DIY Arcade DDR Metal Dance Pad With LED Under $500

My dad and I created a custom arcade-style DDR metal dance pad for under $500. It took us three months to design and test. After playing on both this custom metal pad and the L-Tek dance pad, we believe our custom design offers a much better experience.

There are two versions available:

Version 1: The original build with 30-gauge sheet metal for the edges, idle panels, and hand bar sections. It's more affordable since a single sheet of metal can be cut into all these parts.

Version 2: An upgraded version using 16-gauge and 28-gauge sheet metal. While this version costs more, it has a much more polished look, with the ability to achieve a shiny finish. Note that the materials for this version are not included in the supplies section.

Updates:

1. 12/13/2023: Updated the description for the 2x4" wood size.
2. 03/05/2023: Updated the corner bracket design.
3. 02/20/2023: Included the 16-gauge sheet metal cover (for a nicer appearance).
4. 02/16/2023: Revised the active bracket support to a single piece with a sensor holder.
5. 02/05/2023: Adjusted the metal bracket section, as the previous version had excessive depth.

The supplies listed here are for v1 only. For version 2 (16-gauge sheet metal cover), its modification are outlined in each relevant section.

DDR Pad Base:

1. 1/2" x 4' x 8' plywood - $70
2. 2 in. x 4 in. x 8 ft. Prime Whitewood Stud - (4 pieces) $ 3.25 ea
3. L Bracket corner brace - $9.00
4. 2 in. x 1-1/2 in. x 1-3/8 in. Galvanized Angle (14 pieces) - $ 0.88 ea
5. #9 x 1-1/2 in. 1/4-Hex Drive, Strong-Drive SD Connector Screw (100-Pack) - $ 14.28 box
6. 3 in. Tan Exterior Self-Starting Star Flat-Head Wood Deck Screws #9 - $11.97 box
7. #8 x 1/2 in. Zinc-Plated Steel Phillips Truss-Head Sharp Point Lath Screws $13.27 box
8. #8 x 1 in. Zinc Plated Phillips Flat Head Wood Screw (100-Pack) - $ 8.37 box
9. 1 in. x 1 in. x 36 in. Pine Square Dowel (4 pieces)- $ 5.24 ea

DDR Active Panel Mount:

1. Sensor holder cap (24 pieces) (3D printed)
2. Corner bracket/holder base (24 pieces) (3D printed)
3. Corner triangle (24 pieces) (3D printed)
4. Metal corner bracket (2 pieces or buy a larger one) - custom made from 16 gauge sheet metal $11 each
5. Contact sensor from Aliexpress (24 pieces) - $1.70 ea
6. M6x25mm screw (60 pieces) - $ 17.35 box (make sure it is M6 length 25mm)
7. M6x1mm nylon screw (60 pieces) - $ 5.99 per 35 pieces
8. #8 x 1 in. Phillips Pan Head Zinc Plated Sheet Metal Screw - $ 11.98
9. Scotch 1" x 50" 1 Roll/Pack Indoor Double-Sided Mounting Tape - $ 3.19

DDR Idle Panel Mount:

1. Idle corner bracket base (3D printed)
2. 3 ft. x 4 ft. Galvanized Steel Flat Sheet Flashing - $ 34.52 (ignore this if you plan to cover it with 16 gauge metal plate)

Clear Polycarbonate:

1. 6 pieces of 3/8" deep width/height: 12" x 12" - $ 110.00 (from https://buyplastic.com. They are the cheaper that I can find)

Tools:

1. Drill
2. Drill bit
3. Countersink Drill Bit Set
4. 1 3/4" circle drill bit
5. Miter saw

Electronic:

1. 10 feet wires - Use CAT5 wire
2. JST XH 2.5-2 Pin Battery Connector Plug Female & Male with 120MM Wire - $ 5.00 set of 50
3. LED light (6 pieces) - $ 4 each
4. Double Sided PCB Board Prototype Kit - $ 11.99

NOTE: The LED controller and USB controller are not covered in this guide. For further instruction, visit https://www.instructables.com/6-Panel-DDR-USB-Controller-With-LED/.

Start with the pad's base.

