The DDR homepad building and softpad modding thread! (HUGE TOPIC)

Not really, no. I'm guessing your best bets would be either Ebay for a blue shark or redoctane hard pad, or a cobalt flux.

Alternatively, the DDRgame pads might be of use but I've heard alot of mixed reviews on those.

If you're asking for a single person who makes DDR homepads for other players, definitely drawing a blank there. Perhaps approach a local tradesman or something?

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Thanks for the response. I was pretty sure the answer would be no, though I was hoping I could find SOMEBODY in the NYC area who does this sort of thing.

I don't have any electrical/construction skills, though I do have access to some of the necessary tools (through my parents), but the instructions are so well written and illustrated that I feel like I could attempt this. The only thing is I think I'd need clearer instructions/illustrations of how to properly wire the pad to work with PS2 and Xbox 360, and maybe StepMania (though I've never used StepMania so I'm not sure whether it's worth it or not). I also have a PS3 but I've heard that DDR on the PS3 isn't great so I don't think I'll bother.

Sigh--I just wish that there was a retailer who sold a pad comparable in quality to the stuff I've seen on this thread.

I'm thinking of building one of these pads but I need some UK retailers of the parts (not equipment to build, but stuff like Lucite and such) as I want to build one, but I have no clue where to get the graphics printed or get the acrylic for the panels done xD

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Pardon me for the late response, I didn't the replies till just now.

I'm sure your local hardware store could sort you out some lucite/plexi, or failing that, check your local plastic fabricator.
As for printers, check google or your phone book and ask if they do the materials listed in the topic or if they know of something similar.

In the case of the plexi, don't skimp on it and go into the store to check its strength before sticking it all onto your pad.
If you wanted to cheap out on the plexi, you could use plastic sheeting and wooden step panels like I did.

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No worries, I'll check my local hardware store then

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I found this thread doing searches on making my own hard dance pads for Stepmania. I like the great infomation here, but I wanted to let everyone know that modding pcbs (soldering) for gamepads may not be necessary anymore as there are products out there made for fighting games fightsticks and arcade emulation, both of which are also extremely timing sensitive, may help you guys with your projects. I plan to use a couple of PS360s or Cthulhu Multi Console boards for making my hard pads. I will update my progress. My primary goal is PC compatibility with console compatibility secondary.

Akishop PS360 Tri Mod Joystick PCB (3rd Wave) / http://www.focusattack.com/products/Akishop-PS360-Tri-Mod-Joystick-PCB-%283rd-Wave%29.html

http://www.ultimarc.com/ipac1.html /

http://www.lizardlick.com/Toodles-ChimpSMD_p_584.html

http://www.lizardlick.com/Toodles-Cthulhu-for-Multi-Console_p_542.html

I site this board below on SRK because you can find info on the Cthulhu multiconsole there. I'm not an expert on them so it's better to look up the info.

http://shoryuken.com/f177/

Eric
UrkAngiJordi

P.S. I just noticed the Cthulhu PS3/PC board and the Multi Console seem to be sold out on Lizard Lick. But they still have the Cthulhu Chimp SMD for PS3 / PC with dual mod 360 compatibility. I don't know any way for PS2 other than pad modding until the Cthulhu Multi Console comes back.

Sorry for that.

http://www.lizardlick.com/Toodles-ChimpSMD_p_584.html

Nice one, I'll add this into the first post when I get some spare time.

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I'm having trouble finding the metal brackets in my local area, any idea if Radioshack does international shipping?

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can we use the original DDR sensor parts on our homemade pads?

it will give better experience i think

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Not sure on either of those. I'm in New Zealand myself so I'd have more trouble finding them, I guess you could try ordering from an arcade parts store, you could use pump it up or DDR brackets.

If you mean the corner brackets, I wouldn't bother with them and just figure out some clever way to make them yourself. Here they were going to cost me more than half of my pad budget, so I figured screw it, I'll figure something else out. (which I did, I used metal strips at the corner. Not arcade like REALLY but they worked for like 10 bucks)

As for DDR sensors in your homepads, you CAN but there isn't any design that actually implements them other than the blueshark one. Mainly due to cost, I would imagine. Even the blueshark 3" pad only had two per panel.

If you did want to use them, see if you can find out what a blueshark looks like and how it's made and all that, then give it a go yourself. It'd just be an issue perhaps screwing the sensor brackets into wood, since even in the metal pads at the arcade they knock loose.
But yeah it is feasible.

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Shamelessly showing off my recently finished DDR homepad:



Took the idea from the "Duelo de Bailes" project. The active panels used vinyl tiles while the rest (center panel included) used cardboard (LOL Cheapskate). The graphics came from a broken softpad i had. The contacts are made of aluminum wire mesh.

