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actjksn
Basic Member
Joined: 24 Jul 2005
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4700.  Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2005 10:27 pm Post subject: |
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Hey everybody,
I've got a question about Stoli's pad...again. So I've managed to do the routing and everything on the pad without buying a router, it was long and hard work, but it got done. So anyway, my question is about the drilling for the holes to secure the borders and the stationary panels. Would this be accomplished by drilling from the top first so that you get the holes in precise locations...and then use a counter sinking bit from the bottom? Or would you just have to find a way to drill accurately from the bottom of the pad. I know it's a stupid question, but I'm not super intelligent either. Thanks! |
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latindude88wpg
Trick Member
Joined: 12 Nov 2004
Location: winnipeg, mb |
| 4701. Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 5:34 am Post subject: |
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| marcan wrote: | Hmm... I have an idea. What if we made the lights light up to the correct pattern (the one of the song) as oposed to lighting up to what we play? Would surely help people get the hang of the game, and it might be a good aid for learning a song. Plus, if you misstep, it's obvious and everyone around can make fun at you  |
already done:
http://www.ddrfreak.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=99930&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=mosfet&start=60
go to page four, where i posted a diagram. i will try to get some pictures and/or videos so you guys can get an idea. it works really great and it adds a nice feeling to the game.
edit: here's the direct link to the diagram. i ended up using only one led per port and a resistor to limit the current from the 12V line of the power supply, but it's still the same idea. |
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Aflac
Trick Member
Joined: 28 Mar 2005
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| 4702. Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 9:30 am Post subject: |
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| actjksn wrote: | Hey everybody,
I've got a question about Stoli's pad...again. So I've managed to do the routing and everything on the pad without buying a router, it was long and hard work, but it got done. So anyway, my question is about the drilling for the holes to secure the borders and the stationary panels. Would this be accomplished by drilling from the top first so that you get the holes in precise locations...and then use a counter sinking bit from the bottom? Or would you just have to find a way to drill accurately from the bottom of the pad. I know it's a stupid question, but I'm not super intelligent either. Thanks! |
What I did was I drilled down from the top of the pad (first marking where i wanted the holes.) Next, i placed the wooden piece where i wanted it, clamped it *_tightly_*, then put the screws through. After the screws kept the wood piece in place, i took out the screws and counter-sunk the holes in the bottom (I actually didn't have a counter-sinking bit, i just used a bigger drill bit). |
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stoli
Trick Member
Joined: 27 Mar 2005
Location: Southern NH |
| 4703. Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 1:37 pm Post subject: |
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| actjksn wrote: | | So anyway, my question is about the drilling for the holes to secure the borders and the stationary panels. Would this be accomplished by drilling from the top first so that you get the holes in precise locations...and then use a counter sinking bit from the bottom? Or would you just have to find a way to drill accurately from the bottom of the pad. I know it's a stupid question, but I'm not super intelligent either. Thanks! |
I've drilled enough holes in the wrong places to know that this isn't a stupid question. What Aflac said was the best way to do it. I did the same except I drilled from the top, then countersunk from the bottom, then screwed. I took a few minutes to draw out the arrow/border pattern on the top of the plywood before I started and then was able to quickly and confidently drill all the holes. No need to be too exact since you will never see them. Just need to make sure that they won't short out your wires or interfere with your arrow switch panels and there are enough screws to securely hold the static panels in place. I think that I used about twice as many as is really needed, but overbuilding is something I am good at.
-Stoli
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Baby Lemonade
Trick Member
Joined: 22 May 2004
Location: Chi-Town |
| 4704. Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 5:23 pm Post subject: |
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To restate a question that I'm also hoping for an answer to...
| Deuce wrote: | | ok my pad will just stop registering or say that the controller is unplugged, when i unplug it and put it back in it works again. i heard it might be a static problem, does anyone know if it is, and if it is what do i do about it |
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squeakypants
Trick Member
Joined: 31 Jul 2005
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| 4705. Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 5:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Is there an alternative to plexiglass for the actual buttons? I'm designing my own, and I want to make it as inexpensive as possible. I'd say wood, but then there aren't any images, and you also have to take splintering in to account. |
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Ãark @ngel
Basic Member
Joined: 12 Aug 2005
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| 4706. Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 12:44 am Post subject: |
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Hi, I'm new,
i'm building a ddrpad whit lights.
What thickness of plexy/lexan i have to use to prevent breaking?
