My home built metal DDR pad (Part IV)

Matrlx · Trick Member Joined: 22 Jan 2006

Hey guys, I've pretty much finished implementing my pad design and I just want to say that it's working wonders. Special thanks to DDRHomepad, Riptide, and Stoli for their tutorials and designs which inspired me.

I made a website for the pad with just with some pictures and screenshots of how it's working out for now, you can check it out here:

http://members.shaw.ca/lluk/ddrpad/

And I'll leave you with a few small pictures, you can see larger versions on the website.

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Matrix Arcade Style DDRHomepad: http://members.shaw.ca/lluk/ddrpad/

slvrshdw · Trick Member Joined: 05 Jan 2005

WHOA...very nice, i give u a "AAA"...*corny laugh*

anywway, very nice, and im guessing you havent put the start/select buttons on yet? (the top part of the pad)

i think im going to change up my screw design and use the mending brackets...i was planning that from the beginning but i already had the screws

is the mousepad working very well? (how about freeze arrows?) id guess so but just thought id ask
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HitokiriX · Trick Member Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Location: Berwyn, PA

The pad looks great Matrix! Just two questions

you hear the contacts hitting each other when you play? Like a metal on metal sound, not just your shoes tapping the plexi?

And it looks like you proved me wrong about the contact being too thick to fit between the arrow panel and base, but I see what looks like squares of plywood raising the corner braces. Did the corner braces need to be raised because the arrow panels needed more space to move?

Matrlx · Trick Member Joined: 22 Jan 2006

@slvrshdw:

Yeah, I was planning on having my X/O/Start/Select buttons up top, but I still haven't really settled on how I'm going to have the large buttons I want without butchering the top of the pad.

The mousepad seems to be working great so far. The sensors themselves are really sensitive, so freeze arrows aren't a problem (you could hold them down with a single finger if you press on the arrow right on top of a sensor).

@HitokiriX:

I don't notice the sound when I'm playing, but I think there is a small sound apart from my shoes hitting the plexi. The sound of me actually playing is much louder and I don't find the sound any different than when I'm playing in the arcade. I'll try and get some videos soon and let you guys decide.

As for the squares of plywood you see, they're a result of how I initially designed the pad and what I had to do to change the sensor setup. You'll notice there's rectangles of plywood under the sensors as well. I had to raise both the corner braces and the sensors by 1/4" to bring the arrow panels to the right height relative to the metal squares.

There was a problem with some of the corner braces that when screwed down tightly that they would depress the arrows a bit which would cause problems during gameplay, but I fixed that by adjusting the height a tiny bit by placing a washer or two under the corner brace. So they've all been adjusted to a height where top of the corner braces are flush with the metal squares, and the arrow panels are (very close to) flush with the bottom of corner braces.

HitokiriX · Trick Member Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Location: Berwyn, PA

OK so there wasn't a problem with the contact height. It's an awesome design Matrix! I'll be sure to use it in my pad which should be completed in about 3 weeks. I was hoping to have it done by next Thursday when my school's DDR display will be, but I dont' think it'll happen since I don't even have all the parts for it yet. *sigh* Ah well.

slvrshdw · Trick Member Joined: 05 Jan 2005

ya, to anyone who was waiting (or cared) about my DDR cab..

here it is!!! (or about 80% done)

is still needs paint, the USB converters for the pads, TV-out, an arrow select thing-a-ma-bob

(the left/right arrows and center button)
anyway, here it is (i made this in about 30 mins, so its not perfect, but im not into web design that much anyway)

http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/jdp/DDR/ddrcab.html

tell me what you think!!

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stormshadow · Trick Member Joined: 28 Feb 2006 Location: Louisville, KY

sorry about that question I should have looked in the earlier pages before posting that question

geckoinc99 · Trick Member Joined: 11 Feb 2005 Location: Chattanooga, TN

Slvrshdw,
Looking good on that cabinet. It's starting to shape up. You going to add the lights that the arcade has or keep it simple? If I had the room for one, I might consider building a cabinet. Have fun with that.

