Cardboard Feet DDR

For more projects and a summary follow up from our January build night, please see this thread!

This is a fun project that lets you control a Dance Dance Revolution type of game with mini cardboard feet.

This uses the MaKey MaKey, an electronics invention kit that connects to a computer with USB 2.0. With the MaKey MaKey, you can trick a computer into thinking you are typing on a keyboard and moving or clicking with a mouse just by closing simple connections using conductive objects.

We are using conductive paint and conductive thread for this project.

This project was created by Talon at Knox Makers.

EDIT: This project has been featured under Video Games! Congrats to Talon for getting his first feature, and thanks to the editors for checking us out!

You will need:

• a MaKey MaKey
• conductive paint
  
• conductive thread
  
• a paintbrush
• a marker
• cardboard
• a computer with USB 2.0 and a DDR type game that uses the arrow keys

First, sketch out the arrows on your cardboard DDR pad.

This is pretty simple. Just make sure no arrows will be touching. We used cardboard about 8" X 8" square.

Carefully paint your arrows in with a conductive paint. You can also use conductive ink, and there are several tutorials on how to make your own conductive inks and paints.

Next, cut out cardboard feet and sew the bottoms with conductive thread.

You need to have enough thread on the bottom that they will touch the arrows on the DDR pad when you place them down on it.

1. Wire up your cardboard feet to ground on the MaKey MaKey.
2. Wire up the arrows on your DDR pad to the arrow keys on the MaKey MaKey.

You might want to test to make sure everything works correctly.

Now try playing DDR with your tiny cardboard feet and tiny cardboard DDR pad!