0,5mm (0.22 inch) is enough?
tnx
sorry for my bad english, i'm italian |
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mikieson
Trick Member
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
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| 4707. Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 4:57 am Post subject: |
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| vengabandit wrote: | To restate a question that I'm also hoping for an answer to...
| Deuce wrote: | | ok my pad will just stop registering or say that the controller is unplugged, when i unplug it and put it back in it works again. i heard it might be a static problem, does anyone know if it is, and if it is what do i do about it |
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Well if it is static. You can get a spray bottle and fill it with some Downty Fabric Softener and spray your carpet down.That is an old trick Ive always used for working on computers. Good luck |
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stoli
Trick Member
Joined: 27 Mar 2005
Location: Southern NH |
| 4708. Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 6:37 am Post subject: |
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| vengabandit wrote: | To restate a question that I'm also hoping for an answer to...
| Deuce wrote: | | ok my pad will just stop registering or say that the controller is unplugged, when i unplug it and put it back in it works again. i heard it might be a static problem, does anyone know if it is, and if it is what do i do about it |
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I had a similar problem. I assumed it was static because it only happened when shoes or socks were worn. Barefeet worked OK because there is no insulator between your body and the pad in that case and therefore no static buildup.
To fix the problem, the first thing I did was to make sure all the metal surfaces (not the switches) were electrically tied together. I temporarily taped a piece of wire across the pieces that were not physically touching each other. If you used brackets, you don't need to do this since they do it for you. In my case, that is all I needed to do. It turnd out the center panel was isolated from the rest of the pad (I don't use the brackets) so I tied them together (see my site for details) and the problem went away.
If you are still having problems, I recommend temporarily connecting a wire between the metal surface of the pad and ground. An easy place to connect to ground on the PS2 is the small metal tab (there are 3 of them) on the top of the controller receptacle. You will need to unplug the controller you are not using, stick one end of the wire under one of the 3 tabs, and tape the other to the pad's metal surface. If that fixes your problem, spend the time to hide the connection and make it more permanent (find a ground on the controller's pcb instead of running a wire all the way to the PS2 box).
-Stoli
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stoli
Trick Member
Joined: 27 Mar 2005
Location: Southern NH |
| 4709. Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 9:16 am Post subject: |
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While we are on the subject, maybe one of these guys who are designing their own controller can shed some light on something that has been bugging me for a while. When I built my pad, I noticed that the common connection (usually referred to as ground in this forum) on all the controller buttons does not actually test as such. Using an ohmmeter, the resistance between the button common (all arrows, X and O) and the controller connection marked GND on the PCB is infinite on the MadCatz Retro PS2 controller. This would seem to imply that the button common is not actually ground on the PS2 controllers. Any thoughts?
-Stoli
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tolookah
Trick Member
Joined: 21 Sep 2003
Location: The People's Republic of Wesdives. |
| 4710. Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 10:31 am Post subject: |
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stoli: can we get a pic of the ckt board? on the madcatz, it may actually be a high signal, +5v.
The thought of it ground is just as follows,
button resistor(on the board)
not common ___/____/\/\/\/\(1k)_____________ common
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o <- feed into the little chip on the controller.
how this works is when its open, it is the common voltage, but while closed its the not common voltage.
Common usually is referenced at gnd, while not common is referenced at +5v, this can be done the other way around without much work, just inverting some signals. so it may be at +5 instead of gnd (which would make some lighting schemes work and others not work)
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Aim: Tolookah
MSN: Tolookah
XBox: Tolookah
DDRPad Soldering and electrical Help: http://www.tolookah.net/DDR/ As hooded_paladin put it: "Currently, help for Beatpad Pro, official Sony Playstation Controller and ANY controller unless you are extremely stupid or lazy." |
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impulse617
Trick Member
Joined: 06 Mar 2005
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| 4711. Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 2:25 pm Post subject: |
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what i don't understand is how do u make it so the arrows register, i don't understand electronics very well so i don't understand the tutorial. How do u make it so the arrows on the pad register, i know u gotta take apart as ps controller for wires or something.
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Baby Lemonade
Trick Member
Joined: 22 May 2004
Location: Chi-Town |
| 4712. Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 3:34 pm Post subject: |
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| stoli wrote: | | vengabandit wrote: | To restate a question that I'm also hoping for an answer to...
| Deuce wrote: | | ok my pad will just stop registering or say that the controller is unplugged, when i unplug it and put it back in it works again. i heard it might be a static problem, does anyone know if it is, and if it is what do i do about it |
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I had a similar problem. I assumed it was static because it only happened when shoes or socks were worn. Barefeet worked OK because there is no insulator between your body and the pad in that case and therefore no static buildup.
To fix the problem, the first thing I did was to make sure all the metal surfaces (not the switches) were electrically tied together. I temporarily taped a piece of wire across the pieces that were not physically touching each other. If you used brackets, you don't need to do this since they do it for you. In my case, that is all I needed to do. It turnd out the center panel was isolated from the rest of the pad (I don't use the brackets) so I tied them together (see my site for details) and the problem went away.