1. Go to home depot and purchase a 4'x8'x1/2" piece of plywood. If you want a smoother finish on the bottom, opt for plywood with smooth surface.
2. Have home depot cut the plywood as follow:
3. Two pieces 35" x 44" (you could build two if desired)
4. keep the extra plywood for idle panel
5. Buy 4 pieces of 2"x4"x8' lumber

NOTE: If using 2x3" instead 2x4" lumber wood, adjust the lengths accordingly. We have used both, but 2"x4" is recommended for extra mounting space for the sensor.

Assemble the base:

1. Cut the 2"x4" to 35" (2 pieces)
2. Cut the 2"x4" to 29" (4 pieces)
3. Align these pieces into a square shape as shown above. Placing the 35" pieces on the top and bottom and the 29" in between. Using the corner bracket, screw to secure them to the plywood. This keeps it in place when you screw from the bottom.
4. Flip the assembled piece over. Using a #8 countersink drill, drill holes on the plywood along the 2"x4" wood, spaced 12" apart (or one screw every 12"). For the smaller pieces, make sure you put two screws in them. Then, screw those #8 x 1 in. Zinc Plated Phillips Flat Head Wood Screw in each hole. NOTE: We screw two screw on each column, space them 1.5" apart.
5. Now flip back

Assemble handle bar base:

This one is a bit tricky.

1. Cut the 2"x4"x8' to 28.5". Then cut at 60 degree angle on bottom side. Ensure the cuts are mirrored for symmetry.
2. Cut another piece accordingly (See picture above)
3. To secure them to the base, use those Galvanized Angle bracket and #9 x 1-1/2 in. 1/4-Hex Drive, Strong-Drive SD Connector Screw. In the picture, use galvanized plate temporary to secure them while screw them together. On each joint, use the 3 in. Tan Exterior Self-Starting Star Flat-Head Wood Deck Screws to join them together - one at each joint.
4. NOTE: Don't mount the pipe flange yet. If you do, you may need to move them later.
5. Flip over the base. Using #8 countersink drill, drill a hole on the plywood align along the 2"x4" wood. Then, screw those #8 x 1 in. Zinc Plated Phillips Flat Head Wood Screw on each hole.
6. Flip back

At this point, you should have the base assembled. At the bottom, use a hand saw and cut along the edge on the plywood (remove the corner on the lower left and right).

For the panel edge, it depends on whether you use sheet metal or 16 gauge sheet metal

For 30 gauge sheet metal:

Assemble panel edge:

1. Take two 1"x1"x"36" and cut off 1". Make sure you cut the correct length of 35"
2. Take one of them and align to the top of the pad. Drill three countersink #8 hole and screw in the piece using screw #8 x 1 in. Zinc Plated Phillips Flat Head Wood Screw.
3. Take two 1"x1"x36" and cut off 3 1/8". The extra 1/8" is for the sheet metal. You could use a piece of sheet metal as temporary spacer.
4. Align them to the edge. Drill three countersink #8 hole and screw in the piece using screw #8 x 1 in. Zinc Plated Phillips Flat Head Wood Screw. NOTE: Make sure you leave 1/16" space for the sheet metal to be added later.
5. Take the other 1"x1"x35" and align to the bottom. NOTE: Make sure you leave 1/16" space for the sheet metal to be added later. You could use a piece of sheet metal as temporary spacer.

At this point, you should have the panel square and base completed. Just not the handle section. To finish the handle bar section:

1. Cut three piece of 1/2" plywood to be placed along the edge. They should be around 1.5" wide
2. Then cut one piece 3" wide for the center
3. Drill three countersink #8 hole and screw in the piece using screw #8 x 1 in. Zinc Plated Phillips Flat Head Wood Screw
4. Please note that we are using two 1/2" plywood. But they are not exactly 1/2" in depth. Therefore, you need to find 1/4" spacer (eg. paper) to add along the edge to make up for this gap.
5. Now, take a large 1/2" plywood and place it over the hand bar section. Then trace out the shape to be cut. Though, you could cut two smaller pieces as well. See picture above.
6. To cut the hole for the hand bar, measure 7.5" from the center of the pad and 2.5" down from the edge of the panel square. Use 1 3/4" circle drill bit. I forgot to take down this measure. (Basically, just align it slightly in the 2"x4" wood. There is a picture in following step. Look at the picture and you'll get the idea.)

