My home built metal DDR pad (Part IV)

grgisme · Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 7:02 pm Post subject:

Edit: Shoot I bumped the page, HITOKIRIX: CHECK THE PREVIOUS PAGE FOR THE GRAPHICS.

I'd talk a lot more about stuff with you insanity, but I don't want to go too off topic on the thread, though I feel like since there's less than 10 of us on the thread right now its more like a private chat room, lol. Having a 9 panel pad would probably suit you well then. If I come up with my design on how to light such a pad fast enough I'll let you know. I'm the same level as you on DDR, I know what you mean as for not being a noob and knowing you can be better, just not having the right equipment. (I have two ignition pads, haven't played because I get frustrated with them sliding and coming apart and such, waiting on my metal pads to master heavy). I love PUI too, unfortunately I don't have an xbox, and if I get one it will be unmodded. So I may build my pads with seperate control boxes so I can make it versitile and play on any console, and I'll play PUI off my PC (I currently have problems with the timing when I play with my ps2 pads through 2 different "approved" adapters... it could just be me, or it could be the adapters/program... I have no clue.).

theinsanitytest · Trick Member Joined: 02 Jan 2005

i know you don't wan't to thread-jack this so if you wan't to talk to my my SN is well... you guessed

theinsanitytest

ropeadope · Trick Member Joined: 20 Jul 2004

Rockhopper · Basic Member Joined: 30 Sep 2004

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

5thDementian · Trick Member Joined: 12 Oct 2004 Location: Kalamazoo, MI

Have you guys/girls seen this:
http://woodpads.tripod.com/

???

They make/sell custom DDR pads. IMHO they are rather unattractive, but I wonder if they're making bank.

They charge $300 per pad which is quite steep. I'm challenged with these types of projects but even I can build pads. I built two of them for under $300. They also say that it's takes about 20 hours to build... WOW. It takes me about 10 (and lord knows that they have to have a lot of practice by now).

I wonder who's design they are using (ddrhomepad, riptide, thepadmaker, etc), or if it's completely custom.
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I FINALLY got my website back up... look at my ddr custom pad pics!!!

View Click here to see the pictures!

grgisme · Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 10:29 am Post subject:

My first reaction was: LOL!

It looked too fake? Too unattractive and pricy to be real, BUT, I read the site very well, and it actually is a nicer deal than it appears at first.

This part I found funny :-):

We must receive $150 as an initial payment, to cover the cost of materials.

They tell you right there how much profit they're getting, $150. Considering the customer pays for shipping too.

Check this out though, you can tell them how you want the pad, including these things:

* The arrow graphics

* Controller type (Playstation, X-Box, Computer gameport/USB, etc.)

* Type of wood, or we can do sheetmetal on wood so it looks more like an arcade pad.

* Random stuff - we can put handles on the side, or different decorative items around the edges of your choice.

* Buttons on the side. We can either leave the playstation (or whatever) controller in tact to where you will have to push the buttons on it to start the game, or we can mount several switches on the top or the side of the pad for you to hit with your foot for easy access.

They have a ways to go with complete customization though, considering they can't make 6 arrow pads yet, or add the handle bar, or make it with lights or for multiple consoles. I'm thinking about making and selling pads in the future, and its good to know I'd be undercutting SOMEBODY, lol.

ch · Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 10:48 am Post subject:

i'd consider it very easy to put in 6-panel play or multi-console capabilities. lights is a big dilemna, but grgisme is working on that, and a handle bar is very tough to bend and tough to properly secure to the pad.

but overall its a complete rip for everyone reading the thread. if youre reading this thread, you're confident enough in your abilities to make your own pad, and im sure you dont want to spend over $160 for one, much less have "frillies" around the edge. and i wouldnt let people who dress like this build my custom pad.

they appear to be riptide in nature. and the maechanism that holds down the arrow plexi seems strangely insufficient and easily bendable.
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CStarFlare wrote:

I approve of the direction this thread is going

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch?e=20090310025322668

grgisme · Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 11:05 am Post subject: Arrow Graphics

Alright Gentleman, I have completed the 2 in. arrow graphics. But this will be a poll of sorts. Your job is to compare the two different arrow graphics side by side (for example, east3in.jpg and east2in.jpg), and tell me which you prefer. From what I can tell, the "east3in.jpg" looks more like what riptide uses with his 2" brackets than the "east2in.jpg". I like the "3in." graphics better all around, but for now they're all on the internet. Once I get a good grasp on what people prefer though, I'll take down one set and rename the remaining set. I completed this second set in about 20 min., which is pretty good compared to what I went through for the first set, hehe.

