Trying to fix an old DDR pad...

[letshavetea]

I have two MyMyBox DDR pads that died a few years back, and each panel is separate from each other, with plugs that are easily separatable from each other. (so they're easily salvageable)

I think the main control unit died on them and they are wicked old (well... like... only ya know... like six years old or so...) so there's no chance getting a new one from MyMyBox.

So, I was thinking of trying to make the pad all connect in to a USB controller's PCB to not only fix the current problem with it being broken, but it'd then also make it USB, rather than having a PS2 connection to it.

I've never soldered anything in my life, but I think this would work... wouldn't it? Or am I just entirely off base about everything here?

pix






None of you guys would happen to know a thing or two about this stuff would you?

[letshavetea]

Last night I tried my hand at soldering. I ended up soldering the wires back onto a circuit on one of my DDR pads (I have 3). After I fixed that I gave it a go and played DDR for a good hour before I got tired lol.

After doing that simple solder job last night it made a lot more sense as to what I needed to do for my other pads (the ones I posted about earlier.)

Well... I tried fixing one of the DDR pads this morning... (one of the two I originally posted about)...



(that's my way of saying YAY IT WORKS!)

I'm not sure if those three misses were my fault or the pad's...

I AA'd Groove right before this as well... but... *shrug*

The upleft arrow doesn't work right, I don't really care though haha. What's wrong with it is that when it's being pushed down it thinks it's off... and when it's let up it thinks it's on... so I f**ked up somewhere... or something... but.. I DON'T CARE hahahaha



I only really need five panels so that eventually I can rearrange these arrows to make them work as a PIU pad. Which reminds me... does anyone know anything about PIU simfiles... are they easy to come by? I know that stepmania isn't a good PIU clone or something 'cause of how they change PIU so often... or something...

But i figure it'll atleast let me get used to moving in the way that PIU requires... since I don't have a pump machine nearby.

[Fluffyumpkins]

Mike and Katy had a pretty good theme for SM if I recall. Hopefully one of them will chime in.

[MonMotha]

Stepmania does a poor job emulating PIU not because PIU changes often or is hard to emulate, but simply because the people working on Stepmania only care about flawless emulation of DDR. The biggest thing Stepmania doesn't support is PIU style holds (even PIU Pro has a hack that only kinda-sorta gets them close).

Simfiles are pretty easy to come by, though. Stepmania can also read KSF files (used by the Kick It Up simulator).

[letshavetea]

I knew you'd say that MonMotha .

I know the holds are weird, but really all I care about at this point is to learn how to actually move in a PIU way... and get the whole PIU mindset down

Also... is PIU Pro based off of SM/ITG at all?....

[MonMotha]

PIU Pro is Stepmania with some patches to get something resembling pump holds working. The holds really don't behave like either DDR holds or PIU holds, but rather a mixture of the two. You have to attack them (and you're graded on the attack) like DDR, but rather than OK/NG, you get a superb when you're on it and a miss when you're not (and you can pick up a dropped hold). Unlike PIU, the holds always run at 1/8th notes, rather than being configurable by the stepchart.

It also of course has a custom skin. Oh, and it has an utterly confusing options menu. They did at least add cabinet buttons, which PIU sorely needs for newbs.

[letshavetea]

I like my cabinet buttons...

They're a lot easier than fumbling around with feets...

*is a PIU noob*

but yea... I found PIU PRO and it was all "PIU PRO NOT STEPMANIA" and I open the folder and it's all "sup... I'm stepmania." and I'm all "........."



Speaking of which... does anyone know where I might be able to find the BG videos for the PIU PRO songs?....

[Ho]

You have to attack them (and you're graded on the attack) like DDR, but rather than OK/NG, you get a superb when you're on it and a miss when you're not (and you can pick up a dropped hold).

Someone can jump in and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the attack requirement was eventually removed in a later revision of PIU PRO. However, I believe the other differences in hold judgment you mentioned still apply.

[lgolem]

You have to attack them (and you're graded on the attack) like DDR, but rather than OK/NG, you get a superb when you're on it and a miss when you're not (and you can pick up a dropped hold).

Someone can jump in and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the attack requirement was eventually removed in a later revision of PIU PRO.

I believe the attack is still there on PIU Pro, on Stepmania there is a mod to deactivate the attack and give the holds more of a piu feel when it comes to value but not perfect emulation obviously (which I have that along with a nice theme for if the original poster wants me to file front it once I find it all it is buried on externals somewhere)

[Ho]

You have to attack them (and you're graded on the attack) like DDR, but rather than OK/NG, you get a superb when you're on it and a miss when you're not (and you can pick up a dropped hold).

Someone can jump in and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the attack requirement was eventually removed in a later revision of PIU PRO.

I believe the attack is still there on PIU Pro, on Stepmania there is a mod to deactivate the attack and give the holds more of a piu feel when it comes to value but not perfect emulation obviously (which I have that along with a nice theme for if the original poster wants me to file front it once I find it all it is buried on externals somewhere)

If SM can do it, it's obviously not a stretch that PIU PRO could also. That doesn't mean anyone has bothered to do so, but I do seem to recall someone had mentioned to me that such an update had been done. In fact, I think it was Jason that had said that to me, and I would consider him a reliable source in such matters. Perhaps the PIU PRO you played simply had not been updated.

[lgolem]

If SM can do it, it's obviously not a stretch that PIU PRO could also. That doesn't mean anyone has bothered to do so, but I do seem to recall someone had mentioned to me that such an update had been done. In fact, I think it was Jason that had said that to me, and I would consider him a reliable source in such matters. Perhaps the PIU PRO you played simply had not been updated.

Yeah I don't doubt that it could be, I have not heard about such things yet is all I am saying from my understanding they functioned the same, but then again with no pro anywhere close by I don't play it much if at all, so I guess it could be changed and I wouldn't know anyways

[letshavetea]

So I took apart my pad today... when I put it back together I think I did something wrong... did I do this right?







I was thinking about taking the up left and up right off of my other pad and putting them on this one (as down left and down right of course) so it looks cleaner... but.. meh.

EDIT: I finally played after posting that haha... and I don't have to attack the holds.