At this point, you should have the DDR pad base assembled.

NOTE: These 2"x4" or 2"x3" wood stubs aren't leveled. And getting a piece aligned correctly isn't easy. You can use other 2"x3" piece as flat surface for alignment by press them against it. Though, it should not matter too much as we will wrap them with sheet metal later. If we were to build another one, would cut 2"x4" using a table saw so that they are pretty level. The height may be a bit shorter but shouldn't matter.

For 16 gauge sheet metal:

Assemble panel edge:

1. Buy one 12"x0.75"x4' wood
2. Buy one 2'x3/16"x4' wood or MDF
3. Using a table saw or mital saw, cut to 1"x35" (2 pieces). NOTE: Cut both above at the same time.
4. Using a table saw or mital saw, cut to 1"x33" (2 pieces). NOTE: Cut both above at the same time.
5. Take 1"x35" and align to the top of the pad. Drill three countersink #8 hole and screw in the piece using screw #8 x 1 in. Zinc Plated Phillips Flat Head Wood Screw. Place the 3/16" one on the bottom.
6. Take two 1"x33" and align to the side of the pad. Drill three countersink #8 hole and screw in the piece using screw #8 x 1 in. Zinc Plated Phillips Flat Head Wood Screw. Place the 3/16" one on the bottom.
7. Take 1"x35" and align to the bottom of the pad. Drill three countersink #8 hole and screw in the piece using screw #8 x 1 in. Zinc Plated Phillips Flat Head Wood Screw. Place the 3/16" one on the bottom.

At this point, you should have panel square completed. Just not the handle section. To finish the hand bar section:

1. Using a table saw or mital saw, cut the piece to appropriate length. NOTE: Cut both above (0.75" and 3/16") at the same time.
2. Drill three countersink #8 hole and screw in the piece using screw #8 x 1 in. Zinc Plated Phillips Flat Head Wood Screw

At this point, you should have the DDR pad base assembled.

Before attaching the panel, we need to assemble the active panel support.

For the active panel:

1. Print 24 pieces of each file listed in this section. You can use either PLA or ABS, but PLA will work just fine.
2. Make sure you install the M6 nut in the active corner base. To do this, clamp the nut into place.
3. If you want to use metal corner bracket, you can skip "Active Corner Bracket.stl".
4. For the "Sensor holder top.stl," print it using TPU, as it is softer and more flexible. However, PLA will work just as well if TPU is not available.

Assemble but do NOT screw the parts together yet:

1. Start by aligning all the active panels.
2. Place "DDRActive_Bracket_BaseV2.stl" on each corner of the panel.
3. Place "contact sensor" over the sensor holder.
4. Place "Sensor holder Top.stl" over the contact sensor.
5. Cut a piece of "Double-Sided Mounting Tape" and place it over the "sensor holder top.stl"
6. Now, place "Active corner triangle.stl" on top of the "Active corner base.stl"

See above picture of this step. Please note that they are screwed down in the picture above. Don't screw down just yet. Just lay them out.

NOTE: The active bracket base has been updated and now combines with the sensor holder, forming a nice square when all four corners are assembled.

For 30-gauge sheet metal wrap over idle panel:

For the idle panel:

1. Print 12 pieces of file "Idle Corner Base.stl" in this section. You can use either PLA or ABS, though PLA will work just fine.

NOTE: Be sure to install the M6 nut into each idle corner base. To do this, securely clamp the nut in place.

Assemble:

1. Place each printed "idle corner base.stl" to the corner of the idle panel

For 24 or 22 gauge sheet metal wrap over idle panel:

1. Print 12 pieces of file "DDRIdleBasev2.stl" file from this section. PLA or ABS can both be used for this, depending on your preference.

NOTE: As with the previous version, be sure to install the M6 nut into the idle corner base, clamping it in securely.

To cut the idle panel wood square:

1. Cut 1/2" plywood into 10 7/8" square using the Miter saw (preferred table saw)

CAUTION: Always clamp the plywood

TIP: Try to make some sort of alignment such that they are consistent with your cut. You want a perfect square.

