Need a control box for a CF

Hey there everyone. New to the forums and have been veteran in regards to DDR. Glad to see the game still alive and dance pads still being made.

So I got lucky and scored a CF for $150 on Craigslist. The unfortunate part is it doesn't have a control box, but I am happy to report successful continuity on all buttons. I am pretty excited to try the pad but I need a control box first.

Well I will be playing most of my games on the PS2 and PC. I have taken apart a cheap OEM Konami pad and did a temporary termination to the control box with office tape. The test was to see if the control box in the Konami pad would be adequate for use with the CF and it seemed to have worked just fine. I am curious though as the "terminals" have graphite on them and I know that carbon has a higher resistance than your typical circuit would. I am curious to know if anyone has successfully converted and used a PS2 Konami control box for a higher end dance pad.

I was browsing the net to find control boxes and found the Precision Dance Pads no longer makes them. I was disappointed because all of their products had very positive feedback. I look forward to owning an Omega dance pad one day. Anyway, I continued my search and found a 4-in-1 Control Box(15 pin) from DDRGame for iON dance pads. I did research and found their products to be......a gamble. I wanted opinions and experiences from fellow players before I make my purchase or start my project.

Please let me know. Thank you.

Well I managed to make something work for me. I sanded off the graphite glue and finally was able to solder onto the copper pads. Just waiting on a solderless connector to come in the mail so I can complete this project.

If it doesn't work out for you we plan to offer CF Compatible Control Boxes again. I will be training someone on how to build these and if he does well then I'll put them back in the shop. I discontinued them because they take a significant amount of time and I'm short of time. They should be back early next month.

However GOOD LUCK, building your own is the best solution, but I all to well know how annoying it is to ruin a project and rage, it's not the easiest thing to do, but it is rewarding if you manage to do it.

Well the solderless connector I order does not have the right pin configuration. I am having to send it back and trying to use a solder type. Let you know how it goes. Lol soldering sucks.

Soldering the d-subs is challenging, you need like 4-hands. Gotta hold the d-sub, hold the wire in place, strip the wire just the right amount, get the solder right on the tip of the wire so it bonds to the d-sub and wire without getting near another pin. BIG reason why Omega pads use ethernet cables, those are crimped connectors and you can find them everywhere pre-assembled.

Anyways if he can do that, then he'll be hired.

I finally got it! Fully working and the timing is perfect. All I had to do was get used to the platform. It is way different and far better than using that crappy foam pad.

That D-Sub was a bit of a pain but a little solder went a long way on those connectors. Using solid wire definitely helped out as it keeps its shape.

So far no shorts or glitches from the control box. Only issue was using the Square and Triangle buttons as the Select and Start (respectively). I was playing a few song and I would accidentally press both when doing a Left/Right jump. Lol use separate buttons for your start and select to avoid the headaches.

I think my next project will be using all stranded 22AWG wire for longevity purposes.

Anyone used the PS2 controller to USB converters before.

Any pictures modifying one of these boxes?