(Old thread, Mod please close)

8ftmetalhead · Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 1:46 am Post subject: (Old thread, Mod please close)

Alrighty, I've wanted to build my own pad for a while now (pretty much since a week after getting DDR) and my dad and I finally went to mitre10 mega today to buy what i needed.

The cost of tools came to about $60 (jigsaw $20, blades $13, screws and nails $15, hacksaw blades $6, tinsnips $13) and materials about $140 (wood $50, plastic sheet $30, metal with which to make retainer brackets, $20, metal with which to make sensors, $20, foam $12)

My project is going to be built on one big square of 18mm MDF, 84x84cm.
My solid panels are also 18mm MDF, 28cmx28cm
My arrow panels are going to be 12mm MDF of approximately 27.8mm wide (although due to the nature of saws, this will vary in places), and will be held in place by both the solid panels, and my dad is going to hunt down some wood to use as a border on the outside, which will be nailed on and be used instead of those triangular pieces of wood. So my step panels will be square.

My panels will be covered in (if anything) a thin 1.0mm plastic film that I found, sort of like thick duraseal. I am not using plexi glass step panels due to it being incredibly expensive, nor am I using sheet metal to cover the hard panels and make the sensors out of, again due to incredible price. I will simply be using 12mm MDF on top of the foam, covered by a design, covered by the plastic film.
My dad seems to have worked out how to fix the film down, but I'm still a bit fuzzy.

I don't have QUITE enough plastic sheet to cover the entire project, but i'm debating whether or not to do so anyway.

I also need some smaller screws for the corner brackets, and to hold down the plastic film i need some small screws and cup washers. So i'll be getting those when I can tomorrow.

My sensors will be made using nail panels of galvanised metal. They only cost about $3 each, and in total $20. Should they work, I think they'll work very well. I mean the design I'm going off used washers. So surely nail panels would work just as well

If you're wondering what I mean by "border", this image should help somewhat.

Anyway, I will post pics when I can, and in the meantime, opinions and discussion is cool

slvrshdw · Trick Member Joined: 05 Jan 2005

Sounds like a pretty good idea. I can only think of 2 things:
1) make sure the metal you use for sensors will conduct electricity. (take a voltmeter and check it BEFORE you do the whole thing)
*ive done the whole pad, and then learned the metal i used didnt conduct IT SUCKED*
2) add a border around the whole pad! it may add a bit of weight, but you will like it when you mis-step. AKA, make a 3/4" or 1" border on the top/left/right, and a 2.5" or so border on the back.
*i know this because of experience, my friend hurt his ankle because i didnt have a border on mine at first*
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8ftmetalhead · Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 1:13 am Post subject:

As promised, PICS!

As you can see, Only two step panels left to put plastic film over. One of them is wired fully, and I tested it using a volt meter earlier. It works quite well.
I need one more square of plastic film, so I'll have to buy a whole extra sheet, only to cut one piece from it. Ahwell. I'll also need a few more cup washers, and probably some more foam.
Overall it seems the pad is going to be a bit of a success story, although I'll have to leave the final judgement until I try actually using it. [/img]

Shuma Gorath · Trick Member Joined: 15 Dec 2008

those sensors setup are looking good so far, I like the thickness of those metal plates you're using for the sensors. Waiting for the final version pics ;D

8ftmetalhead · Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 1:54 am Post subject:

I'll upload pics tomorrow of the finished mat. It plays quite well, a couple wires broke from around the screws, but i simply placed them under the plate next to the screw, so they stay in place just as well

TBH, i was waiting for a bit more user interest. DDR freak seems to be a bit inactive for some reason?

8ftmetalhead · Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 5:07 am Post subject:

Alright, technically it IS morning where I am. So have the pics now. I do apologise for them being a bit grainy, but meh, it's in artificial light for the most part with a flash on top of it. But it works.