What seem to work for me is a follow:

1. Miter saw has stopper at each end. Adjust the end stopper and use wood block for alignment.
2. First, clamp the piece down exactly where you want to cut.
3. Adjust the end stopper and use a wood block between the end stopper and the piece you are cutting.
4. When you first cut a piece, remove it and place another piece in against the wood block.
5. This gives you consistency

For 30 gauge sheet metal wrap over idle panel:

Drilling Corner Hole:

1. To drill the corner hole, mark the wood corner 1/2" from each side.
2. If you plan to add sheet metal over your idle panel, read on. Don't drill yet.
3. Drill on the cross mark. To ensure that it is straight, use one of the 3D printed corner base and clamp against it. Make sure to align the hole center against the cross mark.

Place each idle panel to each idle square.

NOTE: If you want metal wrap around the idle panel, do this:

1. Cut the sheet metal to 11 7/8" square (or slightly under 12")
2. Bend around 3/8" edge at 90 degree angle. See below section on how to bend sheet metal.
3. Place the wood idle panel over the sheet metal
4. Cut the corner out. Cut as close to each side as possible
5. Continue to bend each side. See below section on how to bend sheet metal.
6. Use sand paper and sand the corner if there are sharp edges/corners
7. To drill the sheet metal and the wood panel, place the sheet metal and the wood place against a 2"x4" wood piece. Make sure the sheet metal is on the bottom against the wood piece. Now drill from instruction above.

For 24 or 22 gauge sheet metal wrap over idle panel:

Sheet metal must be around 11.75"x11.75". I order them from OnlineMetals.com.

Drilling Corner Hole:

1. Before bend, polish one side accordingly. I polish them to almost mirror finish.
2. Bend the sheet metal around the idle wood panel accordingly
3. Remove the idle bracket
4. Place the idle wood panel with sheet metal on the panel square but with the sheet metal face down
5. Place the idle bracket over it
6. Using the idle bracket hole as guide, drop small hole (make sure that you remove the M6 nut if installed)
7. Now remove the idle wood panel and the sheet metal
8. Remove the idle wood panel and flip around and place it backs into the sheet metal
9. Now drill through the sheet metal on those four holes
10. Before install, re-sand a bit and polish it.
11. Re-install the idle bracket and screw in the idle wood panel with the sheet metal.

For exact dimension, see this article/URL - https://www.hackmycab.com/?portfolio=arrow-panels-part-1-making-new-polycarb-panels.

To cut the active polycarbonate plastic:

1. Cut each square into 10 7/8" square using the Miter saw (preferred table saw)
2. NOTE: Recommend saw with lot of teeth. Our Miter saw has 80 teeth and seem to cut just fine. Though, the more teeth, the smoother the edge.

CAUTION: Always clamp the polycarbonate plastic.

TIP: Try to make some sort of alignment such that they are consistent with your cut. You want a perfect square.

To cut the corner:

1. Angle the Miter saw at 45 degree
2. It is around cutting off 2" at 45 degree angle

CAUTION: Always clamp the polycarbonate plastic.

TIP: Try to make some sort of alignment such that they are consistent with your cut.

What seem to work for me is the follow:

1. Miter saw has stopper at each end. Adjust the end stopper and use wood block for alignment.
2. First, clamp the piece down exactly where you want to cut.
3. Adjust the end stopper and using a wood block between the end stopper and the piece you are cutting.
4. When first cutting a piece, remove it and place another piece in against the wood block.
5. This gives you consistency

Place each active panel to each active square.

At this point, you should have lay out all panels. To screw down the active panel:

1. Start from the upper left corner first
2. Screw it down with #8 x 1 in. Phillips Pan Head Zinc Plated Sheet Metal Screw. Three per corner.
3. Do the same with the other three corners.
4. Install the "contact sensor"
5. Place the "sensor holder top.stl" over the "contact sensor"
6. Place the "active corner triangle.stl"
7. Place the "active corner bracket.stl"
8. Screw down with M6 screw

Repeat for the other active panels. Start from upper left, then upper right, then upper top. Left and then right. Skip the bottom panel until you install all idle panels.

