1. Introduction2. Research
3. Analysis4. Preparations
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Section 1 :
Introduction
Ok, this isn't quite Red Green's Handy Man Corner, and I am not going to be using duct tape here (maybe). But I will show you how I built my own DDR dance pad/mat. Now, what makes my page different than all the ones out there? Well, I like you was interested in building such a pad, but there were so many different ideas and complaints and questions about this design and that design. I mean, I look to the internet to do my research and I came up with so much "other stuff" that I think I am more confused than I started. I started to then question whose design was better or worse, will it work?, does it cost more, and where to I get this and that, and why did he do that when someone else did that. So not only will I take what I have found on the internet, I will sort it out, analyze what are the issues, and then address such issues one by one breaking down the reasoning behind them. I took lots of pictures to help you in the construction so you can improvise as you see fit.
Section 2 : Research
Alright, just like my Para Para Machine FAQ
and my Drummania FAQs,
I did some research on the internet to find that the information was there,
kind of... Well, main sites that were still around was one on Digital
Torque's web page at http://www.digitaltorque.com/mydancepad/
which is a variation of the Riptide's (Marcus Wu's) design. There is another
one referred to as the Paster's design but that web page went down before I
could see how that was built.
Even so, he never made an official how to do the pad thing except for
a small bit about how he got the lights to work. If anyone has this design, I would love to see the
instructions and pictures to add to my FAQ site. There is also a good FAQ written on the www.ddrfreak.com
forums which should answer most of the normal questions about building your
own pad. Saying all this, is
there still any purpose to my web page? Yes, because following these helpful web pages, there
still stemmed over 244 pages of threads from people with questions. So obviously, there are some things which are still not clear in people's minds out there. So here I go. I will create an FAQ and Òhow toÓ page much like I did for the Dead Or Alive Beach Volleyball FAQ that I did. Ok, what I will do is break the pad into it's individual part/sections and then analyze what is being done, what kind of issues occur from doing it this way, and what steps can be done to improve or improvise what is being done. I will quote and use pictures from the respective sites, because in 2005, most of the sites which had the designs and pictures are now all down or links don't work or their hosted by some guys computer which goes on and off whenever he feels like it. So thus, I am also archiving the information from those sites also to my site so there is a more permanent ÒhomeÓ for them. Now the way I am going to think of this is kind of like a car. A typical car will have the same parts, ie. Tires, motor, doors, steering wheel, and etcÉ Well, a DDR pad/mat also has different ÒpartsÓ. I will now break the pad into several common parts and then analyze the good and the bad about each part. Then just like you would ÒmodÓ or ÒpimpÓ your ride, you can ÒpimpÓ your pad. This way you can pick the method that works the best for your pad. Now, of course some things are just expensive like putting a turbo charger into an engine or some things are cheap like putting on balding summer tires. Some things are practical like a rubber grip for the steering wheel and some things are just for show like an aluminum air fin for the back trunk. So feel free to read and draw your own conclusion on how each and every idea can help (or hinder) your dance pad. Once you have chosen which ÒoptionsÓ your pad is going to have, you will be able to begin assembling the parts and the tools needed for the job. Purpose: To gather the tools and equipment
and materials and the instructions together to start your project out
right. To insure you have all
the resources at your disposal including equipment and time. Method: 1.
To
make a checklist of every
material item that is needed including price that is required to purchase
them and where are good places to look. 2.
To
make a checklist of every tool needed for the job. Remember, the saying there is the right tool for every
job. 3.
Sort
out in your mind why and how you are going to do this project so you have a
vision of what you are striving to achieve as your final product. Results: |
