Great socks!

Yesssss. I used to build ddr pads as a youth

I ran into a similar issue when I was coding a bitbanged capacitive touch library for pic microcontrollers ages ago. It would work when connected to debugging hw on my laptop but when I unplugged everything and tried to run the pic off batteries it stopped detecting properly. I came to the conclusion that it was the grounding to my laptop through the debugging/programming interface connections that was putting it into a range that was detectable. When I ran it off battery the measured timing values were way off and thus it wouldn't work. So the solution was to test and tune timing values in the exact scenario in which the sensors would be mounted/used. Also adding a ground plane under the cap sense pads helped as it offers a more controlled baseline capacitance than just having a lone wire that is easily coupled by the environment. I intended to eventually update the library to add a routine to auto-calibrate the sensitivity every once and awhile to mitigate these kinds of issues but the project got back burnered and I haven't touched it since (no pun intended).

pressure switches are what the real dance mats use, but your touch switches are different, but seem picky. I have built a dance platform before using a pressure switch design. BTW wire that to a USB joystick interface, and use Stepmania on the PC. Stepmania can be customized with any songs you like.

If you’d like something that shows up as a USB HID game pad, my GitHub has an open source project for that based around the CY8CKIT-059.

I've been waiting for you guys to do this, you wont believe actually how many people would like to build these

Yes, I remember DDR. I'm in my late thirties and I own my own personal cab.

Quad Vertex^2 on it

This is really cool! Thank you! I will try to make it for my niece 🤩

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/isuElth-3bLKhGw.html the pads we made use metal contacts instead of thin copper, also there are four contacts per arrow to increase the reliability. For the controler, we use an arduino Lenardo that's programmed to work as a virtual keyboard. Everything is made from wood. Your's seems to work OK, just need to rebuild it out of something stronger maybe acrylic (if you can find some)

"Remember DDR?" Oh yeah, forgot i am old :D. For some reason i was still able to beat my 7 year old in just dance. I cant wait until she starts wrecking shop against me one day!

Fun project! Yes, the first version of everything doesn’t seem to work right. I’ve been an EE for 32 years, and it still happens. Sometimes, for the oddest reasons. Here’s a suggestion that you might want to try: Tie the battery ground (negative) to earth ground. (A grounded water pipe, a heating system pipe/duct, or an electrical conduit ground.) This will increase the potential between the stray AC, and the ground (negative), that you are coupling into the circuit. Think about it like a crystal radio. The radio (Circuit Playground) needs an aerial (you), and a good earth ground. With the pads sitting on concrete, they are creating their own pathway (in effect, a capacitor) to ground, partially defeating the electrical potential that you’re creating. Grounding your circuit, should make it more reliable. It will only take some wire and a few alligator/crocodile clips. Don’t make it permanent, of course, until you’ve tested it. It’s worth a try, right? BTW... You should solder the cooper strips together. Don’t rely on a ‘tape’ connection. They don’t need to be soldered all the way down each edge. Just soldering the corners/ends will work. That will help with make it trigger more reliably, as well. Actually, I’d probably try this, first. @5:21 - My wife has those same penguin pants! She loves penguins! 🐧

maybe Lionel Richie had trouble with his floor, too. so he danced on the ceiling. :)

This is like a pad I see in my nightmares when I'm dreaming of DDR. The arrows at the top from left to right is left, down, up then right and not... Whatever that is. This is one of those small compact stamina pads that just are uuggghhhh. A nice starting project but will need much work unfortunately but just being real.

Does that CPX have USB HID capability? If so you should check out Stepmania.

Much DDR commercial pad use the weight as input for the game and there is a contact of button when the foot stay on it, your pad can be constructed with this principle!

element14 showing how to make a cheap and cool travel pad ;)

I am legit intrested in developing an "Open Source DDR / Dance Mat" using load cells.

I used an esp32 and made an python script to monitor my serial terminal and whenever i stepped on something the esp32 would like print A or B or C or D and the script would press the corresponding arrow key for me

Nice video, thanks for sharing! tbh I liked the audio much much better when the mic stopped working. The mic gives the impression it can't handle too high sounds and dampens the sound of your voice a lot.

looking for dance pad modification to use it as controller for a drum simulator. Please help, Obi Wan, your'e my only hope.

based

What is the input latency?

Now put usb conection and use in Step Mania. a open source DDR.

Neat project, but just FYI, once you get halfway decent at DDR, you never return your feet in the middle of the mat, you're always stepping from one arrow to the next in a fluid fasion. Just watch any video about DDR and you'll get the idea.

Make a IIDX controller from cardboard

i have one i bought 15 years ago for ps2, but it sucks, let's see how this project goes, still watching

Now she just needs to learn to not put her feet back in the middle :p

Wow.

4199 moment

pain

wouldn't it be cheaper and easier to start with a used DDR mat and than go from there?