NOTE: Combined the corner bracket base and sensor holder. It now forms a nice square and can be easily screwed down.

For 30 gauge sheet metal wrap over wood:

To screw down the idle panel:

1. Start from the center idle panel
2. Cut a 2" wood block as support for the idle panel. Screw it down with the L bracket. See picture above. NOTE: It is not necessary exact 2". It depends on your 2"x3" wood stud. Just make sure that it level with the "idle corner base.stl" when you place the wood panel over it.
3. Adjust the "idle corner base.stl" and place the wood panel over it.
4. Using a screw driver to align the nut accordingly. Then lift the wood panel without moving the "idle corner base.stl".
5. Screw it down with #8 x 1 in. Phillips Pan Head Zinc Plated Sheet Metal Screw. Two per corner.
6. Do the same with the other three corners.

Repeat for the other two idle panels.

At this point, it should look like the picture in this step.

For 24 or gauge sheet metal wrap over wood:

1. These idle bracket form a nice square that you can just screw down

To wire up the active panel:

1. Drill 1/2" hole from upper right panel to top left panel.
2. Drill 1/2" hole from upper right panel to left panel.
3. Drill 1/2" hole from upper right panel to right panel.
4. Drill 1/2" hole from upper right panel to bottom panel.
5. Strip the CAT5 cable into 2 wires
6. Route two wires to each active panel
7. For the LED, route another set to each active panel. For this, use a slightly thicker wire. But I don't know if it matters as CAT5 are 22 gauge and don't see why it wouldn't hold 4 watt LED load.

Create the JST 2.5 junction:

1. Take a PCB board (narrow one) and cut in half
2. Solder 5 JST 2.5 male connector as shown in the picture
3. NOTE: You will need to extend one of the sensor wires to reach the PCB board
4. If you can't make JST 2.5 connector for the wire, you can always join the wire with the pre-solder connector.

To connect the LED light:

1. The LED light comes with 2.5mm pitch 2 pin JST connector
2. To connect the wire to the LED light, make 2.5mm connector or you can cut and solder the wire together. Please make note of negative and positive wires

At this point, all active panel wires should be routed to the upper right panel.

This step would be another instructable. See this instructable - https://www.instructables.com/6-Panel-DDR-USB-Controller-With-LED/

For 30 gauge sheet metal:

To create the sheet metal look on the top side:

1. Cut a sheet of sheet metal 6" x 36"
2. To bend the sheet metal to proper shape:
3. Bend one side around 3/4" at 90 degree angle. There are a lot of YouTube video on bending sheet metal. The simplest is to place a long L shape 36" metal bar on the sheet metal and clamp it. Then use a knife and make a cut along it. Just give it a few cuts and slice. You want to make a cut so that you can bend it by hand.
4. Then, bend the 3/4" sheet metal at 90 degree angle using your hand with gloves while the sheet metal is clamped down. NOTE: You can use your granite counter at table. But put some paper on top to avoid scratching the sheet metal. It should bend pretty easy as you made a cut dent.
5. Now, remove the 1"x"1x36" top wood piece and place it on the sheet metal.
6. Again, using a knife, cut along the sheet metal using the 1"x1"x35" wood as guide.
7. Then clamp it down on the granite counter and bend it by your hand. NOTE: If they are not 90 degree aligned, remove the wood and bend more with your hand.
8. Measure 3" and make a long line mark. Using a L metal plate, clamp it along the 3" mark. NOTE: 3" is the height of the DDR pad. If it is not exactly 3", measure your pad height and make the adjustment as required. Using a knife, cut along the metal plate. Then blend 180 degree by hand. Use a mallet hammer and hammer at flat as possible.
9. Remove the 1"x1"x35" wood and screw it back to the DDR pad.
10. Place the sheet metal over it. See picture above.
11. On each side there should be 1/2" sticking out, cut and bend around the side. You can cut a > shape on the edge.

