My home built metal DDR pad (Part IV)

slvrshdw · Trick Member Joined: 05 Jan 2005

wow tofu, i thought you would know that, but i guess not

anyway, im just glad you spelled it right.."solder"..anyway, you use solder as that "other metal"...and radio shack has it, as idConstruct said

anyway, its really easy to use especially if you just are connecting wires together.

on a side note, i finished reworking my sensors and they are super nice. (only problem is the up arrow)
every one is "hand sensitive" and works fine for ITG for those of you who play. (not starting a flame war)

anyway, i went ahead and got a few pics for the site, id post them exept my batteries died (which also means i didnt get all the pics i really wanted to)

anyway, progress is nearing completion (about time!)
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samtorx · Trick Member Joined: 21 Mar 2007

how much is enlargement for photos at kinkos?

ChilliumBromide · Trick Member Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Location: Beaverton, OR

Remember, guys, I spend most of my time at the drawing board. Thanks for your help though. I would have just looked at wikipedia, but more times than not I've gotten incorrect or incomplete information from wikipedia. I really prefer to hear stuff from someone I've talked to than read something from the internet that could easily have been posted by someone with even less knowledge on the subject than me.

I actually have to go to Radioshack to get a charger for my batteries anyway. If I don't find some decent solder there (the one near me is pretty weaksauce), there is an entire block of random hardware and hobby stores about a 20-minute bike ride from my house.
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Eradicator · Basic Member Joined: 09 Dec 2005

Has anyone had any success with a buckling sensor design, such as http://inventgeek.com/Projects/dancepad2/page11.aspx? High density PTFE isn't too easy to come by, and seems a little expensive online, so I'm wondering if high density polyethylene (plastic cutting board material) would work well?

I'm wondering if this type of sensor would work as well as the Matrix mending bracket design, and possibly be a little cheaper as a bonus? The steel flashing I found to cover my stationary panels comes in a 14" width, which should give me plenty of scrap material to cook up some sensors.

ChilliumBromide · Trick Member Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Location: Beaverton, OR

That should work pretty well, but the concern with a design like that is that your metal might suffer some wear and tear after a while, and may not have very good rebound.
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Eradicator · Basic Member Joined: 09 Dec 2005

I'm not too concerned about the metal getting worn. 1/8" deflection over a couple of inches of length should be fine. I think the real trick is going to be how to keep the sensors in place and the two halves in alignment. I suppose I could glue the two halves together at the ends and essentially make each sensor a self-contained unit...

devout · Trick Member Joined: 15 Dec 2006 Location: the atl

darn it tofu, didnt i teach you by now that steel doesnt wear out if the deflections are below its fatigue limit???

eradicator: I use these types of designs pretty much exclusively just because i like the elegance of having the steel provide both the springiness and conductivity you need to make a sensor. I've never used that particular design you linked to though.

In any case, if you glue the ends together, it'll become statically indeterminate and you will most likely either not have enough stepping force to make it work, or you'll snap the glue joint at one or both ends. (If you're not familiar with this problem, by glueing both ends together you'd make both strips have to have the same length at all times, which is impossible if one of them is bending and the other isn't.)

Probably better to just glue one end together. Thats what I do, (really I just stick them to a 3rd body with duct tape) and then I put little scrap wood fences along the sides at the non-glued end so the fences keep that end aligned but still allow the ends to slide past each other.

ChilliumBromide · Trick Member Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Location: Beaverton, OR

Nah, you never mentioned that. Good to know though; I can expand my designs a lot with that knowledge. xP

I need to get a friggin' tutor for this. xD

Too bad my POS school doesn't offer a shop class. :/ I could get a freakin' ton of extra credit if I built a DT200 in shop class.

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ArdenPrinz · Basic Member Joined: 01 Apr 2007

I'm building a dance pad to be used with Dance Dance Revolution Universe. Where can I get good graphics for the "A", "B", "X", and "Y" buttons?

ChilliumBromide · Trick Member Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Location: Beaverton, OR

A -- "EH?"
B -- "BEE!"
X -- "ECKS."
Y -- "WHY?"

Just get those printed in size 154 font on 11"x11".

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Eradicator · Basic Member Joined: 09 Dec 2005

KuroiOokami · Trick Member Joined: 02 Mar 2007 Location: Burnaby, BC

Finished my pad a little while ago! Works like a charm. But I really wouldn't recommend aluminum flashing. It looks terrible because it scratches and dents so easy, plus it was very hard to glue down flush with the plywood, so it has air pockets that pop and crack. I would use galvy steel, at least 26 guage next time.

samtorx · Trick Member Joined: 21 Mar 2007

im prety lazy and all i want is a pad that feels right so i can practice. i could care less about all the nice colors lol. all i have left is trimmin the plexi and gettin them brackets. im most likely gona have no arrow grapchis rofl.
started it last saturday and worked about 2-3 days with my dad

if ne one wants pics outa curiosity or sumthin i gues i could take more before the final screws go on

Ghettobarney · Trick Member Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Location: Failing Pandy

Nice pads dudes.
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OMG I BEETS MACKS 300!

MasterInuYasha · Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 5:19 pm Post subject:

Mateui · Trick Member Joined: 02 Mar 2007 Location: Nova Scotia

Well I finished my pad a few days ago and I have posted plenty of photos of it in the Do it Yourself Pad Review Thread (yet it seems like no one visits that topic..)

Anyway, if you want to see the inside of my pad, here's the link to the other topic: http://www.ddrfreak.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=124269&start=20

ChilliumBromide · Trick Member Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Location: Beaverton, OR

So, my soldering gun is total poopy.
I got the solder with the lowest melting point (370Â° F), and the gun just doesn't get hot enough to melt it AT ALL.

Is there any way I can measure how hot stuff is without, like, touching it? I know that the gun gets warm, but not much. I'd like to see if it's topping off, or if it just takes a really long time to get sufficiently hot.
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samtorx · Trick Member Joined: 21 Mar 2007

it doesnt really look like theres any way around it. for soldering tho remember to be constantly touching the solder cuz it cools really fast. keep the liquid hot until you want it to freeze back

ChilliumBromide · Trick Member Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Location: Beaverton, OR

Yeah, I know how to do it, but the fact of the matter is that the gun doesn't get hot enough to melt the solder, period. Does anyone know of a soldering iron or gun I can get with a way to manually set the temperature? I'd imagine that there would be, since it seems like would be fairly easy to make and extremely useful.

Hehe, I just thought of something. . .
Who solders all the wires for soldering irons?!

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Eradicator · Basic Member Joined: 09 Dec 2005