If you are still having problems, I recommend temporarily connecting a wire between the metal surface of the pad and ground. An easy place to connect to ground on the PS2 is the small metal tab (there are 3 of them) on the top of the controller receptacle. You will need to unplug the controller you are not using, stick one end of the wire under one of the 3 tabs, and tape the other to the pad's metal surface. If that fixes your problem, spend the time to hide the connection and make it more permanent (find a ground on the controller's pcb instead of running a wire all the way to the PS2 box).
-Stoli |
Thanks a million-billion. Hopefully all is well after this. I shall keep my fingers crossed. |
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squeakypants
Trick Member
Joined: 31 Jul 2005
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| 4713. Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 3:43 pm Post subject: |
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| impulse617 wrote: | | what i don't understand is how do u make it so the arrows register, i don't understand electronics very well so i don't understand the tutorial. How do u make it so the arrows on the pad register, i know u gotta take apart as ps controller for wires or something. |
I'm sure there are other ways of doing it, but using riptide's design: There are two wires for each button. You soder them on to screws that are below the pad. On the bottom of the pad is a piece of metal. When you push it down, it creates a circuit. That's why if (as in riptide's design) you use normal buttons that you can buy at an electronics store (for start/select), there are two pieces of metal to soder to. When the button is pressed it creates a circuit. |
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InhaleX
Trick Member
Joined: 27 Jul 2005
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| 4714. Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 4:45 pm Post subject: ddr home pads |
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i need help!  i bought a new metal home pad and it worked fine for a couple of months, but now the left arrow isnt working.  . its the new red octane metal pad with the recessed arrows! please help me!  i have no idea what to do |
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Ãark @ngel
Basic Member
Joined: 12 Aug 2005
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| 4715. Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2005 11:01 am Post subject: |
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| Ãark @ngel wrote: | Hi, I'm new,
i'm building a ddrpad whit lights.
What thickness of plexy/lexan i have to use to prevent breaking?
0,5mm (0.22 inch) is enough?
tnx
sorry for my bad english, i'm italian |
no one have an answer? |
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KazeNoKoneko
Basic Member
Joined: 25 Jul 2005
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| 4716. Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2005 2:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Ãark @ngel wrote: | Hi, I'm new,
i'm building a ddrpad whit lights.
What thickness of plexy/lexan i have to use to prevent breaking?
0,5mm (0.22 inch) is enough?
tnx |
You will actually use two of those per panel, with your graphic between the two. It'll give you nearly a half inch of plexiglass, which should be plenty. If you weigh more than average or are concerned about it breaking still, there are some even stronger types of plexiglass out there (100x strength of glass instead of 10x). |
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dance2arrows
Trick Member
Joined: 28 May 2004
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| 4717. Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2005 9:34 pm Post subject: My Metal Pad has A Problem! ahhh my first metal pad |
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hello this is my first metal pad i got. its a BlueSpark. well when i got it and hooked it up everything was ok except the right arrow. The lights light up on it except for the top light on it... The Game wont pick it up when i step on it either. Any one know how to fix this? thanks
cya
chris! oya |
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Ãark @ngel
Basic Member
Joined: 12 Aug 2005
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| 4718. Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2005 10:59 pm Post subject: |
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| KazeNoKoneko wrote: | | Ãark @ngel wrote: | Hi, I'm new,
i'm building a ddrpad whit lights.
What thickness of plexy/lexan i have to use to prevent breaking?
0,5mm (0.22 inch) is enough?
tnx |
You will actually use two of those per panel, with your graphic between the two. It'll give you nearly a half inch of plexiglass, which should be plenty. If you weigh more than average or are concerned about it breaking still, there are some even stronger types of plexiglass out there (100x strength of glass instead of 10x). |
tnx!
i'm arround 60Kg (130Lb), were i can found a 100x plexy? |
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KazeNoKoneko
Basic Member
Joined: 25 Jul 2005
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| 4719. Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2005 5:13 am Post subject: |
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| Ãark @ngel wrote: |
i'm arround 60Kg (130Lb), were i can found a 100x plexy? |
130lbs should be perfectly fine at 10x plexi... unless you really try to break the stuff. Glass is stronger than you think, and 10x stronger than glass is quite strong. The problem with the 100x is that I can't find it in a .22 inch, only in a .125 inch... which would mean twice as much plexi per panel if you wanna keep the same deminsions as most of the pads that are out there. It's also slightly more expensive.
If you are really this worried about the panels breaking then I can try and look up some exact figures on the weight it should support.
Edit:
Seems like I forgot to mention where to find the stuff. Both Lowes and Home Depot in my area carry both the 10x and 100x. If your stores don't have it, they can most likely order it for you. You can also check your local yellow pages for plexiglass and glass suppliers, I know several of the window companies around here will also sell you the stuff. |
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