Questions about Cobalt Flux/Red Octane Afterburner

[Kage06]

I've had my dance mats now for about a week and a bit, and have got okay at using one (I realized my room was too small to have two side by side, so ones still in its packaging). They were cheap anyhow, so nothing to complain about really.

I've managed to stick it down on the floor using this carpet/mat holder type material, and its worked wonders.

On the down side, the top still creases up on fast songs, making some impossible to play.

WHAT I'M THINKING OF DOING:

I'm thinking in this case, since I want to get really good on it, is to buy either a:

Cobalt Flux dance pad,
or a Red Octane Afterburner.

I have come to the conclusion from a lot of reviews, that the Cobalt is the better of the two.

I'm trying to find places now that'll ship to the UK.

These are some things I'm hoping can be answered though :)

1) How come, even though it weighs the best part of 40 or so pounds, I've heard these pads still moving around on the floor? how?! Would this be on just wood, or carpet also?

2) I would really like a bar to come with one of these just in case I need it for faster songs, so I don't have to do mods on it :( . Can the Afterburner be bought with one, and not the Cobalt? Or can't both?

3) I heard with the Cobalt, you have to buy an extra modded set to allow for recessed buttons, yet, the Afterburner contains this already, making me think that this may be the better overall purchase.

CONCLUSION:

Anyhow, I'm not sure if spending an extra wad of cash for the Cobalt is the best idea all round.

Would the Afterburner still last just as long?

Anyone have any saying into this?

Sorry about the long post. I seem to do that a lot. Thanks :)

[eaglefan101]

Originally Posted by Kage06

1) How come, even though it weighs the best part of 40 or so pounds, I've heard these pads still moving around on the floor? how?! Would this be on just wood, or carpet also?

Well, before I built a plywood base + bar, my pad slid around a bit on carpet. They don't slide too much on carpet. If by loor you mean tiles, mine doesn't slide around very much. Though, again, this is with a plywood base. If you stomp hard and fast enough, any pad will slide really.

Originally Posted by Kage06

2) I would really like a bar to come with one of these just in case I need it for faster songs, so I don't have to do mods on it :( . Can the Afterburner be bought with one, and not the Cobalt? Or can't both?

Nope. They need to be custom made. I made a bit of a tutorial on making bars when I made mine, which I will post below. Along with pictures.

Originally Posted by Kage06

3) I heard with the Cobalt, you have to buy an extra modded set to allow for recessed buttons, yet, the Afterburner contains this already, making me think that this may be the better overall purchase.

Yes to both. Though the mod with the CF doesn't cost very much. It is only 20 bucks.

I have not played on an Afterburner, but with my past experience with Red Octane pads, I find that CF is the way to go. Though I played on a model similar to the TX builds so, that may have been thr problem. The CF will go a long way. I'm not sure as to how long an Afterburner will last.

Here's my tutorial:

The process in making it was fairly simple though. Here's how to do it. Step by step! (although the dimensions are slightly different because my piping is not as thick) Black piping is the cheapest and it is very reliable.

Im going to label these pipe A, pipe B and so on so it wont take as long to type. Not all dimensions will be arcade accurate.

Materials:
(1) 1.5" thick and 28" Long pipe (pipe A) (the width doesn't really matter, as long as it is thick enough)
(2) 1.5" thick and 1' long pipe (pipe B and pipe C)
(4) 1.5" thick and 2' long pipe (pipe D, pipe E, pipe F, and pipe G)
(2) 1.5" thick and 6" long pipe (pipe H and pipe I)
(4) 1.5" thick shoulders
(2) 1.5" thick T's
(4) 1.5" floors (cant remember what they are called...)
(16) Screws... make sure that they aren't too long.
(1) (OPTIONAL) Roll of black tape (or that stuff that they use on tennis racket handles)
(2) (OPTIONAL) Cans of red spraypaint.
(1) Plywood base (hopefully there is another tutorial somewhere on how to do this. make sure the back of the base is extended a considerable amount.)