To create the sheet metal look on the bottom side:

1. Do the same as the top side. But you only need1/2" or 3/4" on the side. Also, you don't need the extra 1". Cut the sheet metal as 2 1/4" x 35"

To create the sheet metal look on the right and left side:

1. Cut a sheet of sheet metal 6" x 35"
2. To bend the sheet metal to proper shape as with the top side with the following exception:
3. On the 3/4" side, cut off 1" on each side.
4. Then bend the top side sharp corner at 45 degree to create a flat smooth edge. See picture above.
5. Do the same for both edge

To create the sheet metal look on the hand bar section:

1. This one is tricky.
2. Use a sheet metal that is larger enough to cover it. It should be 14" x 43"
3. Remove the 1/2" plywood of the hand bar
4. Place it on the sheet metal and mark the edge
5. Bend the larger side at 1/2"
6. Then, cut straight the bottom side. See picture above.
7. Bend the left and right side first. Then measure 4" and cut off the extra. Please make sure that you leave some sheet metal on the side so that when it wraps around, it covers the edge that meets with the other side.
8. Then bend the bottom side.
9. Now the hard part. Bend the sheet metal of each side at 3" mark at 180 degree. This makes the edge smooth.

To secure the sheet metal, you can use the 1/2" sheet metal screw and screw on the side (toward the bottom). Drill 1/8" pilot hold.

At this point, your DDR pad should look like the picture above (without the panel arrow decal).

For 16 gauge sheet metal:

To create the sheet metal look using 16 gauge sheet metal:

1. Order 16 gauge sheet metal in the following dimension below. I order mine from OnlineMetals.com.
2. One 1"x35"
3. Two 1"x33"
4. Two 10"x9.5"
5. One 10"x16"
6. Place the 1"x35" on the top. Drill hole for #6 screw (use 1/8" drill bit)
7. Place the 1"x33" on the side. Drill hole for #6 screw.
8. Place two 10"x9.5" on each side of the bottom of the pad. Drill hole for #6 screw.
9. Place one 10"x16" on each side of the bottom of the pad. Drill hole for #6 screw.
10. For the 10"x9.5", you will need to mark the edge and cut off with a jigsaw.
11. On the side, we want to place 30 gauge sheet metal around them.
12. On the top side, take a 30 gauge sheet metal of size 4"x36". Blend to 3" and slightly wrap around the left and right size around 1/4".
13. On the bottom side, take a 30 gauge sheet metal of size 4"x28". Blend to 3" and slightly wrap around the left and right size around 1/4"
14. On the left and right side, take 30 gauge sheet metal of size 4"x48". Blend to 3". Place it on the side and cut accordingly.
15. At this point, those 16 gauge sheet metals need to be sanded on the edge. Just sand with 400 git all around the edge.
16. To make these 16 gauge sheet metal close to mirror finish, you need to polish them. There are various video on Youtube on how to do this. You must start with 220, 400, 800, 1000, 1500, and 2000 grit. Then polish with "Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish" and wool polishing pad.
17. From amazon: 6 Inch Drill Buffer Attachment with Buffing Wheel, Sponge and Wool Polishing Pad Set
18. From amazon: 6 inch Sand paper of various grit.
19. NOTE: It is important that you polish with "Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish" and wool polishing pad as the last step.

To add the panel arrow decal, see https://www.hackmycab.com/?portfolio=arrow-panels-part-2-arrow-decals.

Please note when order, make sure you select "partial white".

For the art work, see attached file above. Please note that this art work sized for 24" x 36".

Please note that the art work is not reversed or mirror. Please make sure that it is reverse before printing.

By the way, we would love to use the art work from https://www.hackmycab.com/?portfolio=arrow-panels-part-2-arrow-decals. But this art work only includes left, right, up, and down arrow. It doesn't has the upper left and upper right arrow. If the author creates them, we would re-do this. Her art work looks great and much better than these.

We highly recommend that you use metal corner bracket. When these metal corner bracket is polished, there is no friction between them and the polycarbonate panel. With the 3D printed corner bracket, you can hear noise when you step on the panel. With these, no noise at all as they are polished and very smooth.

