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My home built metal DDR pad (Part IV)
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Jace
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1320. PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2003 2:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Boy am I dumb... I assumed that there were only 5 wires needed (4 arrow 1 ground) but much to my dismay, I didnt realize that there was only 1 ground wire needed.... 1 for EACH arrow. so I bought 6 wire thinking it was enough. ahhahaa looks like another trip to home depot is in order.

I guess I can mark off mistake #3
(#1: 10 3/4 x 10/34 lexan. oops, still trying to solve that one)
(#2: Not wearing anything on feet in place with lots of sharp metal. loss of blood.)
(#3: Wrong wire!)


Anyways, does anyone know a way to be able to use 10 3/4 x 10 3/4 lexan? everyone is saying 10 7/8 but right before i bought it i heard someone saying to use 10 3/4, so that's the kind I got.
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Little Firefly
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1321. PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2003 3:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

acctually ddrhomepad's site says 10 3/4" is fine, cause i was searching for tips to cut lexan. (I am still looking for that if someone will point me in the right direction? riiight.gif ) yeah you are only one 1/7 of an inch off from 10 7/8", so i wouldn't worry about it.
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rk_cr
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1322. PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2003 6:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gaaah... almost done pad woes.

I tried a different method of soldering the wires to the controller, by drilling through then putting solder on. It *seemed* to work. I tested all the contacts on my laptop and at one point all four of them worked, so I figured, it's all good! Then I put the controller in the corner and BAM, one of the arrows stops working. And now a second one has stopped working.

Damnit, I have no clue what is going on, especially since the solder stuck *very* well. I'd have to rip to get that solder moving... Anyone got any clues?
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Jace
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1323. PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2003 11:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Few more Q's, then I'll be gone for tonight.

The lexan... when it is firmly in place between the brackets, are you supposed to drill a screw into the lexan? Or do you cut off the corners and don't drill through (so it wiggles around a bit)?

Also... anyone have other arrow graphics? I kinda like the japanese symbols off of riptide's pad... but I guess i would feel like i was stealing if i used them. Anyone happen to know a picture of a ... sword or something that would fit good? or any new kind of arrows? I don't wanna use something everyone else uses, but I also gotta think of something quick because the pad's going to be finished tomorrow and I don't want to be left with nothing when the time comes.
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redhotfanboy
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1324. PostPosted: Sun Dec 14, 2003 1:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

would 30 gauge sheet metal be okay to use on my pad??? Its all i can find E13.gif and im folowing that guide but its just a bit to vauge for me. Anymore detailed ones??? Other than that riiight.gif good job!
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Frosty555
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1325. PostPosted: Sun Dec 14, 2003 8:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

redhotfanboy wrote:
would 30 gauge sheet metal be okay to use on my pad??? Its all i can find E13.gif and im folowing that guide but its just a bit to vauge for me. Anymore detailed ones??? Other than that riiight.gif good job!


Now HERE is a very, very interesting question. Lemme draw out a pro/con chart for each:

USING THICK 21 GAUGE SHEET METAL
PROS:
- very durable, can take a lot of punishment.
- much easier to file down the edges when ur done (so they don't poke you)
- so solid, that the corners of your panels will not get caught on stuff and tear upwards

CONS:
- very difficult to cut (I used a jigsaw w/ a metal fastcut blade)
- very difficult to bend straight. No matter how much you pound, it'll still stick out 10 degrees.
- Once it's in, the corner braces will be difficult to lay flush. Because of the improper bending, you will have to fight with the braces to make them lay flat.
- If you plan on using that thick stuff for the contacts under the panel, good luck. You'll need it. It is difficult to cut such small pieces without bends or warps and since it's so thick, if won't adhere to the plexi if it isn't flat.


USING THIN 28 or 30 GAUGE METAL (such as flat ducting panels in basements)

PROS:
- Very easy to manipulate, cut, bend etc. You can even take out the wood panels and bend the metal pieces inward to be totally flush to the wood.
- Usually it's glavanized (contrary to 21 gauge sheet metal), it'll look a lot better.
- The corner braces will lay much flatter, and it's easier to judge where to put the triangular blocks.

