure that it wont cut the wore if it get moved around a little bit, which it will
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Ravenwing · Trick Member Joined: 22 Jun 2003 Location: Leavenworth, KS

Is there somebody who could gimme a real quick crash course in the electronic aspect of a DDR pad? Like what is the exact purpose of the ground? And why does static buildup occur? I've been cruising different web pages and tutorials about how to build a DDR pad, but I always lose comprehension once it gets to the explanation of how to wire the whole thing up.

EDIT: Also, has somebody found a way to reduce the noise of the buttons on the riptide pad?
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Ulala321 · Trick Member Joined: 28 Sep 2004

Hi guys, I'm thinking about building a metal pad, but have a quick question about the wiring. I understand the basics of using a basic psx controller for soldering.. but I'm not quite sure how everything goes in order. Does the wiring of the pad solder to the psx controller, and then the psx controller plugs into the PSX/PS2? If this is the case, is there a way to solder the wiring of the pad directly into it's own cord that can plug into the PSX/PS2? Basically what I'm interested in is creating my soft pad, but in a metal version. Thanks for letting me know if this is possible!

Weston · Trick Member Joined: 17 Feb 2003 Location: Minnesota

Ulala:
Yes, the wiring goes through the controller and then you plug the controller in. You could make a cord that goes right into the Playstation, and have the controller curcuit inside the pad. I did this with my fist design, and I don't recommend it. It's a lot more work, and you lose full functionality of the controller.

Ravenwing:
The ground in a controller is basically where all the electrical signals are sent before they go back into the CPU chip. That's how the chip can detect which buttons are pressed.
I'm not exactly sure why static buildup occurs, but with a lot of pad use it can get to the point where it can damage a controller.
As for reducing noise, do you mean the sound it makes when your shoe hits the plastic? That's a good sound though!

Ulala321 · Trick Member Joined: 28 Sep 2004

Cool. I would like to make it so I can select my songs/options/whatever from stepping on the pad, so I need a cancel and confirm button. Can you tell me which buttons I'd need? Obviously the up, down, left, and right, are the other two X and O (for PSX/PS2)? I have Ultramix for X-Box so I'm unsure, but I want to make a PS2 pad. Thanks again.

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

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

Weston · Trick Member Joined: 17 Feb 2003 Location: Minnesota

X and O are the confirmation buttons and can also be used for corner arrows in 6 panel mode for DDR Konamix. Just look at a picture of the pad to see which positions they take. Other important buttons are Select (cancel / open edit menu), Triangle (cancel), and Start (sort songlist).

EDIT: The cancelation buttons work when you hold them down for a second.

Ravenwing · Trick Member Joined: 22 Jun 2003 Location: Leavenworth, KS

Heffenfeffer · Trick Member Joined: 22 Apr 2002 Location: Las Cruces, NM

Hey folks, a quick question on controllers...what controllers are recommended for use with these pads? I had a bad experience with mine last week - basically, the directions stopped working, one by one. What's really frustrating is that I managed to play half of .59 before they gave out. Earlier, it was recommended that I get either a Dual Shock or the control circuit board of another dance pad - since the symptoms sound like a problem with static (I was using a cheapie Mad-Catz controller.) Would an original Sony controller work as well? I've got a couple of those lying around.

As well, I'll have to install pushbuttons if I use a dance pad circuit board - is there any posted advice on how to install these? Granted, it seems pretty simple...just drill a hole through the metal and insert the buttons, but the devil's often in the details.

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

Weston · Trick Member Joined: 17 Feb 2003 Location: Minnesota

Hitokiri:
1) Normally, the wiring goes outside of the pad then hooks up inside the controller. That way, you can use the controller too. Placing the controller circuit inside the pad is another way of doing it. In one of my models, it is located right under the center panel.
2) There can be two grounds. One is obviously used in the controller circuit as explained before, and another can be used to divert static. If you see my sig, my light up pad uses an extension cord. The ground wire of the cord (bottom prong) is actually hooked up to the sheet metal panels. Static buildup in the panels is sent away through the ground wire so it can't harm the controller. I have to have it plugged in of course.
3) That's just the way that switch design works really. As long as you have metal slamming against metal, it's going to make a sound. I suppose if you make the contacts closer together, it won't be as intense. Combine that when you use shoes to play, the sound of your stepping is enough to drown out the contact switch sounds.
4) Cancellations buttons for PS/PS2 games are Triangle and Select. Hold them down and it exits menus and such. Pressing Start sorts songs, and I think it may also abort a song during play. I don't really understand what you want to do with the Triangle button. Do you want to replace the Triangle button on your pad with Start or Select? Just make a panel you can mark as a cancel button, but don't put a Triangle on it, or it could be confusing.

Ravenwing:
1) Just explained the noise up above in this post.
2) Had to read it a couple times, but the explaination of your circuit sounds right. Now that I think about it, I don't know if the electricity goes to or from the ground, but all you need to know is that all buttons are connected to it.

_ter · Trick Member Joined: 10 Sep 2002 Location: Seattle, WA

Hey-yo all.

I've returned to pad development after a year and a half hiatus.

I'm currently working to redesign the triggers in my pad. Last night I tested a prototype screwless, solderless trigger design inspired by the beefman's solution and it seems to be working well enough. I'll post pictures and more information as soon as I have them.

Additionally, pulling out all my old items, I found that I have 3 finished ter ter boxes. I was thinking of putting one of them on ebay.

Finally, I revised the Metal Pad Mod on my site, but nobody's commented on the Metal Pad thread. Feedback on the site revision and the clarity of the mod's instructions would be very helpful and appreciated.
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