My home built metal DDR pad (Part IV)

[stupidbarber]

Anybody see this homemade dance floor from MIT?
http://web.mit.edu/storborg/ddf/
This seems off topic, I know, but I'm getting to the point. In the description of how they built it, they refer to Force Sensitive Resistors. I found a site with a little information on them
https://interlinkstore.com/store/store_Main.cfm?productID=8379&action=detail&level1=&level2=&level3=&level4=&menutab=1&search=&mainCategoryID=44
but does anyone know if it would be possible to use these in a homemade ddr pad? We'd need someone with a little electronics background to figure out how to connect to the controller...

[SuRfReAk]

Anything's possible. But why?
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[Lonfelk]

Your homepad would cost you 3 times what it's supposed to cost if you use thos force sensitive resistors ... isn't that one of the main points of why you're actually building it instead of buying it.
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[Ulala321]

[Shogun]

[EvanED]

I read the same article stupidbarber did, and the same thought came to my mind. I actually came here explicitly on a search to see if anyone had tried them in a DDR pad. (I've read a lot of these posts and have had this bookmarked for a while, but don't frequent it and haven't posted before.)

I found this place that sells FSRs for pretty cheap, but I don't know how good they are considering that other places are a lot more. Note that anything sitting on top would have to either be supported on something else instead, or be light; the break force is only about 3.5 oz even with the largest FSR.

It should be possible to make essentially a zero-travel mat with these. I don't know if that'd be good or bad.


While I'm posting, does anyone have any experience with making a pad explicitly for the computer? And not making a PS/2 pad then going through an adaptor? I saw a couple posts on someone basing one off of a USB keyboard, but any other experiences?

[stupidbarber]

[stoli]

I looked into this type of thing briefly before I started building my own and I do think that it is a better way to go, but strictly from a sensitivity standpoint. I didn't pursue because of cost, and I was in a bit of a rush to get started so I went with the tried and true DHP style arrow switch. Simple, yet effective. From what I can tell, on the pad that I built, most of the noise comes from the foot hitting the pad, and not from the pad switch itself. There is certainly some noise from the switch, but if you're looking for a "silent" pad, the only one that I know of is one that isn't being used at the time.

As far as circuitry goes, it seems to me that the buttons on these controllers are not really "on/off" switches anyways, but are really just crude FSRs with the comparitor circuit built into the controller. I think you should buy a couple of them and try out a direct connection. Seems to me that the FSR strip would be the way to go to get the most coverage. If you could figure out how to make a 90 degree turn with it, you'd be all set. I think the difficult aspect of this approach is figuring out which shape/size/combination/placement of FSR to use for each arrow pad.

-Stoli
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[Lonfelk]

[Meridius]

I started my own pad 2 days ago and I was try to get around using the mending brackets because of the cost but then my friend told me about this used hardware store called "Happy Harry's". Well I'll tell you when I was there I found the mending brackets for 75 cents (canadain) each (I need 16 of them which was $12.00) score for me! and then after combing the store for 2 hours I found a 4' x 4' sheet of plexi 3.00$ (it was kind of scratched up but after dance on it'll look way worst . To top it all off a found a 8' x 4' piece of sheet metal for $25.00 and I had all the wood, wires at home. This pad only cost me $40.00 Canadain. I'll post some pics when it done.

[KitsuDeXstrosity]

Out of curiousity, has anyone had bad experiences with using plexiglass/lucite (eg. breaking, cracking, etc.)? I'm building a second pad for a school project and I had much success using Lexan for the first pad, and I would use it again, but its pretty expensive when I look at it again.

I've read comparison charts at Home Depot as well as other places and it looks like plexi would stand up to the pressure, but I weigh a lot which = a lot of force.

One final question: does anyone know how to make a pad sensitive enough for the use of hands. With ITG coming out soon, I want to make my pad more sensitive so I don't have to slam my palm with all of my weight on it. Thanks ^^.