You can create metal corner bracket as follow:

1. Buy 16 gauge 8x24" or a large piece sheet metals (Better price at Lowes than Home Depot)
2. Cut sheet metal into 80mm x 80mm (or 82mmx82mm would be better) with jigsaw (much easier with jigsaw than reciprocal saw or cut off tool). Tried a few jigsaw from Amazon. So far, this one is the best for the value - WEN 33606 6.6-Amp Variable Speed Orbital Jig Saw with Laser and LED Light.
3. Cut into half from the diagonal (two triangles)
4. Print the "DDR_Corner_Bracket_Cut_Template.stl"
5. Use the template, place it on the sheet metal and mark the edge.
6. Cut off both corners (on the long side; non-90 degree corner) with cut off tool (Genesis GCOT335 3.5-Amp 3-In. High-Speed Cutoff Tool)
7. Place the "DDR_Corner_Bracket_Saw_Temmplate.stl" over the sheet metal and clamp it on a large piece of wood
8. Align the reciprocal saw on the edge and cut out about half way of the sheet metal or some reason mark. What you want to do here is cut out a line about 1/32". See figure.
9. Un-clamp and remove the "DDR_Corner_Bracket_Saw_Template.stl"
10. Clamp the sheet metal and using the cut off tool, cut out the square corner so that you can bend both sides. See picture above.
11. Using a hand filer, file the piece all around the edge on both sides.
12. Sand the cut out piece with 150 grid sand paper (180 Pieces 1 Inch Sanding Disc, GOH DODD Wet Dry Sandpaper with Soft Foam Pad and Backing Pad 1/8 Inch Shank, 60-10000 Variety Grits Grinding Abrasive Sand Paper for Auto Metal Wood Grass Jewelry). Sand both side. Use some W40.
13. Before we bend, put some painter blue tape over the piece. It prevents scratch with the clamp.
14. To bend, clamp it on a clamp along the cut out line. Using a 3" Sheet Metal Hand Seamer and bend it. If it is too hard to bend, you need to cut the line deeper.
15. Then hammer it at 90 degree. You can place a 5mm metal plate on top and hammer it down until it is flat 90 degree.
16. Repeat for the other side.

If you are all confused, see picture. Now make 23 pieces of these.

NOTE: To keep both bend side at right angle, recommend that you align the first bend side along with your clamp. It will make it a bit more right angle at 90 degree.

For 30 gauge sheet metal:

Although there is a mounting holder and flange for the hand bar (1" diameter), I don't intend to add it. If you do, you can buy 1" metal tube and do as follow:

1. Cut them to proper height. Make sure one side is thread to connect to the flange. For height, google around. I think it is 36" from floor to top.
2. On the top side, use 90 degree corner clamp.
3. Then cut the top tube accordingly.

For 16 gauge sheet metal:

I didn't bother with drilling hole in them as I don't plan to install the hand bar.

To calibration the sensitivity:

1. Print the "active panel sensitivity adjuster.stl". Print some at 1mm, 0.5mm, or even 0.8mm.
2. Place a 15 lbs dumbbell over it. See picture.
3. If the LED lights, replace with a 10 lbs dumbbell.
4. If even the 10 lbs lights the LED, add some "active panel sensitivity adjuster.stl" on a corner accordingly. As for which corner, do trial and error.
5. If the 15 lbs dumpbell doesn't light the LED, add another 10 lbs dumbbell. If it lights, you are done.
6. If after adding 25 lbs it still doesn't light, it is too high. You will need to add some paper under the "contact sensor" to raise it.

NOTE: It seems to light the LED around 15 to 25 lbs. If you place to many space, I would recommend that you place on them underneath the support bracket. As you rise, it also raises the distance to the sensor. You may need to add more form tape.

There are various video to create countersink screw on the corner bracket. The same can be done with the idle panel as well. Please note that the metal corner bracket hole is small and you will need to enlarge it accordingly. Here is what I did:

1. Drill the counter sink hole.
2. NOTE: I clamp on a 2x4 piece of wood.
3. Widen the hole by drill with 3/8 drill bit
4. Then, drill the counter sink hole again

This should create a better cut on the under side.

The original v1 doesn't have countersink hole.

Here is the Youtube video for this build:

https://youtu.be/5WhXUGCAQKo?si=mgRaZoGZbEydQrR1