CONS:
- The stuff is flimsy. More often then not you will find air bubbles under the panels of your pad and it'll feel bad under your feet.
- Since it's so thin, it will actually make the corner braces HIGHER then the rest of the pad. In addition, the plexiglass pieces will also feel higher, and the whole pad feet flatter (maybe that's a good thing though...)
- While you can file the corners, it is difficult to file the edges to make them less sharp. The edges will also catch on things (like unsuspecting toes erm.gif) and tear up, ruining your careful bending. Again, mostly appearance based, but it isn't fun to catch your foot on the corner of a sharp piece of metal.
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Little Firefly
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1326. PostPosted: Sun Dec 14, 2003 3:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jace wrote:
Few more Q's, then I'll be gone for tonight.

The lexan... when it is firmly in place between the brackets, are you supposed to drill a screw into the lexan? Or do you cut off the corners and don't drill through (so it wiggles around a bit)?

Also... anyone have other arrow graphics? I kinda like the japanese symbols off of riptide's pad... but I guess i would feel like i was stealing if i used them. Anyone happen to know a picture of a ... sword or something that would fit good? or any new kind of arrows? I don't wanna use something everyone else uses, but I also gotta think of something quick because the pad's going to be finished tomorrow and I don't want to be left with nothing when the time comes.


I need to know the answer to the lexan question too...

As for the arrows, i just found a picture that i liked that happened to be a square (a pic od marilyn monroe) andd used a graphics program to change the hue. It's neato and very andy warhol.

I used mirosoft picture it 99 to work on the picture, along with MGI photosuite. I had a pretty small picture, and enlarging it made it pixelated, so i used an effect to cover that up. so just browse the internet for a pic, and ask someone in the imaging thread to enlarge it for you.
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Zeotti
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1327. PostPosted: Sun Dec 14, 2003 7:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just finished my base and weatherstripping/triangles. I'll be doing the screws later as well as the lucite trimming. Hurray!

BTW, the arrow well boards are um.. short in some places, but thats just because i got lazy and randomly made measurements E10.gif. Also, I used a large piece of pegboard instead of wood, and its still as sturdy - just lighter!

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Shadow_Dragonz
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1328. PostPosted: Sun Dec 14, 2003 7:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

mastergd wrote:
i am thinking about making a DDRhomepad, i am currently broke (-$20 actually) and i am first going to mod my soft pad. but i was thinking would i get my money out of this metal pad, and would it last. it takes me forever to get money and i just need more bang for my buck. or should i get something like a CF pad, i heard they break down after a few months and seems like from wat i heard a ddrhomepad lasts longer and since u make it its easier to fix up. well it will be a few months before i get the moeny for metal after i mod ma soft pad so this isnt something im gonna rush into.


From what I've heard too, CD pads do break down after a few months disgust.gif . Though, it can or cannot. Weight, playing, and luck factor blink.gif .

If you want something simple and fast, then the CF pad is something you would want to get. If you would like a pad that will last and be the way you want it, then the home built metal dance pad is the way to go. Although, you must realize that it will not be sturdy, last long, or anything if you decided to use the cheapest items there are.

Since you have time, and if you choose to make a metal dance pad, I'd recommend doing a few things while acquiring the money.
1) Look at which dance pad you'd like to build. Ddrhomepad's I believe is the cheapest one to build.
2) Look over the instructions. Then go over them again, and if you have time continue until you are sure you know exactly what you are doing and how. (You don't want to do this and then screw up to have to spend more money on it frown.gif .)
3) Go to stores and find the items you want to buy. Make note of it too so you know exactly where to buy the items when the time comes.
4) If there's more time, then try and find fabricators that specialize in certian items e.g. acrylic or sheet metal. They usually sell those items cheaper and they can also cut them for you too. E1.gif
5) Don't know how to do certian things like solder, cut wood properly...practice, practice, pratice, or better yet, find someone that can do it for you biggrin.gif !

