Just recently got an FX machine with a set of pads and wanted to say thanks for putting this together (along with your other videos), it was super helpful for the entire cleaning process! Would have been way more difficult otherwise. A few things I did differently that worked well for me (and one that really didn't) for anyone else going through this process: - SOS pads for cleaning the frames in the sink made quick work of all the caked on stuff and excess adhesive, since I wasn't able to get at it with an old toothbrush - Different types of tape for re-recessing and sensitivity adjustment; 1 layer of foam tape on all the sensors and corners, then 2-3 layers of thin gorilla tape (the "to go" stuff), and then additional layers of painter's tape to fine tune sensitivity - Countersinking corner brackets. Not totally necessary but a nice quality of life improvement, needs really specific screws though. Went through a few types before getting ones that worked properly (product # 5134 on boltdepot, only ships within the US unfortunately) - Windex instead of soapy water to clean the pad frame (use ventilation if you use windex, the smell sucks and gave me a headache, soapy water would probably work just as well or better. *Don't* use Windex on the arrow panels) - *Mistake:* trying to get the adhesive off the sensor holders by submerging them in the sink. Water made it so much more difficult to remove, and peeling it off dry like in the video works so much better! Deep cleaning was 100% worth it imo, not something I'd want to do again but it definitely pays off! Pads feel amazing now and work real nicely
This is a very useful guide, your pads look factory new! I haven't adjusted the pad sensitivity on my machine yet and I know they are not sensitive enough, and I'm starting to notice it. They are all consistent however. I had much harder work with the cleaning - there was a lot of rust, mostly on the pad frames, but it came off ok with sandpaper then usual cleaning. My machine must have been in a location where they failed to enforce a 'no drinks near this machine' rule!
Yup, that's definitely what happened with my first one - lots of sticky gross stuff inside. The whole thing had a distinctive smell of grape soda and cigarette smoke. There were bits of popcorn all over, so my guess was that maybe it had been in a movie theater? This one seems to have been kept in a cleaner location.
The only minor thing to note about using a foam material for modding is that it will get compressed down over time, and you'll have to add more. Still, the 3m mounting tape is a firmer and more durable foam and won't compress as fast, but it still will a bit over time.
Hi! I just finished to upgrade my NX to Prime but unfortunately the pads, pads lights, side lights and neon are not working, I thing I’m having problem with Piu io and Jamma but not sure how to find the problem, I appreciate any help.
Fantastic job! Thanks for the video...about to do something similar to my own machine :) had a question though - the owner of the local arcade insists that pump pads are too sensitive and the panels are too heavy ...and so he permanently removed some sensors from the pads ...namely the top ones on 7/9s and side ones on the 5s. The justification was that this way anybody is able to play regardless of their body mass. I’ve never seen that done before...is that a viable solution?(is there even a problem like that?)
Yeah, that doesn't sound right to me. There are much better ways to tweak sensitivity that don't involve removing sensors (and you really don't want to ever actually *remove* them and step on the panels - if you really need to disable one for some reason, you'd want to just unplug it but leave it in place). As far as I'm concerned, the only way for a panel to be too sensitive is if it activates from vibrations when not being stepped on. If you're applying any pressure to the actual panel, it should register. The weight of the player shouldn't make too much of a difference, within reason - a heavy person stepping on metal shouldn't activate an arrow, and a light person shouldn't have to stomp hard on an arrow to activate it. Maybe the owner's playstyle somehow involves putting a little bit of weight on arrows without activating them?
Alex Diener not sure about that... I was really confused with his reasoning. And yeah - I think he just disabled them, not removed. Anyway it created all sorts of inconveniences for me while playing doubles with no bar... maybe it’s just me and my less than stellar skills though :) thanks for the reply:)
that's so sick dude. do you still have the PDP 5X pad? I'm looking to get one soon and I'd like to know your thoughts on how good it is. I've tried the ddr one and it's good, although it is waay too sensitive.
