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How to Make a Homemade DDR Dance Pad

"Dance Dance Revolution," or "DDR," is a rhythm-based dance game available in the U.S. since 1999. The user stands on a dance pad, dance platform or dance stage, and responds to visual and music cues. The user responds by moving his feet to colored arrows arranged in front, behind and to each side of the dancer. First popular in arcades, video game manufacturers supply an at-home dance pad for purchase. Some DDR players have tried to develop their own less expensive alternative.

Things You'll Need

2 35-by-35-inch pieces of linoleum
10 feet of 1-inch permanent foam tape
10 feet of 1-inch wide brass stripping
10 gauge wire
Third-party console or PC controller
Paint
Heavy-duty double-sided tape

Instructions

Building a DDR Dance Pad
- 1
  Take one piece of linoleum and line the perimeter with the foam tape. Square off nine 7.5-by-9.5-inch squares with the foam tape. The squares should be in three rows of three and be separated by 2.5 inches.
- 2
  Attach one 3-inch brass strip to the center of each square, except the center square.
- 3
  Solder a wire to each brass strip.
- 4
  Attach aligning brass strips to the other piece of linoleum.
- 5
  Run all wires to the top of the dance pad. Cut a hole in the foam for the wires to come out.
- 6
  Attach the wires to the corresponding wires on the third-party controller.
- 7
  Align and attach the two pieces of linoleum with strong double-sided tape. The tape can run along the attached foam pieces.
- 8
  Paint on arrows that correspond to the game commands. From the center square; one arrow points up in the square directly above the center square. Paint an arrow pointing backwards behind the center square. Paint one arrow pointing right and one pointing left on each side of the center square. Alternate buttons can be wired as desired from the remaining four squares.

Video Game Accessories