Well, that's all I can think of for now. Hope that helps E13.gif


Jace wrote:
Boy am I dumb... I assumed that there were only 5 wires needed (4 arrow 1 ground) but much to my dismay, I didnt realize that there was only 1 ground wire needed.... 1 for EACH arrow. so I bought 6 wire thinking it was enough. ahhahaa looks like another trip to home depot is in order.

I guess I can mark off mistake #3
(#1: 10 3/4 x 10/34 lexan. oops, still trying to solve that one)
(#2: Not wearing anything on feet in place with lots of sharp metal. loss of blood.)
(#3: Wrong wire!)


Anyways, does anyone know a way to be able to use 10 3/4 x 10 3/4 lexan? everyone is saying 10 7/8 but right before i bought it i heard someone saying to use 10 3/4, so that's the kind I got.


Well, you could make the pad supports (if it's a Riptide or Patster dance pad) first, then see if the acrylic fits. With the size as it is right now, it would give the acrylic enough room to move. I'm not sure if it's too much, but if it's just right, it'll be just like the arcade, and not have any sticking problems E13.gif . So, I'd say try it out and see if it works. Don't put anything on it or glue to it, but just see how the pieces work in there.


rk_cr wrote:
Gaaah... almost done pad woes.

I tried a different method of soldering the wires to the controller, by drilling through then putting solder on. It *seemed* to work. I tested all the contacts on my laptop and at one point all four of them worked, so I figured, it's all good! Then I put the controller in the corner and BAM, one of the arrows stops working. And now a second one has stopped working.

Damnit, I have no clue what is going on, especially since the solder stuck *very* well. I'd have to rip to get that solder moving... Anyone got any clues?


Did you drill through the actual contacts? It could be that you drilled too much of the contact away. So, you had a good contact at first but then it came off or was too little to keep up with actual playing. If you put it back together, it could've compressed too hard near one of the areas where it screws back together. Then it would've come off. I'm just throwing ideas out riiight.gif .


Jace wrote:
Few more Q's, then I'll be gone for tonight.

The lexan... when it is firmly in place between the brackets, are you supposed to drill a screw into the lexan? Or do you cut off the corners and don't drill through (so it wiggles around a bit)?

Also... anyone have other arrow graphics? I kinda like the japanese symbols off of riptide's pad... but I guess i would feel like i was stealing if i used them. Anyone happen to know a picture of a ... sword or something that would fit good? or any new kind of arrows? I don't wanna use something everyone else uses, but I also gotta think of something quick because the pad's going to be finished tomorrow and I don't want to be left with nothing when the time comes.


You can do either of those. If it's ddrhomepads then I think you are suppose to drill through the acrylic and then screw it down.

Graphics...I don't know. It wouldn't be stealing them. Anyway, I can't think of any off hand, and finding pictures of the right dimentions E19.gif . I can't help there, sorry.


Frosty555 wrote:
redhotfanboy wrote:
would 30 gauge sheet metal be okay to use on my pad??? Its all i can find E13.gif and im folowing that guide but its just a bit to vauge for me. Anymore detailed ones??? Other than that riiight.gif good job!


Now HERE is a very, very interesting question. Lemme draw out a pro/con chart for each:

USING THICK 21 GAUGE SHEET METAL
PROS:
- very durable, can take a lot of punishment.
- much easier to file down the edges when ur done (so they don't poke you)
- so solid, that the corners of your panels will not get caught on stuff and tear upwards

CONS:
- very difficult to cut (I used a jigsaw w/ a metal fastcut blade)
- very difficult to bend straight. No matter how much you pound, it'll still stick out 10 degrees.
- Once it's in, the corner braces will be difficult to lay flush. Because of the improper bending, you will have to fight with the braces to make them lay flat.
- If you plan on using that thick stuff for the contacts under the panel, good luck. You'll need it. It is difficult to cut such small pieces without bends or warps and since it's so thick, if won't adhere to the plexi if it isn't flat.


