Finally, some plans!

Hi everyone, life and procrastination have been keeping me busy lately. So I'm going to release plans on what I have done so far, so you guys have something to work from or change if your thinking of following my path.
If you use any of these plans please keep in mind that these are different drawings and models I made over a long period, not all of them will fit each other and there will likely be some problems with some. I offer no guarantee on their accuracy and what not.

CorelDRAW Files

First up is the design I used to cut the first pad on a CNC router. Link.

Version 1.1 of the bar. Link.

Version 2.2 of the bar, with dimensions. Link.

Version 1.4 of the bar. Link.

Version 1.4 of the bar dimensions. This is the one I have had made from aluminium, it's holding up really well. Link.

Corner bracket holder (really creative name I know) and surrounding pad. The pad both replaces the white corner bits in a machine and allows the right amount of room for the bracket to fit comfortably. Link.

Sensor Slots. A part from the newer model of the pad. They remove the need to cut so many grooves into the middle layer. Link.

A jig I laser cut to make the newer pads. I basically screw this to the plywood so I can trim it perfectly to shape with a handheld router. Link.

SketchUp 3D Models

(Note: SketchUp is free and can be found here.)

The first pad model I made. Link.
This was intended to be built using 2x4's and plywood, all by hand rather than CNC. It was largely based on Riptide's design.

TubbyPad V1. Link.

This is the pad I currently have working in my lounge. Not sure about that name though.

TubbyPad V2. Link.

This was the next slightly different version of the pad, and is the basic design of the 2 I am building at the moment.

DDR corner bracket. Link.
This is the older type of bracket, the newer ones have the flaps welded at the corner. This one should be cheaper to manufacture.

Pictures and Stuff

Dimensions for the metal corner brackets.

 

The U shaped bracket that sits over each sensor.

Condensed spec sheet for the DDR sensor connector.

Spec sheet for the crimp pins you also need as part of the DDR sensor connector.

And the full original spec sheet for the connectors. Link.

~

Happy stomping and/or building :)

First video.

Here's the first video to start showing the pad in it's current state.

The bar is attached and the panels are raised as much as they can be and it feels amazing.
More videos, pictures and info will be coming soon, stay tuned.

Picture update - Almost there!

I'm close to having the pad fully operational which is exciting indeed!

I decided instead of shelling out money to hire or buy tools I could use the laser-cutter at work to make the rest of the necessary parts, this removed a lot of the frustration/complications and got the project rolling faster again.

Some of the laser cut parts. 6mm MDF for corner bracket holders and 3mm acrylic to replace the brackets over the sensors.

The laser-cutter in action.

Some completed corner bracket holders drying, the laser can only cut up to 6mm thick MDF so I glued 3 layers together to create each one. For any future pads these will be made from 18mm plywood for strength.

An overall view of what is happening at the current time. 3 arrows are all complete and assembled, with only 1 left to finish.
I figured out how to remove the connector from the sensors so now I can wire them in easily and still use the connector in the future if I wish. You can also see the pads I created on the bottom of the arrow panel in lieu of brackets over the sensors, they are 3mm acrylic covered with felt so they won't grip and damage the sensors, there's also a few layers of power cards underneath for raising.

A close up of the completed corner bracket holder and corner pad, I've used bolt inserts so I can use the proper DDR screws that come with the brackets, also it will last a lot longer than using wood screws.

This prototype will be up and running in the very near future, I'll post a video when it is ready so stay tuned.

Bar design and various other 3d Models

The other day I was looking through my posts here to see how well I've actually covered what I'm doing, and I noticed that I haven't even put up any pictures of the 3d models I made! So I rushed off and got some really nice ones to share with ya'll, without much further ado I present the prototype TubbyPad.

Top View

Bottom View

Sketchup doesn't have the best metal textures but you can get an idea of the finished look, the metal panels and brackets will be polished to a mirror-like finish, so will the bar if it can be.

Running along the bottom you can see the two steel rails the bar bolts into. This design will minimise the stress put on the back portion of the pad and should make the bar incredibly solid and strong at the same time.

Here's a picture of the bar and rails:

As you can see the bar will be totally removable, it passes through 2 holes in the pad then the rails are bolted onto the bottom (this will either be with 1 or 2 bolts on each side, not sure yet), the rails are then bolted to the bottom of the pad.