Yup. My impressions are somewhat limited since I've only played two or three sessions on it, but it seemed to do the job pretty well. It didn't feel quite right out of the box... I peeled off the top layer, took out the extra pressure plate pieces under the arrow panels, and added some thin plywood under the non-arrow positions. This gave it a more authentic recessed feel, and probably would help with sensitivity if it's an issue. I've heard rumors that Precision Dance Pads don't last very long, but having had one apart, I'm not really sure what would break down - everything seems like it would be reasonably easy to repair if something went wrong.
Hey Alex, do you happen to have the sizes of the switch frames (subframes) 27:17. I can't seem to find anything... and since you've made a replica perhaps you had taken the measurements of those. Keep up the good work
Yup! Corner frames are 13" x 11" measured from the outer wall; center is 11" x 11". Depth is 1.25". The panels are a quarter inch smaller each way, and about 0.4" thick. I can give more info if you need it.
Thanks ! I use your videos of the ITG Pad Replica to create my own pad you gave all the measures I need to create one. The only thing I was missing was the subframe
@@adiener thanks for the reply. I've checked my machine and middle cab hole area where the tube is for the cord, I dont see any disconnector. Unless I needed to lift up the cab to see the bottom or take out the metal area? I got an LX cab
Hey Alex I posted a comment on your last video about how to maybe get in contact with more of the dance game community and possibly find a location where you can host this new machine you purchased. I was just curious if you had looked into it or not?
Oh whoops, I thought I'd replied to that, but I guess I didn't. Yup, I've listed my house on zenius-i-vanisher and Pump Haven, but so far no one has found it and contacted me about it yet. Facebook is a problem for me, unfortunately... I've heard a lot about the rhythm game discussions that happen there, but I have too strong of a disagreement with Facebook's ideology to create an account with them. Unless there's another good central place where people hang out, I guess this just means I won't be able to participate. It's unfortunate, but it is what it is. Meanwhile, if you happen to know anyone in or near Harrisonburg, I'd love to hear from them. I still have a few leads to follow up on when I'm able to get to it. It looks like it's not going to be a big problem to keep this machine in my house until I find a good home for it, so I'm not in as much of a hurry as I thought I was... I'm planning to take my time and try to find a good venue instead of compromising on a poor one just to get it out of here quickly. I appreciate the help!
This stuff: www.lowes.com/pd/Scotch-1-in-x-5-ft-Two-Sided-Tape/3690666 After having it in the pads for a while, I found that the foam over the sensor brackets compressed and made them undersensitive. I ended up replacing it with magnetic tape, which is much more rigid: www.lowes.com/pd/Hillman-1-2-in-x-30-in-Flexible-Magnetic-Tape/3115789 If the corners are squishy and the sides are rigid, it ensures that anywhere you step on the panel, it's going to put pressure on a sensor. Magnetic tape might seem like a weird choice, but it's a cheap, convenient material that's just about the right thickness when it's doubled up. I also added a whole bunch of layers of plain masking tape on top of that to make fine adjustments.
Alex Diener okay, thanks a lot ! I bought my very first pads about a month back. They're GX pads and I started working on them around the same time I got em but paused after running into many stripped screws. I'm now getting back to work on them. I'll pass on the foam tape and try out the magnetic tape instead when I get to sensor calibration, etc. :) Your videos and Nirvash's videos have been super helpful, thanks a bunch !!! Hope to play on your cab one day
Just recently got an FX machine with a set of pads and wanted to say thanks for putting this together (along with your other videos), it was super helpful for the entire cleaning process! Would have been way more difficult otherwise. A few things I did differently that worked well for me (and one that really didn't) for anyone else going through this process:
- SOS pads for cleaning the frames in the sink made quick work of all the caked on stuff and excess adhesive, since I wasn't able to get at it with an old toothbrush
- Different types of tape for re-recessing and sensitivity adjustment; 1 layer of foam tape on all the sensors and corners, then 2-3 layers of thin gorilla tape (the "to go" stuff), and then additional layers of painter's tape to fine tune sensitivity
- Countersinking corner brackets. Not totally necessary but a nice quality of life improvement, needs really specific screws though. Went through a few types before getting ones that worked properly (product # 5134 on boltdepot, only ships within the US unfortunately)
- Windex instead of soapy water to clean the pad frame (use ventilation if you use windex, the smell sucks and gave me a headache, soapy water would probably work just as well or better. *Don't* use Windex on the arrow panels)
- *Mistake:* trying to get the adhesive off the sensor holders by submerging them in the sink. Water made it so much more difficult to remove, and peeling it off dry like in the video works so much better!