David
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slvrshdw · Trick Member Joined: 05 Jan 2005

ya, i just got more pics of it painted

check out the same link...its got pics of it painted now, and the pad too

all i need now is the *real* button select things, the USB converters, and the video out graphics card and ill be done

(i was just using my xbox for testing purposes)

i must say, it works much better than i thought

im going to redo my pad sensors with the strap things like Matrlx

im almost done with it all tho

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Matrlx · Trick Member Joined: 22 Jan 2006

I made a small video just to show how the pad plays, enjoy (hopefully?):

http://members.shaw.ca/lluk/ddrpad/img/sodeep.avi

Wermo · Trick Member Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Location: Hamilton ON

Matrix,

I'd love to see your pad but I can't access your link from work. Is it possible for you to upload the file to Google video?

Thanks,

Wermo
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Loving DDR and old school turn based party RPG's like Wizardry and Dragon Quest.

HitokiriX · Trick Member Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Location: Berwyn, PA

Quicktime's making me pay for some codec to watch that. Could you host it on www.youtube.com or something? That would be best so everyone can watch it for free. I could only hear the sound, but just listening it sounds like the noise is fairly loud. I can't tell for sure but I don't think that clicking noise was your feet hitting the arrows. Feet hitting arrows is more a tapping sound in my mind, but this is a low almost "thud" sound. Then again I might be wrong. We'll only know once the visuals show up....

Matrlx · Trick Member Joined: 22 Jan 2006

Strange, I thought I had converted the video to DivX 5.2
But here's the video on YouTube instead, keep in mind with the way I play, I'm hitting the arrows with the flats of my shoes so it makes contact with quite a bit of surface area.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LYLmzgaXq8
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Matrix Arcade Style DDRHomepad: http://members.shaw.ca/lluk/ddrpad/

Wermo · Trick Member Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Location: Hamilton ON

I like it very much Matrix! Nicely done on the song too!
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Loving DDR and old school turn based party RPG's like Wizardry and Dragon Quest.

HitokiriX · Trick Member Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Location: Berwyn, PA

Haha...my computer lags when playing your movie. But then again it's the sound that's lagging so maybe my computer's not the one that's slow. *shrug* Anyway using your entire foot or just the tip doesn't really matter if it's the contacts that's making the sound cuz weight is weight, and it does sound like the contacts are the things making the sound. But if you had to turn the TV volume down that much just to hear the noise, I'm sure I could live with it.

Can people look at the video and tell me if the different contact designs show about the same amount of sound as this one does?

Ravenwing · Trick Member Joined: 22 Jun 2003 Location: Leavenworth, KS

Keep in mind, guys, that the camera in his video was sitting pretty much right next to the pad, so it's only natural that it would pick up a lot more noise relative to the TV.

Seems to me like it's just as quiet as my Stoli pad, which really has no discernable contact noise when you're playing. Nice work, Matrix!
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slvrshdw · Trick Member Joined: 05 Jan 2005

ya, i think your right about the noise with being next to the pad

i actually just got a vid of me getting a AA on paranoia kcet...course i missed taping about 20 secs

i got the end screen tho

im going to make a video of the 6 (?) songs me and my friend did,
it wasnt that great, but the pad's up arrow was messed up a bit

ill put it on youtube or something when i get it done...hopefully soon
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Marq(uistadorous) · Trick Member Joined: 03 Aug 2005 Location: Arvada, CO

Alright you guys. I am about to start building a metal pad with my dad. I need to know about putting lights under each arrow. How am I going to do this? What wires will I connect the light to, etc.? Thanx

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VoijaRisa · Trick Member Joined: 10 Dec 2005 Location: Lawrence KS

I finally got a chance to come home for spring break and do a bit of work. So far, my arrow pads are all put down and working. I haven't put the graphics on or the plexiglass yet though. Nor have I made the stationary panels or put the X O panels, or start and select buttons on yet.

Additionally, for those that don't recall, I'm using a control box from a wireless pad. It seems to be working fairly well with no noticeable lag. The big problem right now is that the wiring is just taped down until I finish everything else and solder it for the final time.

Sadly, my dad's workshop is full of lumber for a job he's doing, so I can't get to the table saw to do any more work at getting everything remaining cut. Hopefully he'll clear that out and I can finish before I have to go back to school.

vesper · Trick Member Joined: 06 Dec 2005

OK, I'm considering building my own DDR pad because my Afterburner is just too different from the arcade. Am I best off trying to replicate DDRHomePad, or should I try looking at Stoil's or RipTide's too?

All I'm trying to do is build an arcade replica, and I'm hoping this is possible for someone with very little experience.