Here's a picture of the arrow well. it's not the current design but it's the same one as the prototype. The only thing missing are the corner pads to prevent the arrow over bending.

And for historical purposes here's the first models I made for the very original design.

Pretty Layers

Please let me know if you want to see anything in particular. I know I'm not the best at this blogging thing so I'm sure I've missed out lots, any feedback is greatly appreciated =D

-Tubby

Making the Sharingan Clock

So I managed to find time to make the clock this week on my lunch breaks at work.
Here's a picture of all the parts after cutting them on our LaserPro 25W laser, most still with their protective paper on, it took forever to peel it all off lol.

I used 3mm Acrylic for all the pieces, Black with a Matte finish and red/white with a standard gloss finish. I cut 2 circles from the black, one with all the face details cut out and the other for the back with a rectangle in the centre for the mechanism to sit in so all up it's 6mm thick. I then cut all the relevant pieces from the red and white acrylics.

It all went smoothly aside from some parts of the black face on numbers 7 & 8 being a tad to skinny and warping, it doesn't change the look of it and is only noticeable close up but definately something I'll alter if any more are made.

After close to an hour of peeling and gluing I was finally able to let it dry and install the clock mechanism, here's the finished product. 

Let me know what you think, or if your be interested in having one for yourself I'll happily figure out a price and make them to order if anyone is keen.

When I went to cut all the parts I found I had to modify the design I previously posted quite alot to make it laser ready. The modified file is currently at work but I'll see about posting it here so anyone can make one if they have access to a laser.
I'm still thinking about how to protect my designs because I want anyone to be able to make one if they want to but I don't want them to be produced for sale without my permission, anyone know much about NZ Copyright/Licensing laws and what I need to do?

Another pad update will be coming soon, I've been calling around finding people who can laser cut wood to the thickness I require, I've found some and should be able to get some parts cut next week. I've also started revising my design for the production version of the pad, basically just doing things to make it a bit better and cheaper but I'll talk about that in the next post.

Sharingan Clock

So a while ago I found an old clock at work that had a broken face, I proceded to remove the clock mechanism with the thought that I could make my own clock when I came up with a idea good enough. Well that day has come, I present to you the Sharingan Clock.

The whole design is inspired by the Uchiha Clan from Naruto, their crest is in the centre and each number is a different Sharingan or Mangekyo Sharingan. In the coming week I'll be making it out of Acryic and hoping it all works how I want it. I also would like to create clocks using each individual Sharingan, or atleast the coolest ones.

For those interested here are the CorelDRAW files for the the Sharingan Clock and all the Sharingan.

Parts Order Arrived!

Well today was an exciting day, this morning I recieved an order from Channelbeat which contained many glorious things.

Big thanks to Denny for bank rolling these parts, it's moved the schedule up a couple of months which is wicked. Now I've officially got enough sensors, corner brackets, bolts, and arrow panels for the pad. The sensors are DDR sensors, I'd love to get Pump It Up sensors but their a big chuck more expensive. Next to them is the Corner Brackets and Bolts, these are made to be replacement parts for arcade machines so their almost exactly the same and should feel just right. Lastly I got 4 DDR replacement arrow panels, they worked out to be about the same price as I could make them for and now I don't have to go through the hassle of figuring out the graphics, I'm still keen to make custom arrow panels for the production run so we'll see what happens.

With this order it means I'm closer to having all the parts needed for the prototype.

I believe now the only parts I need to make are the corner bracket holders and the brackets to go over the sensors. I've been working with the idea that I would glue 3mm acrylic rectangles to the bottom of the arrow panels instead of using seperate brackets like an arcade machine. This has worked well on the other pad but I'm worried it puts more strain on the sensors with the panels pulling them around. Instead I'm going to go back to my original plan of creating U shaped metal brackets that sit over the sensor with grooves either side to keep it in place.

The last part that I havent talked much (at all?) about is the bar.

I plan to get a bar the same diameter as arcade bars and get it bent properly, then 2 holes will be drilled in the back section where the bar will sit. The bar will go through those holes and on the bottom will bolt onto 2 steel straps that run in a groove along the bottom towards the front of the pad. This should make the bar very solid and won't put to much stress on the wood at the back.

From here the next steps I'll be taking will be wiring the pad, doing the sheet metal, and sorting out how to paint it.

Please post any questions you have, I'll be doing a video soon to show the working pad and maybe talk about some things.