Deep cleaning was 100% worth it imo, not something I'd want to do again but it definitely pays off! Pads feel amazing now and work real nicely
These machines are certainly in good hands.
This is a very useful guide, your pads look factory new! I haven't adjusted the pad sensitivity on my machine yet and I know they are not sensitive enough, and I'm starting to notice it. They are all consistent however. I had much harder work with the cleaning - there was a lot of rust, mostly on the pad frames, but it came off ok with sandpaper then usual cleaning. My machine must have been in a location where they failed to enforce a 'no drinks near this machine' rule!
Yup, that's definitely what happened with my first one - lots of sticky gross stuff inside. The whole thing had a distinctive smell of grape soda and cigarette smoke. There were bits of popcorn all over, so my guess was that maybe it had been in a movie theater? This one seems to have been kept in a cleaner location.
=3 Good job. Proud of you for making this video.
Need more people besides me posting stuff like this so we can help the community widely =D
Thanks dude! Glad it seemed useful.
19:20 There are special scrubbing tools that fit down holes! Tube brushes, I think they're called.
Get one, they're really useful!
many useful advices, thanks for this video
The only minor thing to note about using a foam material for modding is that it will get compressed down over time, and you'll have to add more. Still, the 3m mounting tape is a firmer and more durable foam and won't compress as fast, but it still will a bit over time.
Awesome video!!!!
I love cleaning pad :D
Thanks for the tutorial
Hi!
I just finished to upgrade my NX to Prime but unfortunately the pads, pads lights, side lights and neon are not working, I thing I’m having problem with Piu io and Jamma but not sure how to find the problem, I appreciate any help.
Fantastic job! Thanks for the video...about to do something similar to my own machine :) had a question though - the owner of the local arcade insists that pump pads are too sensitive and the panels are too heavy ...and so he permanently removed some sensors from the pads ...namely the top ones on 7/9s and side ones on the 5s. The justification was that this way anybody is able to play regardless of their body mass. I’ve never seen that done before...is that a viable solution?(is there even a problem like that?)
Yeah, that doesn't sound right to me. There are much better ways to tweak sensitivity that don't involve removing sensors (and you really don't want to ever actually *remove* them and step on the panels - if you really need to disable one for some reason, you'd want to just unplug it but leave it in place).
As far as I'm concerned, the only way for a panel to be too sensitive is if it activates from vibrations when not being stepped on. If you're applying any pressure to the actual panel, it should register. The weight of the player shouldn't make too much of a difference, within reason - a heavy person stepping on metal shouldn't activate an arrow, and a light person shouldn't have to stomp hard on an arrow to activate it. Maybe the owner's playstyle somehow involves putting a little bit of weight on arrows without activating them?
Alex Diener not sure about that... I was really confused with his reasoning. And yeah - I think he just disabled them, not removed. Anyway it created all sorts of inconveniences for me while playing doubles with no bar... maybe it’s just me and my less than stellar skills though :) thanks for the reply:)
that's so sick dude. do you still have the PDP 5X pad? I'm looking to get one soon and I'd like to know your thoughts on how good it is. I've tried the ddr one and it's good, although it is waay too sensitive.