Pros:
Almost cheap (~63 USD converted from PHP including the plywood)
Everything's held together by duct tape (no soldering was done)
Responsive (no ghost arrows, can step on half the panel)

Cons:
Doesn't feel like the arcade pad
Everything's held together by duct tape (wires on the PCB came a little loose after a while but a little wiggling fixed that. Now my problem is the X/Upper left panel not responding)
Has to be stored horizontally (to avoid loose wires on the PCB. Wires on the panels are fine since they are inserted into the wire mesh)
Took a bit of playing to get used to the pad (as with new pads)
No Select and Start buttons (Didn't bother putting them. Used a PSX controller to input the Dance pad code for SM)

Not bad. Just watch that mesh doesn't flex and snap over time. What have you used to seperate them? foam or what?

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I used Insulation foam.

Wow, some amazing stuff in this thread! You guys are awesome.

I am an old school DDR player. I haven't played more than a handful of songs(not a fan of the newer ones) since probably 5th mix.

In any case, I suddenly got the urge to bust out my old PS1 imports(I'm in the US, and imported 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th from Japan in the 90s), along with my old metal dance pad. I had it custom made by some local group I can't even recall. That was over 10 years ago.
On to my problem, if you don't mind.

I'm very new to soldering. I have the concept down, but I have no idea what I'm doing, really.
My old dance pad has wiring all over the place, and a few of them have come free. It has an old Playstation plug wired into a 9-Pin D-sub(I believe that's what it's called). The female end that's part of the pad, however.....all but one of the wires have detached, and I don't know if there is a way somebody here can help me find which wire goes where, or what? Do D-subs have a standard color coding when you are soldering anything to them? Or should I gut this thing, and go with a different wiring scheme?

The pad is in great shape. It's very sturdy, and metal. This thing probably weighs 50 pounds. I can get you all the photos you could ever want, if you are willing to help me.
You all seem very good at this stuff, so I thought it couldn't hurt to ask.

Thanks in advance.

Chuck up some photos of the internals if you can. You should be able to use a voltmeter to determine the pinout, or just try and trace the wires.

dsubs do have pin numbers on them but unless you've got the pins connected on the male end and they're colour coded/it's obvious where they go or match up to, you might have some difficulty.

Oh they're also a pita to solder to for first timers. I suggest find a friend who knows how, or if you're at school take it to the electronics dept for assistance

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Thanks for replying. Here are some photos. If they aren't big enough, I can take much bigger ones.














I have no idea why stupid Imageshack flipped the last three.
In any case, I thought about breaking open the cord end's Dsub, and seeing if the colors match up in there, like you said.

I'm not sure if it helps, but I did find a Playstation wiring diagram on some random website.



If you need more info, tell me what, and I'll get it. Thanks again.

EDIT: I just took the DSub apart, and it does indeed have color coding that I can probably match the other side to. In theory, that should work, right?
Pain in the butt or not, I am willing to try. I must get this thing to work.

Looks like someone's just taken a ps2 pad, ripped the control box out, cut the cable, soldered to the board, and made a custom detachable cable to attach to the ps2. If you use that diagram there and resolder the pins to the right colours you should have a working pad, assuming whoever made the pad used that pinout. Just make sure you don't read the pin numbers backwards on one side of it like I did when matching the plug to the socket.

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That's what I was thinking. I've already mapped out the colors on a piece of paper, making sure to not get them backwards. That thought popped into my head, as well.

I'll have time to try soldering it in a few hours. I guess I'll report back with my findings.

On a side note:

A few of the wires are still attached to the male end of the DSub(The jacked up one attached to the pad). The Orange wire lines up with its proper pin on the counterpart, but the red(hot) wire lines up with a white wire. Mind you, the female end is the intact one that I removed the shielding from, and investigated. Those are all intact, and the soldering checks out.
On that Playstation diagram I posted, it says the white wire is "Unknown". Would it cause any harm to have wires in the wrong spot, or will it simply just fail to function?

I'll report back soon, I hope.

If it's unknown and has been for so long then one would assume that it wouldn't make too much of a difference. (Else people would have run into problems making custom controllers/wiring things prior to now and that diagram would be effectively useless)

Anyway good luck with it, i'm off to work.

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Well, I gave it my all, but I gotta be honest...I couldn't do it. It was very hard for me to solder, don't get me wrong....but this D-Sub I have is just so messed up and hard to clean, I can't make good enough contact to get it to solder properly. It just wants to glob right off. When I finally do get it to stick, it's touching another contact, and therefore becomes useless.
I'm going to go down and get another D-Sub in a couple days, and see if I can do it then.
Then again, what's not to say that matching colors will even work?
I might just pay an Electrician to do it for me, or just buy an all new pad...maybe a Cobalt Flux?

Thanks for all the input, but I think I'm on my own, here.
Oh well, I tried my best.