Pad Lighting

Wonderhampster120 · Basic Member Joined: 04 Jan 2006

Hi. I'm Harvey and i'm relativaly new to DDR. But i am in need to build two metal pads for an event at my school. I want to build them worth while, and i like Stoli's chrome pad design, but it doesn't metion anything about lighting. I need some help. I don't know where to start, even after some research. Let's say that I do use the chrome pad design. Do I use the light bulb method, or the neon light method as in the orginal arcade pads. These are available from channelbeat.com. Here is the link:

http://channelbeat.com/products/parts/dance_dance_revolution_parts/122.html

If i used this method, it is a smaller profile, but i don't know anything about neons. I have less than a month to produce two of these pads. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. The more the arcade feel, the better. But i want them to be usable at home two, since i will be incharge of them. Thanks.

Kyle
_________________

Ok. So I'm new at this. But I'm learning - slowly...

mouseish · Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2006 8:21 pm Post subject:

Ive been into DDR pad building and modding for some time now. Here is the best lighting solution Ive seen:

http://www.mynetcologne.de/~nc-loerscma/op1.JPG

It comes from this thread:

http://www.ddrfreak.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=8162181&

Hope it helps ya

Punkly Daft · Trick Member Joined: 16 May 2005 Location: On a DDR Pad

in stoli's chrome pad design, lights are not a possibility. You need wells to do that, so either

1. Mooore's Pad - http://www.ddrfreak.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=8162181&

or

2. Riptide's Pad
http://www.digitaltorque.com

Riptide's pad doesn't come with instructions for lighting, but Patster has a tutorial document on the internet, which can be almost directly applied to Riptides. The neon lights are more expensive, but deliver more of an arcade feel, whereas the bulbs are more for budget and time constraints.

good luck with the pads.
_________________

"One more time we're gonna celebrate
Oh yeah, alright, don't stop the dancing"

-Daft Punk "One More Time"

Wonderhampster120 · Basic Member Joined: 04 Jan 2006

Ok. i like the neons. It gives more of an arcade feel. Let's say that i use stoli's design with the microswitchs instead of the large contacts. Would the neons from channelbeat give me enough light through a graphic on acrylic or would i have to use a different type of hard, clear plastic. I don't want to be able to see all of the wiring and stuff under the arrow when it lights up, but i guess if the graphics were the same color as the neons, it would filter out the underneath part. I know that i need wells for that, but the arcade had wells too. Besides, how deep would they have to be. I mean, just enough that you wouldn't step on the neons when you made contact.
_________________

Ok. So I'm new at this. But I'm learning - slowly...

Punkly Daft · Trick Member Joined: 16 May 2005 Location: On a DDR Pad

I would suggest about 2-3 inches deep for the wells. Plus, this increases the thickness of the pad, giving it more of an arcade look and feel.

Also, if you sandwich a graphic on copy paper between the two pieces of acryllic, everything in the well is covered up by the paper - you can't see through it, however, the neon is bright enough to shine thru the paper, so It will appear to be a replicate of the arcade lighting system.
_________________

"One more time we're gonna celebrate
Oh yeah, alright, don't stop the dancing"

-Daft Punk "One More Time"