Arcade Pad Schematics/Plans

[smileboot]

I want a Metal pad and ive read numerous times cobalt flux is the best BUT its not like the arcade pad. So i plan to build a arcade pad from scratch using replacement switchs (no lights tho thats just overkill).

So i was wondering does anyone have detailed diagrams/schematics/ANYTHING that can help me. Any usefull information is appreciated.

[DDRdre]

Go to the home-built metal pad discussion. You will find more info there.
_________________

....... < (My view of life)

[smileboot]

Thanx for the reply but as far as i can tell all that post has is home made metal on metal contact pads. i want to use a full SWITCH system so i recreates arcade exactly. If i can actually get the schematics maybe ill improve on it and start selling it so people can finally have aracade feel at home.

anyway the original question still stands.

[Wakka Lakka]

See my post in 'the Blueshark Pads' It shows the inner workings of that pad which uses arcade switches as you describe. This pad is currently the only ASC available to my knowledge. BTW that thread should really be renamed 'Blueshark GXG' now that I think about it.

[smileboot]

intresting pad certinally looks the closest to arcade that you can buy but still only 2 switchs per button. and the whole foam thing to hold up buttons botthers me (tho maybe thats what the arcade pad uses) certinally shows me it can be done tho why they put both in the middle ill never know.

ive contacted someone who claims to have detailed schematics hopefully theyll get back to me and supply them to me if so ill share for everyone eles (if i can legally)

mymybox claims to sell the switches they use sepratlet but i cant seem to find them on the site they maybe a nice alternative to $10 a pop (or $80 if i went official)

EDIT: nm find em and holy crap $100 for 8 thats nuts

[slvrshdw]

[smileboot]

well i found $10 for arcade replacement ones which im sure i could get cheaper for bulk purchase of say 32 maybe 34 (for repairs) so alot cheaper

[Wakka Lakka]

The buttons are not held up by the foam. If you look closely (hard to see I know, my camera sucks) there is actually a plexiglass 'corner' piece. This is what the arrow rests on. I'm not sure what the function of the foam is. In the arcade pad, these corner pieces are steel instead of plexiglass. This design gives the pad a hard stop prior to the sensor material reaching the point of incompressibility (the sensor does not stop the arrow - the corner pieces do.) In most home pads, the sensor (aluminum foil)reaches a point where the weight of the player does not further compress it. The consensus among vetran DDR players seems to be that a 'hard' stop is superior. I'm not sure that four sensors would give noticably better sensitivity. My guess would be that the DDR machine 'votes' the sensors so it can reject input from a sensor which is broken and stuck 'on'. This would prevent a broken sensor from 'taking down' the machine. You won't be easily able to do this on a home pad; it requires software or an individual edge-detector circuit for each sensor. I wouldn't fret too much about being identical to the arcade design - just similar; there are several new designs which do not employ elastic deformation of two conductors. These pads threaten to obsolete the current state of the art. Good luck with your pad, show us pics

edit: This article from DDRFreak shows the inside of a real machine:
http://www.ddrfreak.com/library/contributor-article.php?postID=7909984

[smileboot]

wouldnt be that hard really just need some transitors

ie ones that activate at certain voltage say 3v or somthing and then give each switch 1.5v (probably 2v would be better) then it would only activate said button if 2 or more switches are activated.

simple cheap and effective

edit: missed the link ive seen that already i got some insights but its hard to see how it all goes together without a diagram or measurments

[Wakka Lakka]

The arrows are 11" X 11" on just about every pad out there. That makes the stage itself 33" X 33" not counting the frame. I retract my pervious theory about voting the sensors. Voting is not compatible with the freeze arrows. The sensors are probably just wired in parallel so that any one sensor being triggered will register a hit.

Also: you may want to head over to mymybox.com as it appears they are selling the 12mm acrylic arrows for $7.50 each which is a good price for such a thick arrow

[smileboot]

well i may pick em up from there if its too hard to make my own