Yup. My impressions are somewhat limited since I've only played two or three sessions on it, but it seemed to do the job pretty well. It didn't feel quite right out of the box... I peeled off the top layer, took out the extra pressure plate pieces under the arrow panels, and added some thin plywood under the non-arrow positions. This gave it a more authentic recessed feel, and probably would help with sensitivity if it's an issue. I've heard rumors that Precision Dance Pads don't last very long, but having had one apart, I'm not really sure what would break down - everything seems like it would be reasonably easy to repair if something went wrong.
wow that's exactly the kind of mod i would like to add to those pads. thanks for the feedback!
Adjusting recess and sensitivity 37:00
Hey Alex, do you happen to have the sizes of the switch frames (subframes) 27:17. I can't seem to find anything... and since you've made a replica perhaps you had taken the measurements of those. Keep up the good work
Yup! Corner frames are 13" x 11" measured from the outer wall; center is 11" x 11". Depth is 1.25". The panels are a quarter inch smaller each way, and about 0.4" thick. I can give more info if you need it.
Thanks ! I use your videos of the ITG Pad Replica to create my own pad you gave all the measures I need to create one. The only thing I was missing was the subframe
how do you disconnect the cord from the pads connect to the cab machine? Is it from the pad or the cab itself?
Either or both. There's the same type of connection in each place.
@@adiener thanks for the reply. I've checked my machine and middle cab hole area where the tube is for the cord, I dont see any disconnector. Unless I needed to lift up the cab to see the bottom or take out the metal area? I got an LX cab
Ah, I don't know anything about LX cabinets. Might be completely different.
no worries. thank you for your replies bro. cheers
Can I use the Center metal frame to make a DDR pad?
Probably. I think it's the same part as used in ITG arrow wells.
Hey Alex I posted a comment on your last video about how to maybe get in contact with more of the dance game community and possibly find a location where you can host this new machine you purchased. I was just curious if you had looked into it or not?
Oh whoops, I thought I'd replied to that, but I guess I didn't. Yup, I've listed my house on zenius-i-vanisher and Pump Haven, but so far no one has found it and contacted me about it yet. Facebook is a problem for me, unfortunately... I've heard a lot about the rhythm game discussions that happen there, but I have too strong of a disagreement with Facebook's ideology to create an account with them. Unless there's another good central place where people hang out, I guess this just means I won't be able to participate. It's unfortunate, but it is what it is.
Meanwhile, if you happen to know anyone in or near Harrisonburg, I'd love to hear from them. I still have a few leads to follow up on when I'm able to get to it. It looks like it's not going to be a big problem to keep this machine in my house until I find a good home for it, so I'm not in as much of a hurry as I thought I was... I'm planning to take my time and try to find a good venue instead of compromising on a poor one just to get it out of here quickly.
I appreciate the help!
What kind of mounting foam tape did you use?
This stuff: www.lowes.com/pd/Scotch-1-in-x-5-ft-Two-Sided-Tape/3690666
After having it in the pads for a while, I found that the foam over the sensor brackets compressed and made them undersensitive. I ended up replacing it with magnetic tape, which is much more rigid: www.lowes.com/pd/Hillman-1-2-in-x-30-in-Flexible-Magnetic-Tape/3115789
If the corners are squishy and the sides are rigid, it ensures that anywhere you step on the panel, it's going to put pressure on a sensor. Magnetic tape might seem like a weird choice, but it's a cheap, convenient material that's just about the right thickness when it's doubled up. I also added a whole bunch of layers of plain masking tape on top of that to make fine adjustments.
Alex Diener okay, thanks a lot ! I bought my very first pads about a month back. They're GX pads and I started working on them around the same time I got em but paused after running into many stripped screws. I'm now getting back to work on them. I'll pass on the foam tape and try out the magnetic tape instead when I get to sensor calibration, etc. :) Your videos and Nirvash's videos have been super helpful, thanks a bunch !!! Hope to play on your cab one day
@@adienerSo, which one should I buy? I did not understand
i think they used rubber cement for the sensor channels.
Hello i want help to want a Machine to me pls help thx