Process:
1. Attatch two of the shoulders to pipe A. Make sure it is tight and that they are symmetrical so they are both pointing the same way.

2. Attatch pipe B and C to the shoulders that you have attatched to pipe A and make it tight.

3. Attatch the two T's to Pipes B and C. make them tight. Make sure that the outer openings are facing the same way. Make sure that the ends are facing the same way as shown in my first picture.

4. Now, attatch pipes H and I to the two T's. Make them as tight as possible.

5. Attatch the remaining two shoulders to pipes H and I. Make sure that they are both pointing down.

6. Attatch pipe D and E to the two shoulders. Make them tight.

7. Now attatch pipes F and G two the bottom of the T's.

8. Attatch all four floors to the bottom of all pipes. Make it tight. Your bar is nearly done!

9. (OPTIONAL) Paint the bar red if you want. Give it three coats of red spraypaint.

10. Screw in the floors about 2" away from the pad on your plywood base. (Assuming you already made one) Make sure you make the hole fisrt before you screw the screws in. Your bar is done!

11. (OPTIONAL)If you want, put some black tape all around the top of the bar to give it that Arcade look.


The whole project costed me about $100, but I used thinner piping. This will cost around $120-$200 depending on what type of pipes you use and the prices of them at your local Home Depot. It took me arounr 4-7 hours to make.

Hope this all helps! :)

EDIT: Oh, and by the way. I may be wrong about this, but I don't think this is in the right forum.

[Kage06]

Hey, thanks so much for that :)

I just know I'm going to pay a premium for this either way. Hardly anywhere seems to ship to the UK (except for Ebay, where I've found some metal pads, but they aren't made by main companies, so I wouldn't be able to trust them).
I just know, whichever way I go, I'm going to be paying loads just for shipping of the thing.

It definitely has to last a long time. One thing I hate is to buy something expensive like this, and for it to conk out and need new parts after a few months :(

I just feel getting a metal pad is the way to go to get my scores as high as they can be on a keyboard (AA's mostly).

With my mat I have now, I can only get B's and C's, and A's only if I'm very lucky!

I only weigh 50 odd pounds, so weight won't be an issue.

MY FLOOR:

One problem, that may lead me to have to build a base (somehow..) is that my carpet in my room (second floor of the house...haha) has a slight crease caused by the floor boards underneath being slightly further away, so it gives a bit more in this area, though only a thin strip.

I've heard about the base's cracking, and I'm pretty sure my floor would be a cause for concern for this to happen.

I'm also guessing it'll make a lot more noise downstairs than a mat would...

EDIT:

Ah, I'm sorry. Maybe the general area would have been the right area? :(

[eaglefan101]

If you are playing on carpet, it is actually better to have a playwood base to support your pad so the wood doesn't crack (that is, if you are getting a CF).

And, no matter what, if you are getting a metal pad, there will be noise regardless to whether or not you make a plywood base.

I'm not sure as to where this would go. My guess would be in the general problems. But, it doesn't matter anymore as I have answered your questions.

Hope this helps! =D

[Kage06]

Yep, thanks :)

Haha, I went to Cobalt Flux and registered, to find out the final price for the unit, and the shipping to the UK.
It all came down to £250.97 UK pounds!!! Wow...
And then I'd have to build a support also for the floor... eek.

EDIT:

I've also just heard about BlueShark metal pads, that rival arcade machines in feel, and have heard some good stuff. Can't seem to find any reviews though, and from the site, since of the heaviness, they'll only ground ship, so no UK shipping :(

UK are very hard done for in the dance pad area...

EDIT 2:

I'm good at some DIY (putting up flat pack things), but I'm only 19 and don't really have the experience of building things, and fixing a wide range of objects.

It seems buying a metal pad needs a lot of DIY knowledge to get it to last a long time unscrewing (something I'd think would damage it after a while), and having to resort to picks and stuff to keep the screws in place after a lot of unscrewing after cleaning... It all seems hard word, yet, of course, with knowledge will last a long time...