USING THIN 28 or 30 GAUGE METAL (such as flat ducting panels in basements)

PROS:
- Very easy to manipulate, cut, bend etc. You can even take out the wood panels and bend the metal pieces inward to be totally flush to the wood.
- Usually it's glavanized (contrary to 21 gauge sheet metal), it'll look a lot better.
- The corner braces will lay much flatter, and it's easier to judge where to put the triangular blocks.

CONS:
- The stuff is flimsy. More often then not you will find air bubbles under the panels of your pad and it'll feel bad under your feet.
- Since it's so thin, it will actually make the corner braces HIGHER then the rest of the pad. In addition, the plexiglass pieces will also feel higher, and the whole pad feet flatter (maybe that's a good thing though...)
- While you can file the corners, it is difficult to file the edges to make them less sharp. The edges will also catch on things (like unsuspecting toes erm.gif) and tear up, ruining your careful bending. Again, mostly appearance based, but it isn't fun to catch your foot on the corner of a sharp piece of metal.


If you mark the edges where you are going to bend them, couldn't you score those areas and then take it off, then bend them? Or, couldn't you take off the already bent piece of sheet metal and then bend it the rest of the way. You would have to take a piece of 2 x 4 and then clamp it down, but then you'd be able to bend it the rest of the way (You'd probably want to leave a little gap since it won't bend all the way by having the wood touch).

It's more time consuming, but I'm sure it can be done E13.gif .

Also, you can glue down the sheet metal (just like in the guide in building the perfect metal pad squares). With that you wouldn't have air bubbles.

I'm just pointing out that there are ways around some of those cons. So, either sheet metal gauge type is workable. Oh, you could just file down the edges before you screw down the sheet metal to the plywood (Just a thought).

But, you are right about everything you've said. biggrin.gif And know a lot more than I E13.gif



Shadow_Dragonz E13.gif

Hope I didn't make any mistakes..again E2.gif .
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Shadow_Dragonz
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1329. PostPosted: Sun Dec 14, 2003 8:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Zeotti wrote:
Just finished my base and weatherstripping/triangles. I'll be doing the screws later as well as the lucite trimming. Hurray!

BTW, the arrow well boards are um.. short in some places, but thats just because i got lazy and randomly made measurements E10.gif. Also, I used a large piece of pegboard instead of wood, and its still as sturdy - just lighter!



Gj. Looks great!

Hope that everything works great when you are done!

Shadow_Dragonz
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Zeotti
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1330. PostPosted: Sun Dec 14, 2003 9:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Shadow E1.gif

Just curious, how long did it take you to trim down the Acrylic, as well as finish the wiring?

I plan on doing literally everything else before trimming the Acrylic - that material really pisses me off, because when I made my DDRHomepad I cracked every panel.

I just finished doing two panel's screw contacts (well getting them screwed in at least), and tomorrow I will be soldering the wires to them, etc,. I hope to finish the whole pad's wiring except for the pushbuttons and soldering onto the controller. I'll save that for the end. The next day I plan to trim the acrylic, get the metal contacts on them, and soldering onto the controller. day after that, probably make the pushbuttons and test out the pad. Whoppee


By the way: This pad alone only took me about 25 hours so far, not bad IMO for the way it turned out. I'm guessing I only have about 15 more hours to go to get this thing into true perfection. I'll have it ready by the time Christmas comes!
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Androise
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1331. PostPosted: Sun Dec 14, 2003 9:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

riiight.gif Hey, I'm kinda new here so sorry if I slightly change the topic because I don't know if this fits this furom section.

