blade dance pad...something is wrong. help!

[aimless07]

my BLADE metal dance pad is hooked to my PC through a USB port. right now, the up and left buttons are not responding at all. i just bought this a couple of months ago and paid about $200 for it. i had an AWFUL experienced with the company i bought it from, so i don't know if they would be willing to help me.

i have played approx. 520 songs on fitness mode and have prolly played another couple of hundred on regular dance. it shouldn't be doing this! should i buy another USB connector? i have no idea how to take this thing apart.

[ChilliumBromide]

Take off the panels and see if you can find any obvious problems.

If you do, fix them.
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[aimless07]

what should i be looking for?? i have no idea what i am doing.

[ChilliumBromide]

Look for:
-Disconnected wires (there should be TWO wires connected to the contact)
-Cracks in the contact
-Foil peeling off the panel
-Foil significantly discoloured

If you can't find any of those problems, you will probably have to remove the base from the pad, which is a massive pain in the butt.
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I used to be active here lol

[Agent]

I have the exact same mat, and I've never had a problem with it. I imagine it's probably just a point that needs resoldering. Just hope you don't have to remove the base. It ruins the whole thing because of how that metal trim is placed.

[ChilliumBromide]

[aimless07]

do you guys suppose that some sort of electronics store would be able to figure it out and fix it? i no idea what the bloody hell i am doing and don't want to make things worse.

if i have to replace it, no doubt it will be a cheaper one. my husband didn't want me to spend $200 on it anyway.

[ChilliumBromide]

If anything, I'd take it to an employee-owned arcade nearby and see if they'd be willing to take a look. They'd be more likely to understand the controller mechanics than someone at radioshack or something.

Alternatively, you might be able to get someone in your area to take a look at it.

Craigslist might be a good place to go for that.
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[Simo2541]

I had the blade pad at one time. It died within a few months. To be honest, the pad is crap. I reccomend a Blueshark, its expensive, but worth it. If not, the arcade is always better.
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[Agent]

[eyebrow]

The same thing happened to me, and it turned out the control box just needed some resoldering. Unscrew the casing of the control box and look for bad solders and/or connections.