Questions on the Cobalt Flux

Hello.
Three weeks ago, I bought the Cobalt Flux w/ the arcade mod, and I've been playing daily. I have a couple of questions to ask.

I've brushed this off, but now I'm wondering, whenever I step on any of the corner panels, I hear a creaking sound. What could this mean and what can I do to fix this?

Also, I've heard that the Cobalt Flux w/ the arcade mod doesn't really replicate the arcade experience. One reason was that bracketing was impossible, but are there any other reasons?

Also, with the arcade mod, how do the depths of the panel match up with that of DDR/ITG panel depths? Is it deeper/less deep than usual?

Thank you very much! :]

It's completely normal, don't worry,


You can't slide your feet from one panel to another without lifting them, which is how a lot of Pump players tend to play DDR


On new DDR machines, panels are flush with the stage, so it feels more like a soft mat. The whole point of the arcade mod is to stop that ^^;

If you take the mod off, the Cobalt Flux will feel like a DDR X2 arcade stage. With the mod in place, it's much deeper than any DDR / ITG / Pump stage.

Basically, it feels nothing like the arcade, and never will. I personally have the mod on because I think it makes me a better player than if I was playing without it. The depth makes me aware of the position of every panel, and forces me to move my feet from panel to panel, instead of taking shortcuts. I find the mod burns more calories, and makes the muscles stronger. That's sort of what I want in a home pad.

If I just want it to feel like the arcade, or want to pass something stupidly hard like Pluto The First, I'll just get out a softmat and a chair, and slide my way to a very unsatisfying victory ^^;

Since the CF is just wood and sheet metal, the creeking when you step on the corner arrows has to be the wood slightly shifting on the carpet or other uneven surface. To alleviate this you can build a solid base under your CF pad, no risk of breaking the pad but playing on a solid surface feels better for arrow stomping.

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The creek is the top lexan panel pressing onto the black plactic panel, and then making a sequeeking noise as they both rub together o.O

Ah, I was afraid that I was breaking the wood or something when I stepped on the corner panels, but I'm glad to hear it's just a normal lexan thing.

I'm also glad to hear the arrows for the CF pad are more recessed compared to arcade pads. I was going to have some time to play on an ITG machine, and this should make transitioning from home to arcade pad relatively smooth. It's still ironic if the pad w/o the arcade mod seems to have more of the arcade feel to it...

Thanks for the help, guys!

It goes away completely once dirt starts to accumulate between the plastic panel and the lexan panel!

Hmm, I wonder if the hardware forum should be moved.
Not really obvious what it's for at the moment eh?

In any case, the alternative is to stick some sort of wax or lubricant between the panels, even rubbing (not dropping) dishwash liquid on the edges would stop it. If you've got crayons or candles or something like that, that'd work too.

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