-~-Evolved Spirit KitsuDeXstrosity

[Shogun]

[KitsuDeXstrosity]

[Shogun]

So the steel on my panels is too small to score and break. I have to go around every edge with a Dremel and cut the steel off flush with the wood and then give it a nice clean bevel as to not cut anyone's feet while dancing barefoot if they so choose.

[geckoinc99]

KitsuDeXstrosity,
I don't know your situation, but take this advice if it's useful. Mine's been tried and tested. My pad is based on Riptide's format to an extent (at least the contact system is). I have two mending strips on each side, then sheetmetal on the arrow pads (again, just like Riptides). The arrow itself is a sandwich of 0.093inch plexiglass (standard stuff, not even lexan), then the graphic, then a piece of 0.22inch plexiglass (this was the stuff at Lowes. It's the stronger stuff, but I forget what it was called). The other thing I did was to put a 1.5 inch square post that was the same height as the contacts in the middle. That way the square is now supported on all four sides by the mending strips and in the middle by the post. There's still plenty of open space for light to come through if you're doing lights. With this setup, I've had someone that was heavier than 350 pounds doing jumps on it and it holds up just fine.
As far as the sensitivity, What I did was get the right combination of weatherstripping to support the pad just off the contacts. I changed the contact system so that all the mending strips are power and the sheetmetal on the plexiglass is ground. I soldered wires onto the pieces of sheetmetal in order to make all four one single contact (electrically anyway). It would be the same if you just had one piece of sheetmetal the same size as the arrow pad. Then I soldered a wire to the sheetmetal that ran to ground. This way I only needed one wire connecting the arrow pad to ground. Now when just one mending strip contacts the sheetmetal, it registers!! This increased my sensitivity greatly. As long as you don't have too much weather stripping pushing back, it shouldn't take much to register a press.
If some of this confused you, let me know and I'll try to clarify it. Otherwise, I hope it's of some use.
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[KitsuDeXstrosity]

Thanks a lot for the advice geckoinc99. I see how effective and sturdy your design and use of plexi w/ Lexan is. At first I was a bit concerned about using something a bit weaker than Lexan, but looks like I'll be able to save about $10 . (I'll probably be using "Crystalite" from Home Depot, which is about half of the price of Lexan for a 11" x 14" piece but is still 20 times stronger than glass).

My first DDR pad is DDRHomePad's design, with the two pieces of galvy metal as the switch. It's been fine this long, and I may consider just using less weatherstripping for more sensitivity. As for support, I use the rails (the 1" x 2" pieces of wood under the switches) from the same design, so there is more than enough support for my weight.

A little advice for everyone else (so I feel like I contributed ) : for a really, REALLY sturdy board, I found that using 3" bolts and nuts going directly from the top of the arrow, through the brackets, and through the whole board to the base prevents the creaking of the board and makes its overall studier.

I'll post pics of my board(s) when I have the time. ^^.

-~-Evolved Spirit KitsuDeXstrosity

[superfanthony]

Has anyone posted a video of a home-built pad in use? I am having a lot of trouble swaying my fiance to let me spend the money on building one. It may help persuede her to see a video of a big jumping around in heavy mode.

I also am interested to hear how loud these pads are. Ive never actually played the arcade (HERETIC!!!!!), so I am accustomed to the relatively quiet pitter-patter of soft/foam pads.

[JediJesseS]

I'll post a short write up about my home built pads soon that'll have some video with it. (hopefully) It's definately louder than a soft pad, mine sounds pretty much like dancing on a tile floor if you can imagine that. Just an impact noise between the rubber shoe sole and the lexan. Pictures and videos to come!

[Aflac]

Stoli, just another question:

On your website, it says after you bend the sheet metal over the stationary wood panels, you should sand the wood. How would you do this when the metal is bent over? Do you take it off then sand it? Also what part of the edge do you sand, the very edge of the edge or the entire side?

And for the screws through your button panels, how far down does it go? Does it go all the way through the entire pad, or just through the panel's top and bottom?

[slvrshdw]

well..the good news on my pad is that i got the circuit board inside the pad

the bad news it that now the arrows dont respond..

i hope i can fix it this weekend

and im making a site too.. http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/jdp/ddrpad.html

hope u like it