Should I still mod the softpad?

[Kevin578]

should i use the plywood mod on a cheap softpad if i plan to play on a hard-wood floor and not a carpet?

[Suko]

By softpad, I assume you're referring to the pads without foam inserts that come with the DDR game bundles.

Here's what I did way back when I first started getting serious;

1. Take a piece of plywood a little larger than the dance mat.
2. Get two large pieces of cardboard, cut them so that they are the same size as the plywood.
3. Put one piece of cardboard on the top, the other on the bottom and have the plywood sandwiched in-between.
4. Use duct tape to tape the edges of the cardboard and plywood together. This will form the base for your pad.
5. (Optional) Use a stable gun to put a few staples into the upper and lower cardboard to hold it firmly to the plywood.
6. Take your soft pad and place it on the base. Then take a staple gun and around the edge of the pad, staple it to the base. Note: Be sure to avoid putting staple too close to where the sensors are in the pad. You should put staples as needed, but I did mine every 8 inches or so along the perimeter.
7. Now that your pad is attached to the base, turn it over and put grip tape on the bottom of the base, or put grip pads that won't damage hardwood floors.
8. Enjoy your cheap-o hard pad. The cardboard works as a great cushion, while still keeping that hard pad feel.
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"Arcades have gone away but the culture is not gone."

DDRecall | Groovestats | Beatspace | UI Bemani Club | Suko's Shirt Shack

[8ftmetalhead]

Another option (rather than just stapling your pad to the board) is to add a covering to it before doing so.
I personally used plastic sheeting of 1.0mm thickness, screwed to a plywood sheet.
It can make you feel a little disoriented on the pad, because you sometimes can't feel where the arrows are, but you can always add something like duct tape strips or whatever to keep you stepping right.

I made mine at school prior to my DDR tournament, because my softpad wasn't going to stand up to a bunch of people playing in shoes like a bunch of nutcakes (and there's alot of fatties at my school).
After I chucked the covering on it, it stood up to people dicking around on it for a week, where the only thing that broke was the plastic around the control box, due to someone moshing on it. But it was funny to watch.

I did notice it slipping a fair bit (well, ALOT actually), so what I did was get some of the none slip grip mat and just sit my pad on it. It can still slip a little bit, but not as much as just going on straight hardwood or whatever.
What you could do, depending on what type of floor you're playing on, is buy some little rubber feet and screw them all over the bottom of the pad.
Just depends on how thick your plywood will be.

Check around, there are many ways to do a soft mod
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