My home built metal DDR pad (Part IV)

[traydemark03]

Still working on my riptide pad. Is there any other method other than the little triangles, to mount the corner brackets? I can't get those stupid triangles right.

[ChilliumBromide]

@ Firezion: 1/8" lexan should be able to handle pretty much anything you hit it with, but if you're still not comfortable going with that, 3/16" would work too. (if you can find it)

@ trayde: you can use a ridge, using a square of lower-gauge (around 1/8" thick) sheet steel* over the entire pad. Make the holes that the arrows are in slightly smaller (no more than 1/4" per side) than the panels themselves. This will give you give you slightly recessed arrows, and it will make it so you can unscrew the main cover sheet, then you'll be able to remove, clean, and maintain all your arrows.
* = a lexan or plexiglas sheet would work too.
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I used to be active here lol

[geckoinc99]

firezion,
I've built pads that have been used past 350 pounds, so I'm sure that I have an answer for you. The answer depends on the type of pad you're building. If you're going form a DDRHomePad or similar design where the plexiglass is supported across the entire area, then the thin type will be just fine. If you're doing a Riptide style, then you will need something more substantial. I have 0.093" ontop of 0.22" plexiglass (both from Lowes). Mine is closer to Riptides design, so the majority of the support is on the sides. Plexiglass breaks mostly if it bends too much, so to stop the bending, I put a support in the middle of the arrow well. It's the same height as the contacts, so that it allows the arrow to make contact, but stops the bending. This small mod has allowed my pad to take considerable amounts of weight that others wouldn't be able to handle. Some complain that it would show up with lighting, but my argument is that your foot will be on top of it anyway, so you probably won't notice it much. This was just my method, but it has made my pads last over a year.

David
_________________

Life is very different 3000 feet above the earth with only a wing to hold you up....
Can't wait to be there again. Wanna join me? Visit http://www.hanglide.com

[Matrlx]

geckoinc99:

Have you had any experience with the panels flexing or bending too much with just two sheets of thinner lexan? I'm wondering if you've experienced problems with it (since most Riptide pads aren't built like that) or if it's just a precautionary measure?

I'm going to be building a new set of pads probably soon to sell to a local high school (lots of abuse and I won't have access to free 1/4" plexi this time), so I'm trying to research how cautious I really need to be with the thickness of the arrow panels to make it reliable.
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Matrix Arcade Style DDRHomepad: http://members.shaw.ca/lluk/ddrpad/

[ChilliumBromide]

1/8" plexiglas panels have kept me going with only 3 cracked panels since may, and I have some friends who are over 220 lbs who come over and play on them, so I'd think that lexan, a superior material, wouldn't have too many worries. Basically, decrease either how much it moves in general (like arcade pads, where you just hit 'em; they don't have to go down any distance one might possibly notice), or you make it so that they simply don't bend. Do this by having them held up by a light foam, so that they can go down, sensors touch, and no bending/flexing involved.
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I used to be active here lol

[traydemark03]

[firezion]

Thanks for the anwers! Now I know my lexan is durable enough.


Ok, here´s some more info about my plans.

Firezion Double Dancepads

Cooks: One plain nerd and an electronic installer.

Receipe: A bit of riptide mushrooms foiled in a stoli, and spiced up with Matrix sensors. And ofcourse something added by ourselves.

Indegredients:

Lexan, 6mm thick (~0.22")
(Hopefully) Chrome sheet metal
Plywood (Type: "Film" as we call it in finland? Most impact resistance.)
Random wood if we need it.
Metal pipe for bars.
4 ultra birght LED´s for every arrow
Custom made Grafique á la Frans (that would be me)


That´s why I still have some questions:

Has anybody used MyMyBox´s sensors? Because Im really interested to know how good they are? Ofcourse, theyre as pricy as water in saudi-arabia, but as Im interested in doing an article of building these things in the finnish daning games pages so I might get a bit of discount if I advertise them.. but we´ll see about that. :7

I remember I saw someone talking about "green sensors" and so on, are there differences in these all of these arcadesensors and wich ones I should pick? Price/quality? Is it really enough to add only 2 sensors as mymybox claims? How do you place them when there is only 2?

I already have enought Lexan for 6 arrows of 8, and it´s gooood, the best there is, one that they use on woodcutters or whatever those huge machines cutting down logs are called.. would´ve costed about 200€ that quality/amount from stores.. and my I got it from my friend for free. *makes his very own little winningdance*

Sorry, I was a total newb 2 weeks ago, now I´ve read about 150 of these pages here, but I still want to know more. :7 Thank´s for everyone who has made this possible.

[Matrlx]

[traydemark03]

[Matrlx]

My pad uses the triangles, if you look closer at the pictures, the triangles are attached to the brackets already.

The reason you see the littles squares in each corner is because the triangles I made were too short. My pad has been through 3 different sensor systems, so I didn't build it to fit the one it has now, I had to make a lot of adjustments to make the current one fit.
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Matrix Arcade Style DDRHomepad: http://members.shaw.ca/lluk/ddrpad/

[traydemark03]

[traydemark03]

I'm having trouble soldering to sheet metal. I'm using 22 Ga galvanized sheet metal. I used a sander to clean up the metal and still, the solder won't stick. Actually, I can get the solder to stick by itself, but when I try to add in a wire, the solder comes off and won't stick. Anyone know what's up?

[geckoinc99]

Part of the problem soldering to sheetmetal is that it's hard to get the area to heat up since there's plenty of metal for heat to dissipate to. You can try tinning the wire first (heating just the wire and then coating it with solder). That might help. I was able to get it to solder by taking a grinding disk and making a very thin spot on the metal (almost as thin as a sheet of paper). This made it easier to get the metal to heat up. Another idea would be to skip soldering and just bolt the wire to the metal. Depending on how your square was done, if you have bolts going through your square (like I have on mine), then you can attach a washer and ring terminal to attach a wire. This only works if the sheetmetal also touches the washer of course. It works well and is more durable. It's also easier to repair. Anyway, a few ideas for you to try. Good luck.

David
_________________

Life is very different 3000 feet above the earth with only a wing to hold you up....
Can't wait to be there again. Wanna join me? Visit http://www.hanglide.com

[traydemark03]

[ChilliumBromide]

[traydemark03]

[ChilliumBromide]

Yeah, soldering will hold better, but electric tape is quicker and easier. Wear gloves with the electric tape, it has chemicals in it that can cause issues.
_________________

I used to be active here lol

[geckoinc99]

You can just use tape to hold the wire to the metal. Works okay as long as the tape sticks well enough. Soldering is a much better connection if you can't bolt the wire in place. As I said before, if you just make a spot thinner you can solder to it with just a regular soldering iron.

I was one of the first to recommend using the continuous ring for Riptides pad design. Like you, I saw the merit in having a touch one spot to make contact. However, if you wanted more arcade style accuracy, then you were better off staying with his design. My experience with arcade pads has always been that you had to have your whole foot on the arrow and with a decent amount of pressure to get it to work right. Granted this was probably because of worn sensors and they probably didn't maintain the machine much.

David
_________________

Life is very different 3000 feet above the earth with only a wing to hold you up....
Can't wait to be there again. Wanna join me? Visit http://www.hanglide.com

[ChilliumBromide]

[traydemark03]