who here built their own DDR pad?

[Maximus96]

my wife is wanting to play DDR again but our house has carpet and the cheapo mats don't stay put. i remember reading some where long time ago that people build their own pad to simulate those from the arcade machine. i built a joystick using arcade parts for playing street fighter at home and want to build a DDR pad for her. anybody with experience?

 

[MisterJackson]

If anyone admits to it they know that life, as they know it, is over for good.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I have seen guides on how to do it...check out www.ddrfreak.com to read some. I am no good at metal working or electornics to attempt it but be my guest..post pics if you get it working.

I just bought a metal one...they work quite well.

 

[So]

Originally posted by: MisterJackson
If anyone admits to it they know that life, as they know it, is over for good.

Hahaha...QFT.

But theoretically, I'd imagine it wouldn't be *that* hard....I'm sure there are sites out there.

 

[Maximus96]

Originally posted by: MisterJackson
If anyone admits to it they know that life, as they know it, is over for good.

i, for one, can attest that after getting married, having a 7 month old baby and buying a house, there is no life...

 

[Maximus96]

Originally posted by: KarmaPolice
I have seen guides on how to do it...check out www.ddrfreak.com to read some. I am no good at metal working or electornics to attempt it but be my guest..post pics if you get it working.

I just bought a metal one...they work quite well.

how much do metal ones cost? maybe it'll be easier to buy one instead.

 

[Mo0o]

What you should do is buy some cheapos, put it on a wood board then get strong plastic wrap, wrap it over the pad then staple it to the sides of the board. I've used pads like this and the ywork very well and its a fraction of teh cost of a metal pad

 

[Maximus96]

Originally posted by: Mo0o
What you should do is buy some cheapos, put it on a wood board then get strong plastic wrap, wrap it over the pad then staple it to the sides of the board. I've used pads like this and the ywork very well and its a fraction of teh cost of a metal pad

interesting idea. what kind of strong plastic wrap and where do you get it from?

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: Maximus96

Originally posted by: Mo0o
What you should do is buy some cheapos, put it on a wood board then get strong plastic wrap, wrap it over the pad then staple it to the sides of the board. I've used pads like this and the ywork very well and its a fraction of teh cost of a metal pad

interesting idea. what kind of strong plastic wrap and where do you get it from?

home depot i believe and you gotta use those strong staples

 

[KarmaPolice]

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: Maximus96

Originally posted by: Mo0o
What you should do is buy some cheapos, put it on a wood board then get strong plastic wrap, wrap it over the pad then staple it to the sides of the board. I've used pads like this and the ywork very well and its a fraction of teh cost of a metal pad

interesting idea. what kind of strong plastic wrap and where do you get it from?

home depot i believe and you gotta use those strong staples

yeah i have done that too, works alright...wouldnt say as good as the metal but deff better then the crap that they give you.

 

[JM Aggie08]

ddr pad + duct tape + wooden crate = win

 

[rstrohkirch]

Originally posted by: Maximus96

Originally posted by: KarmaPolice
I have seen guides on how to do it...check out www.ddrfreak.com to read some. I am no good at metal working or electornics to attempt it but be my guest..post pics if you get it working.

I just bought a metal one...they work quite well.

how much do metal ones cost? maybe it'll be easier to buy one instead.

$200-250 per

 

[Dessert Tears]

I used the directions available here: http://www.geocities.com/ddrhomepad/

Raw materials were around $135 (IIRC, I didn't buy plywood or acrylic panels, but that will bring it up to roughly $160). I took the better part of 3 weeks of vacation to build it, but I was improving the design, working meticulously, and frequently distracted. A table saw with a guide is excellent for cutting perfect squares out of plywood. I overbuilt my version with extra pine slats, and it ended up at just under 35lbs.