What sparked the idea
Been playing dance games for ages but those flimsy plastic pads keep crapping out after a month. Got sick of spending cash on replacements so figured why not build my own damn dance floor? Saw some forum posts about DIY pads and thought wooden ones might actually survive my stomping.
Scavenging materials
First raided my garage for scrap wood – found these half-rotten plywood sheets under spiderwebs. Cut ’em into 80x80cm squares using my jigsaw but damn blade kept snagging. Wound up with splintery edges that needed three rounds of sanding. Dug out leftover wood stain from last year’s shelf project to darken the surface.
Sensors rigged to hell
Ordered cheapest arcade buttons online but the wiring nightmare began. Taped aluminum foil strips under each arrow panel as contact points, rigged wires like spaghetti under the board. Accidentally crossed red/black wires twice – sparks flew when testing! Ended up using extra duct tape to isolate everything. Looked messy as hell but surprisingly worked.
Actual engineering part (sorta)
- Drilled holes where my feet land hardest
- Hot-glued sensors under plywood
- Stapled rubber carpet samples for grip
- Sealed edges with gorilla glue
Dance testing fiasco
Turned on Dance Rush expecting glory. First track – missed every step. Calibration was completely borked. Spent hours adjusting foil placement, cut my finger tweaking sensor depth. Finally hit 80% accuracy playing on easy mode! But the real win? Jumped on the pad with full body weight and it didn’t crack.
Survival report
Been thrashing this Frankenstein pad for two weeks now. Bottom sensor wiring came loose once – easy fix with more tape. Right arrow squeaks like a haunted house when pressed. But it handles sweat spills and furious tapping way better than those store-bought plastic junk pads. Already scheming how to make version 2 with actual non-crappy materials.
