HOWTO: Build a Stepmania Machine

[jonphamta]

Originally Posted by cpubasic13

Actually, in all seriousness, how does one get a coin slot to work with this? I'm rather curious about that. Also, the instructions use a DDR cabinet. Couldn't I just build my own custom cabinet? Building a cabinet with a built-in computer and monitor would be easier for me... mainly because I don't have a huge budget to spend. :P On the plus side, it would also be very easy to fix if there were problems... and custom decorated as well.

Electrical Contacts my friend.

Im pretty much done my machine, which is a replica of ITG2. The cabinet is infact similar to the Pump cabinets, and has basically the same features, including USB ports for stats/edits. It uses arcade buttons (but not the DDR/ITG ones) and is hooked up to my CF. It also has a coin op connected which works very well. Internally I have a computer (my desktop, which i don't use very much because of my laptop) which is overqualified for the job (2.6 GHz). I also heavilly modded the OS itself (Windows XP) so that you can boot it up WITHOUT ANY Windows XP logos, and boots a homebrew .BAT file I created. Overall its very good

[gotjpeg]

I have a question I wanted to buy a ddr machine and gut it and put stepmania. Since I really don't have room in my house I was intrested in buying a solo machine or a solo pad. My question is does anyone have a pic of the insides of a solo pad? Also were do all the wires go on a solo pad to the control like box? I notice on a regular ddr pad its on the top right hand corner and finnally has anyone successfully made the pad work on a psx or ps2? If so how would one do so? Anyone have a detailed faq on any of these? Would greatly appriciate it.

[dieKatze88]

Originally Posted by gotjpeg

I have a question I wanted to buy a ddr machine and gut it and put stepmania. Since I really don't have room in my house I was intrested in buying a solo machine or a solo pad. My question is does anyone have a pic of the insides of a solo pad? Also were do all the wires go on a solo pad to the control like box? I notice on a regular ddr pad its on the top right hand corner and finnally has anyone successfully made the pad work on a psx or ps2? If so how would one do so? Anyone have a detailed faq on any of these? Would greatly appriciate it.

Check it out, the best place for this question is DDR Freak's Arcade board, or Bemanistyle's DDR board. (READ: NOT DDR simulation)

[TougaKiryuu]

Solo pad wires to a jpac no differently than a standard pad

[eepiccolo]

Originally Posted by mark

I apologize for Block O' Text explanation - 2:45 AM. If you want me to explain it better, go into detail, simplify, etc., just ask me on here or PM me.

What you've provided already is very helpful. but any more details you could provide would be great, mark!

What would be nice is a tutorial on how to set up your computer to be a devoted Stepmania machine, starting from the Linux installation (describing exactly what you need and don't need), going all the way to the end. Maybe there'll be enough information in this thread that someone could put one together. Maybe even I could put it together......

[sjoecool1991]

It would be awesome to have a stepmania machine.
But how bout this idea.
The same thing, except for pop'n music style buttons instead of a pad so you can play really hard KB files on it.
You could also mod stepmania to be able to choos either spread or normal style play.
I think that would be aweseom.

[Yarni]

Originally Posted by Jongo

SM on an arcade machine, never heard of that being done before.. sweet.

Unless that was sarcasm... In The Groove is SM in a cabinet with some extra coding... nothing special.

[AmazingKenchan]

We're running StepMania fully operational on our MAX2 cab, right now we're trying to add the USB support so we can just plug in a thumb drive and have it recognize new songs without having to mount or copy anything; in short without taking the machine out of normal operation. Just looking for how to do that, we've been wanting it for a while.

[「dj.TK」]

Hmm I have a DDR cab, and a computer with SM....

*plots*

[Priest]

Was the new version of SMArc ever hosted? I have everything ready for my SM Machine except that build.

[jonphamta]

My Machine is nearly complete, ill post pics soon

[Mooga]

Originally Posted by AmazingKenchan

We're running StepMania fully operational on our MAX2 cab, right now we're trying to add the USB support so we can just plug in a thumb drive and have it recognize new songs without having to mount or copy anything; in short without taking the machine out of normal operation. Just looking for how to do that, we've been wanting it for a while.

First: Are you running it on a windows or a *nix box?
For a *nix box people normaly will plug it into a network and SSH in.
For a windows box eather remote accsses or a similar networking idea (idealy running XP Pro).

[AmazingKenchan]

Originally Posted by Mooga

First: Are you running it on a windows or a *nix box?
For a *nix box people normaly will plug it into a network and SSH in.
For a windows box eather remote accsses or a similar networking idea (idealy running XP Pro).

I guess I shoulda clarified...it's on a Linux box. We want it to be able to just plug into a USB cable attached to the machine and have StepMania automatically load songs from a certain folder on the stick when it starts a new game. Also another question, don't know if this is an appropriate place to ask, but where do you change the times where StepMania determines a long version or marathon?

[Mooga]

Do you want to load them like edits or copy them over?
If you wanted them to be copied over you would need to make a script which would look forsongs, copy them over, and re-load all SM's songs whenever a USB drive is pluged in I would think. I would have no idea how to do that and it would probably be a PITA.

[travelsonic]

May I ask how to obtain a copy of the Stepmania arcade build, since I do plan on building my own Stepmania arcade machine in the very near future.