See, I don't own a playstation or ps2. I just like to play on the simulators on my comp. So went out on a journey to find the perfect pad after I got into the game. Took me a week finding the best deal. I bought the cheapest working pad ($20 for 2 USB pads and game!!!) cause i luv saven $laugh.gif$. Its called "CyberGroove"

I was just wondering if I could mod my CyberGroove pad into the metal/wood pad. I'm not sure if the inner workings are same so I just want to be on the safe side. I don't want to start gathering materials and wind up paying for a pile o junk. If some of you already made a custom metal/wood pad out of CyberGroove,, plz teach me how E4.gif


Here's the URL to their site if that helps: http://www.globalnsu.com/Cybergrove/Intro.htm

thanks a bunch, nerd.gif
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Shadow_Dragonz
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1332. PostPosted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 10:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Zeotti wrote:
Thanks Shadow E1.gif

Just curious, how long did it take you to trim down the Acrylic, as well as finish the wiring?

I plan on doing literally everything else before trimming the Acrylic - that material really pisses me off, because when I made my DDRHomepad I cracked every panel.

I just finished doing two panel's screw contacts (well getting them screwed in at least), and tomorrow I will be soldering the wires to them, etc,. I hope to finish the whole pad's wiring except for the pushbuttons and soldering onto the controller. I'll save that for the end. The next day I plan to trim the acrylic, get the metal contacts on them, and soldering onto the controller. day after that, probably make the pushbuttons and test out the pad. Whoppee


By the way: This pad alone only took me about 25 hours so far, not bad IMO for the way it turned out. I'm guessing I only have about 15 more hours to go to get this thing into true perfection. I'll have it ready by the time Christmas comes!


I didn't keep track of the time I used to trim down the acrylic and do the wiring riiight.gif . For the wiring, I decided not to keep track after about the fifth time that the solder came off disgust.gif . That reminds me to do some solder practicing for this weekend, thanks E13.gif . Anyway, the acylic shouldn't take that much time to cut down/trim. I'd say about 2-4 hours. That'd give time to trim down, smooth out and such, unless someone really did a shotty job or didn't have the right tools to use E4.gif . I wouldn't worry that it would really take all that long.

Wiring is a different story too. For ddrhomepads, if you already had the controller ready to solder to and have the wiring cut, then it'll go by real fast. If you are putting in lights, then you'll find that you'll need more time. Not to mention the extra contacts to use for the wiring, the power cord and such. I'd say about double the time if that if you are going to be adding lights.

Gotta run, got class riiight.gif

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motster
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1333. PostPosted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 11:06 am    Post subject: Almost (about to, maybe) getting started Reply with quote

Well,

I dipped my toe into the DIY pad craze today. Was walking around Lowes and (just so happened to have a printout of the ddrhomepad materials/price list E1.gif) and saw the Lucite-ES for $13.72 for the 24"x48" .08 thickness. Technically his list calls for .09 (and priced it at $22), but I'm guessing the 1/100" thickness isn't going to hurt me ;-)

SO....I had the guy cut it up for me there, using one of those big glass scoring stations that they have at Lowes. It cost all of $1 for him to do it, so now I have 8 11x11 panels, and two leftover pieces (I think I shall make Select/Start buttons) at a cost of $14 versus the $22 in the materials list (saving money already!). The panels have a little flex in them, but I think once I get them into place and have the extra sheet metal underneath the second one they will be pretty stiff. Plus, there shouldn't be that much "give" anyway considering how closely they'll sit to the bottom of the arrow well (ddrhomepad design).

The sheet metal was $22.97 for 26 gauge, 2'x4'. I'm thinking I can get away with one sheet: 5 12" arrow panels, leaves a bunch of "scrap" for affixing to the bottom of the arrows and making contacts.

So, including those variations in price, plus using my topway pad controller, and already having solder, duct tape, cat 5, weather strip.. I'm down to $109. At this rate I might be able to get down to under $100 ;-)


Thoughts? Am I celebrating prematurely? Of course, I still have to decide to MAKE the thing, I"m just thinking out loud here *cough*obsessed*cough*.