GUTS OF THE GEAR

And because I don't have a router, I ran the wires along the edge of the solid panels, and cut small holes from the bottom half of the corners of the center panel to thread them through.

I also mutilated my controller a bit so I could stick the wires out of the L1 socket, making the wires easier to manage

And the finished product itself...

Yes.... I scrolled to fascination MAXX just because I felt like it...

And cheers for the sensors comment. They did have smaller copper strips that I was considering using too, so they're a future possibility. The plates that I did use are 1.0mm thick.

So... reckon I should write up a plan and put it online for all those metric people and those down under?

Shuma Gorath · Trick Member Joined: 15 Dec 2008

well i would prefer to see a video of you testing the pad with some songs on youtube.

hows the sensibility? are the arrow panels slippery? is the pad noisy?

8ftmetalhead · Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 12:11 pm Post subject:

It is a fairly noisy pad, after being broken in it has quietened down some. I do plan to get some more foam for it at some point.

The sensitivity is pretty good, even a small amount of pressure can make the button register, but as of yet there aren't any ghost steps or triple steps that I've seen. Admittedly I do stomp the arrows, but I can do expert mode on Xepher or NO13 pretty well enough to get B's.

Again, I think more foam would make it a fair bit better.

As for uploading a video to youtube, that's kinda out of the question (at least atm), since
1- i have no video camera except one without sound on my normal digicam, which is fairly awful quality. and
2- I'm currently on dialup internet, even browsing the internet on this crap can send me into a collective apoplexy, let alone even uploading stuff. and
3- I'm not actually that keen on youtube.
I have just signed up for broadband, and i can try and borrow a friend's video camera if i must. So i'll see what I can do in the coming weeks.

I must ask though. has anyone had trouble (when soldering) with the copper contacts splitting from the controller that they're soldering to?
I've partially broken two ps1 controllers trying to solder to the start, select and X or O buttons.
Fortunately on the second one, i left the triangle button intact, and the circle button works still (just), so i can still use it, but i'm still not particularly happy after spending $11 on 3 push buttons and 4 hours building an MDF control box that I can no longer use.

I don't think i'm going to bother with a control box now, after spending so much money on building the pad. The convenience of it just isn't worth going through possibly 3 or more controllers.

Actually, come to think of it i have a friend who I believe has a video camera, and he's the one who got me into DDR. He's quite a bit better than me, so I'll ask him to trial it when he's back from japan, and see what I can do.

Marq(uistadorous) · Trick Member Joined: 03 Aug 2005 Location: Arvada, CO

wooden panels?!?! ... strange... but whatever it'd be fun to play on it and see how well it works
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ChilliumBromide · Trick Member Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Location: Beaverton, OR

I feel your pain on those control boxes. There's where I finally gave up. Had 5 frames finished, 80 sensors cut, 20 panels cut, borders, handles, project boxes, pushbuttons; even had a bar put together, but I couldn't get the control boxes made. It sucked hardcore.
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I used to be active here lol

Shuma Gorath · Trick Member Joined: 15 Dec 2008

so how did you exactly broke the copper contacts off the controller circuit board? i remember that I broke one of those circular coppers contacts when I just wanted to take out the soldered joint with my hands because it was too weak, but just a little pull ripped the contact out of the circuit board and left an ugly empty spot with no copper on, so i had to make the solder joint on the really narrow(and hard to solder) copper track of the board.

8ftmetalhead · Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:56 pm Post subject:

pretty much exactly as that. When I was soldering the wires to the copper contacts (after scratching that black crap off) the wires either pulled off the contacts, or the soldering iron released some syrup-y chemical which then turned black, and pulled off the copper somehow.

There's now nothing left on the controller to solder to aside from a very very tiny piece of metal that is exposed, which my solder won't stick to due to it being so small.

Fortunately on the second one i tried soldering to, only the select and X buttons buggered up, so I still have circle, triangle and start buttons so I can make do.

But yeh, pretty much what you described is what occured.
Might just be because my controller's old, but whatever.