DIY Dance Dance Revolution Mat -- Episode 471

I LOVED those dance machines in arcades where you would jump on different arrows to music. But I always too shy to get on one in front of everyone! Now you can make your own touch sensitive dance mat to play on for hours in the comfort of your own home. This dance mat uses a Circuit Playground Express to create touch sensitive arrows that you have to dance on before your time runs out. The more arrows you hit, the faster the game goes. It’s quite a workout!

Bill of Material:

Product Name	Manufacturer	Quantity	Buy Kit
Battery Holder, 3 x AAA, On/Off Switch, 2-Pin JST, 6" Long Cable	Adafruit	1	Buy Now
Single Core Wire	MultiComp Pro	1	Buy Now
M3 Bolt	TR Fastenings	1	Buy Now
M3 nut	TR Fastenings	1	Buy Now
M4 ring terminal	Pro Power	1	Buy Now

Additional Parts:

Product Name
Copper Tape
Circuit Playground Express
Coloured vinyl
A self powered speaker for louder beeps with 2 croc clips for connecting

Attachments:

Episode 471 Resources.zip

DIY Dance Dance Revolution Mat

element14 presents | About Lorraine | Project Videos

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Parents

DAB over 4 years ago

Hi Lorraine,

I think you need to add a good ground plane to ensure you get a good capacitance reading.

Try using a metal screen under the cardboard attached to the ground wire of your CPU device.

That should get you a more consistent capacitive touch circuit.

DAB
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DAB over 4 years ago

Hi Lorraine,

I think you need to add a good ground plane to ensure you get a good capacitance reading.

Try using a metal screen under the cardboard attached to the ground wire of your CPU device.

That should get you a more consistent capacitive touch circuit.

DAB
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Children

Workshopshed over 4 years ago in reply to DAB

Hey Dab, that was the same conclusion I had with my version. The issue is not that the floor is conductive, it is because the dancer is insulated from the floor.
Try an antistatic wristband or a long wire connected to the plumbing.
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DAB over 4 years ago in reply to Workshopshed

Yes, the capacitive sensing needs to have a charge difference.
If you include the ground plane, you set up two plates for the sensing to work.

DAB
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