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1334. PostPosted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 2:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

hey guys. i have just come to an amazing conclusion. i will be spending the least amount of money out of all of you. and i think i will be using way more materials.

anyways my cause for celebration is due to the fact that unlike you guys, i dont have to pay for wood, some metal, screws, wires, and some of the lucite. oh and i may not have to pay for the controller either.

sorry to brag but honestly if you were me you would be happy too.

almost done my metal pad by the way. thinking of making a second one as well. that one will be even cheaper. will have to pay for even less.
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motster
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1335. PostPosted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 3:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

By the way, my post wasn't just to say "look how I'm getting off easy", but rather "am I missing some major design point that will cost me more in the long run?" E13.gif
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1336. PostPosted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 3:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

so far i have only paid about 16$ for my pad, 9$ for Polycarbonate, and 6 for weatherstripping. On friday i am getting brackets from joe for 15$. I already have everything else i need so my pad cost a total of 31$.

doggy' lol.

And i have to ask what is the difference between screwing through the polycarbonate versus cutting the corners?
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shuiend
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1337. PostPosted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 4:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i spent about 3 hours today soldering and testing my pad out. And i think i have fried another controller. My X,O,triangle, or square dont work. Also right dosent work anymore. So i was wondering if any of the poeple that have sussecfully soldered the controller would like to do one for me. I would gladly pay for it. I woul;d not like to be told to try again b/c i have tried on 4 controllers and failed with them all.
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1338. PostPosted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 5:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hrrmm..

Well, the super cutter at Lowes definitely didn't leave me with 11 by 11 squares. I've definitely got a few that are 1/8 shy, and some that are 1/4 over. Hopefully I can salvage the set, hiding some pieces under the others, etc.

On the topic of frying controllers...Is it just me or is this something that should have been solved by now? Have these basic questions been answered? :

1) When a controller is "fried", does it mean that the IC on the controller is dead? (is there an IC?) Surely it doesn't mean that the given traces have become faulty? If so, what the heck can kill a copper trace?

2) What causes the <component> to fail? Is it truly static buildup? Or is it a problem with the electrical signal from being dragged out along wires (cat5/other) with different resistance properties (caused by length/makeup)?

3) If it's static, which pad components cause it? Can those components be coated with something or separated from each other? People have reported that even grounding to a wall outlet isn't enough. Should a single large ground wire be run internally, versus separate ones? (a "ground rail").. IS IT THE WEATHERSTRIPPING? Of all the components, this seems most likely to me to be the cultprit (most like carpet/other static producing materials..). Has anyone that ever used LATEX TUBING, or other material, actually fried a controller?

4) If it's not static, is it the length of the wiring inside the pad? Perhaps the controller should be located more centrally versus at the exterior of the pad?

5) I haven't looked at a pad internals yet, but is there something special about the pad internals that couldn't be left out or recreated on breadboard for better performance? If the pads cost only $5 (and that's after 4 middlemen and a boat ride usually) surely someone on the board can create an equivalent design (and perhaps sell them for little to no profit)..

6) If the topway control boards work without issue (getting "fried") then what is inherent in their design that makes them so? They obviously are designed to work with extremely long traces that run into the arrows, then zig zag in those huge contact patterns (in the cheapie pads), so perhaps some resistance circuitry or something can be retrofitted into other controller designs? Same question basically applies to the Sony controller...

I know just enough about circuitry and electrical design to be dangerous, so please forgive me if the questions asked are stupid. I just feel like this is one of (if not THE) last lingering question that keeps many folks from making their own pads.

This board has given me like 40 hours of reading pleasure, and may actually enable me to build my own pad, so if nothing else I hope this post can stir up an answer to this (annoying to some, frightening to others) question.
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Androise
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Joined: 14 Dec 2003
1339. PostPosted: Mon Dec 15, 2003 6:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

E19.gif So... Has anyone tried modding a Cyber Groove pad? E19.gif

erm.gif I need some help here. erm.gif
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