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HowTo Build a Quality DDR Deck
Compu486 writes "In an effort to show that quality dance gaming systems can be done affordably, Inventgeek.com has put together an article showing how
to make DDR systems better than arcade quality for not a lot of cash. Using this
type of system and the free stepmania, hopefully schools
in West Virginia can save some scratch and buy some modern text books."
Not really. From Lik-Sang you can get a pretty solid metal dance pad for under $150. Maybe not "better than arcade quality", but then I'd question whether the project listed is better either. Without trying it, you can't tell, but hey. Fair play to the guys for doing it though, it's a nice project anyway! :)
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Having worked as an arcade technician and torn apart a REAL DDR pad... I can tell you that this "better then" project is no where near the quality of the real deal.
The real DDR pads are constructed of wood for a good natural overall springiness, then covered in sheet metal for durability. The buttons use presser sensors as opposed to mechanical contacts, so there's no actual movement to them (and they can go for years of abuse without wearing out because of it). Also each button has 2 sensors for redundancy, only one needs to be tripped to detect a push...
Not to mention the best part of the real machine is that there are no ABXY buttons to accidentally push
Collector's Edition
It's really hard to take the creators seriously, their price range itself is quite a laugh, from $250 to $1000.
2 54
I have built my own pads, and as has been mentioned, movement is a very bad thing for actually playing DDR, and the most expensive I have gotten one of my pads to cost was about 150, with LEDs, a polycarbonate surface instead of the acrylic. I had tested an acrylic setup by making a steel square (what I was using to hold up each arrow) and having friends jump on it, which is a little more realistic than "stacking a 55 pound anvil on top of a ballpin hammer and hitting it with a 20 Lb Sledge hammer." at 150lb, with a hard jump, I broke it. My 300lb friend didn't even get a chance to try.
I really think if this kid was trying to be serious about selling them to a school, he would have designed his own control box, it's not hard to make a HID device, and costs much much less.
For more information, check out this thread on making DDR pads: http://www.ddrfreak.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=59
As a matter of fact, StepMania recently had the StepMix contest; only songs and stepfiles that could be legally redistributed were allowed.
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