DDR Metal Dance Pad PS2

A while back i decided to make my own dance pad for my ps2. I had been to an arcade store and played it and i was hooked. I saw you could buy pads on the internet cheap but they are all just plastic mats and they slide on the floor and you dont get the nice sound of your feet hitting the metal pads. 

I have seen some mods where they use the parts from a purchased mat or wire into the controller. I wanted my controller to be usable still so i soldered it to a ethernet plug so when the pad wants to be used you simply connect an ethernet cable between the two.

What you need. 
- 6 mm MDF sheet
- 12 mm MDF or similar
- .8 mm Aluminium sheet
- 6 mm clear plastic sheet. 
- 1 mm metal plates.  
- 6 mm foam tape
- Glue
- 2 female ethernet plugs
- ethernet cable.

and screws and wire. 

The 6 mm wood i used as a base to mount the system on. It is shown in the completed picture i havnt got around to cutting it down yet. Lay it out and mark out a 3 x 3 matrix of 11 inch squares. 

For the arrow graphics search the web for the image you want to use and simply print them onto A3 at 11 inch x 11 inch squares. 

Cut out 11 inch x 11 inch squares from the 12 mm wood. You will need 5, these will be the metal pads that are not the buttons. 

Cut out 12 inch x 12 inch squares from the aluminum sheet. Cut the corners out of the sheet so they can fold around the 12 mm squares. I simply laid them over the wood and clamp them down and used a hammer to bend it around the wood. Once it has taken shape of the wood slide it off and use some glue to stick the aluminium on top just to make sure it stays there. 

Also using the 12 mm wood cut out some triangles from 50 mm x 50 mm. You will need 16 of these. 

With the aluminium sheet cut out some 60 mm x 60 mm squares. 12 mm in from the ends of the cut the tips of the triangle off. At the base of the 90 degree corner cut a 12 x 12 square out. This is all shown in picture 3. Fold the edges of this triangle around a square edge. These aluminium triangles are the corner closures for the button squares. 16 of these square are needed.

Cut 11 inch x 11 inch squares from the 6 mm clear plastic. 
Cut 11 inch x 11 inch squares from the 6 mm mdf. Cut out the corners so they match the wooden triangles.4 off
With the steel plates cut them to roughly a 100 mm x 100 mm. 8 in total needed.

Position and glue the a steel plate in the center of the button squares. Then run electrical wires from one plate to another so they are all connected. Run the wires through the center of the board so the center pad can be routed out underneath to allow room for wire and hide them well. 
Solder the wires to the plates. Make sure this is done well as there is a bit of vibration going through these. I used some tape to lay across once finished to help hold them there. This wire will act as the ground wire. Also at the front plate solder another wire that runs out the front of the board.

On one side of the 4, 6 mm mdf squares glue a metal plate in the center. Also solder a wire to each one of these plates. Use a different colour for each as these are you button wires. Make sure the wires are long enough to go through the center of the board and out the front. 

Lay the aluminum covered squares on the board in the correct spots. In the squares that are the buttons put the 12 mm triangles in each corner. Then moved them inwards enough to allow the aluminium triangles enough room to slide the edges down. These squares stop the 6mm plates that act as the button from sliding around. Between each triangle lay a strip of foam tape down. As shown in photos 2. No triangles are shown though. 

On top of the foam lay the 6 mm squares on top to position as shown in photo 5. Also lay the clear plastic squares over the button squares and put an aluminum triangle on each corner. Make sure it all lays out nicely. Then carefully remove the tops and screw the wooden triangles down. 

From the underside of the board screw the aluminium covered squares as well. 

Now lay the wooden panels back down over each button. Then place the printed arrows on top then the clear plastic over that. Lay the aluminium triangles in each corner and screw down the triangles to hold down the plastic. You may need to mark the hole and drill the plastic first. 

Now that pad itself is done. 

For the wiring to the ps2 i used an ethernet cable. So i used a female ethernet plug and and solder each wire from the bad to a seperate pin. 

On the controller i pulled it apart and found where the buttons switches where. I soldered a wire to the ground and one to each positive side of the buttons. I then drilled a small hole in the back of the case and run all wires out the back. I then soldered the wire to another female ethernet plug in the same pin configuration as the one on the pad. The idea here is the when you step on the pad the two plates come in contact and act as the button on the controller. 

Now simply plug an ethernet cable into the back of the controller and into the gameboard and it is ready to use.