Just go for it: The story of dance-mat.js
summary
Builds a Dance Dance Revolution controller using Raspberry Pi, Bare Conductive PiCap, and Node.js by configuring the Pi as a USB HID keyboard (Linux gadget), sending 8‑byte HID reports (Uint8Array) that map PiCap electrode indices to arrow key codes for StepMania. Results: a two‑player painted yoga‑mat controller that registers simultaneous presses, does work (shows A B C keystrokes, plays songs) but needs periodic repainting and tweaks and delivered only D grades at first.
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chapters (34)
- 0:00Intro
- 0:20Who am I
- 0:40Fiona
- 1:25Lana
- 1:55Just Dance
- 2:20Dance Dance Revolution
- 3:00Music
- 3:50Stepmania
- 4:25Controllers
- 4:45Alternatives
- 5:10Bare conductive paint
- 6:05Raspberry Pi nojs
- 6:30Project Dancemat
- 7:00How will it work
- 7:20NPM package
- 8:00Raspberry Pi
- 8:20Gadget
- 8:50Menu
- 9:20USB Interface
- 9:45Hex Keys
- 10:00Key constants
- 10:20Parse keys
- 11:00Loop through electrodes
- 11:30Return pressed keys
- 11:45Log pressed keys
- 12:15JavaScript
- 12:50File Descriptor
- 13:20Device Write Buffer
- 13:50Did it work
- 14:40The fun part
- 15:15Are we set for life
- 15:40What is an Arduino
- 16:10Physical cables
- 16:35Conclusion
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