Compare these two, and then the links to the rest of new ones follow:

The New "2in" East
or
The Old "3in" East

Here are the links to the rest of the "2in" set: (I'm not going to jack the thread up by posting any here this time).

http://www.geocities.com/grgisme2001/east2in.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/grgisme2001/west2in.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/grgisme2001/north2in.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/grgisme2001/south2in.jpg

~Grgisme

EDIT: I emailed the "3in" ones to the email riptide used to use on this forum, no clue if he still checks it, but if he does perhaps he'll put those on his site.

Yogi · Basic Member Joined: 19 Jan 2005

Hi everyone! I'm determined to make my own dance pad. I've read quite a bit of this thread and looked over all of the designs, and am probably going with thepadmakers design.

However, I've never built anything like this in my life. I've done a little tiny bit of woodworking, but never anything to do with electronics. That's the part that worries me, is the soldering. So, I have a few questions; I want to make sure I have everything straight in my head before I dive into this, right down to the last detail.

I currently am planning on using my Madcatz beatpad that is PS2 specific (not the one that can play on both xbox and ps2). Does anyone have any experience with this specific "model"? I haven't opened it up yet to look for the soldering points... I was just curious if anyone has worked with this specific pad yet.
I've read some guides on how to solder on the boards (the specific one I have in mind is the one cartoonhero posted in this thread when descibing how he made his alien). They say to drill holes in the board, then stick the wires up through the hole, and solder to the contact. What is the reason for drilling a hole? Is it simply to get the wires to that side of the board without having to go around the board, or is there some specific need to have them? I plan on making my own control box, so I'm wondering if I *have* to drill the holes.
This is another question more for cartoonhero specificly, but I've seen a couple other people use his alien design on their pads, so maybe they can answer this question too. The alien design uses the 4 buttons, I assume they are X, triangle, start, and select?

This thread has already been a huge help to me, I'm glad I found it!

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

I think the 3 in. graphic seems to be better looking. Maybe riptide just did use 3 in. corner braces. *shrug*

grgisme · Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 12:54 pm Post subject:

Hehe :-). No.

Riptide used 2" brackets, but since we have no idea about the dimensions of the graphic it is quite likely he used a graphic similar to my "3in" graphic and that the distance from the corner brackets is larger than from the sides. I think the 3" will look the best, but I won't know until I have my pad and measure it up.

I'm about to rip open a keyboard and check out the encoding inside... I might make a control box for the pc that uses a keyboard's encoder, so I won't have to put up with adapters (important because it will let me draw from the USB port to power my lights). Probably will build the pad with just a ps2 control box first, and add the other funcionality later. I may later on drastically modify my pads to have 9 buttons (if I start playing PUI on stepmania).

peepsluvr · Trick Member Joined: 09 Jan 2005

ch · Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 2:33 pm Post subject:

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

ch · Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 2:41 pm Post subject:

peepsluvr: two round points to the left of the led light. i believe you can trace it back to the button.
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CStarFlare wrote:

I approve of the direction this thread is going

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch?e=20090310025322668

ropeadope · Trick Member Joined: 20 Jul 2004

peepsluvr · Trick Member Joined: 09 Jan 2005

grgisme · Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:38 pm Post subject:

ch · Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:47 pm Post subject:

you dont even have to stick a game in.

if you have a multimeter, set it to ohms, and jack into the + and - jacks. touch the leads to the hypothetical ground point and the ground half of the button. if theres a circuit between them, the meter should read no resistance, i.e., a jump of the needle. you could do this with all hypothetical ground points.

i would try to see if the metal around the border is a ground. that would be less of a risk of harming the board when soldering, because you're not putting heat directly on the chips.

ropeadope: you know that thin holey spongy material that you can put underneath a carpet to keep it from sliding around? try stapling some of that to the bottom when you're done. you can also get it in rolls cut for shelves, if you want to get a smaller amount.
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CStarFlare wrote:

I approve of the direction this thread is going

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch?e=20090310025322668