havix
Heavy Mode
Posts: 368
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Post by havix on Jun 1, 2005 23:06:13 GMT -5
Well...finally someone from Cobalt Flux replied to my email about the control box...and this is what I got back.
Heya Brandon,
We have one being engineered now. We're going to get the first prototypes in about five weeks and we're going to be selling them shortly after that.
Matt Anderson
Cobalt Flux Inc.
So hopefully they wont delay (pshhhh yeah right...) and we will have one by mid-July...then I will finally get up and buy DDR...*sigh*...for Xbox..
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Post by SSC on Jun 2, 2005 6:02:31 GMT -5
Ha!
January of this year I e-mailed Cobalt Flux as well. They said they had a control box made and it would be out in early February.
...yep.
They also recommended me two other converter boxes, that didn't work. All in all, they recieved a pissed-off customer who wasted $35.00 and has yet to see a converter box.
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Post by psisar on Jun 2, 2005 8:08:57 GMT -5
At the risk of embarassing myself...
What's a control box?
;D
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Post by SSC on Jun 2, 2005 8:39:55 GMT -5
Okay, so you have DDR Ultramix 2, and a Cobalt Flux. Cobalt Fluxes only work on PS2, respectively. A control box connects the PS2 controller/cord of the CF to a box which has an XBox controller/cord on the other side, allowing you to use PS2 controllers on the XBox... or in this case, dance pads.
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Post by psisar on Jun 2, 2005 9:36:23 GMT -5
Ah k, I figured it was something like that anyways. Thanks  |
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Post by abrannan on Jun 2, 2005 9:42:00 GMT -5
I'll say it again for all the Xbox CF owners out there. BUILD YOUR OWN. It's simple, cheap, and will show up as a dance pad on Xbox Live. The control box is not deep-voodoo. All you are doing is extending the wires for the DB-9 (or is it 15) adapter on the pad to the contact points on the control board from the cheapest Xbox soft mat you can find. The internals of all mats, regardless of price, is essentially the same. Quality, durability, and performance comes solely from the contstruction of the mat itself.
Also, there is absolutely no reason that the Xbox control boxes from CF aren't being made. There are standard dance mat boards being produced quite cheaply out there (see: cheap soft mats), and it's a simple pinout/housing for CF to specify to their manufacturer. It should be a 4 week process at most. The only thing I can think that may be holding them up is trying to make the control boxes forward-compatible with Pump It Up, but even that should only add a week or two to the development process.
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Pyrochaos
Challenge Mode
Rapscallion
How dirty girls get clean.
Posts: 704
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Post by Pyrochaos on Jun 2, 2005 11:55:13 GMT -5
^^^Yes!!
MAKE YOUR OWN!!! Ask Sinstar for his link to his how to. Seriously, its easy and it works great!
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havix
Heavy Mode
Posts: 368
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Post by havix on Jun 2, 2005 12:01:15 GMT -5
I am really not that great with things like that...I don't think I could make one...
And I own a CF...and really want to use it, seeing as how I destroy the soft generic mats in under a week.
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Post by abrannan on Jun 2, 2005 13:00:10 GMT -5
I am really not that great with things like that...I don't think I could make one... Sure you could. If you do it the right way, you don't even necessarily need to solder anything (though it will be more reliable if you do). My soldering looks like it was done by a howler monkey with Tourette's, which, coincidentally enough, is exactly how I sound when I'm soldering. And the things I've soldered work fine, even if they don't look great. |
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havix
Heavy Mode
Posts: 368
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Post by havix on Jun 2, 2005 18:58:36 GMT -5
Well...I could...I guess...But I have no clue where to start...
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agent709
Heavy Mode
Structure
Posts: 430
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Post by agent709 on Jun 2, 2005 21:05:03 GMT -5
what about using a ps2 --> xbox controller converter?
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havix
Heavy Mode
Posts: 368
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Post by havix on Jun 2, 2005 21:33:56 GMT -5
Well I did some reading...and sometimes a particular converter works for one person...but doesn't for another...I have no idea why...but I would rather have one that I know will work...I dunno...
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Post by abrannan on Jun 3, 2005 6:37:45 GMT -5
Most of the PS2-box converters have serious lag issues. It's generally due to the differences in the clock cycles between the PS2 encoder and the encoder that the Xbox uses.
Havix, check sinistar's posts on the Xbox section of these boards. There's a link he posted that shows how to build your own CF control box. I'd be happy to assist you with any questions you have about the process.
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Post by Sinistar on Jun 3, 2005 8:04:06 GMT -5
Hey everybody... Been a while since I've posted, but here's the link to my mods site: www.sinistarddr.comAs to why it has taken CF so long to do an Xbox cbox? Their first problem was that they are far too small a manufacturer. They had problems getting any kind of decent attention from Microsoft in order to get the code that would allow the cbox to show the CF as a pad in Xbox Live. The second problem was just that one of their guys really dropped the ball. So, they handed off the entire project to an outside firm who, hopefully, have been able to work everything out with Microsoft. I do think that CF had some trouble trying to make what is essentially a USB device with nobody in-house experienced in that kind of design work. They should have fully outsourced the project a long time ago. |
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Post by abrannan on Jun 3, 2005 8:46:52 GMT -5
If what you say is true, then CF is really going about things the wrong way. For a standard controller (and dance pads qualify as standard these days) you should never seek to re-invent the wheel. There are dozens of electronics manufacturers (mostly in China) who are manufacturing these products for use in generic soft mats. You take a standard issue dance mat control board, and provide the manufacturer with your DB pinout. Not even MadCatz does their manufacturing in-house.
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havix
Heavy Mode
Posts: 368
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Post by havix on Jun 3, 2005 12:23:58 GMT -5
Ok....I may be able to do this...but...I am no expert with electronics.
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Post by abrannan on Jun 3, 2005 13:15:50 GMT -5
A slight alteration to Sinistar's plans: If you can get a crimp style D-sub connector from Radio Shack, I find those infinitely easier to work with than the solder kind, but I don't know if they're available in the HD (High density) connectors.
Also, in a pinch, you can tape the bare wires to the contact points on the circuit board, just make sure to allow for some motion of the wire, which can cause disconnects. Soldering will give you a more stable connection, but if you're afraid, electrical tape can work wonders.
With those two modifications to the plans, you've got a solder-less control box.
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Post by Sinistar on Jun 6, 2005 9:47:54 GMT -5
Radio Shack doesn't carry crimpable HD's, though I've not bothered to look elsewhere to see if somebody else might have them.
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Post by abrannan on Jun 6, 2005 12:03:37 GMT -5
Mouser.com probably has them, if you can decipher their catalog enough to locate them.
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havix
Heavy Mode
Posts: 368
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Post by havix on Jun 6, 2005 13:14:56 GMT -5
What about Fry's?
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