Have some questions about impact/load sensors.

[ByronKingson]

I was thinking about putting together one of those DDR dance pads. I basically just need a switch to see if a person is stepping on one of the pads or not. My question is, do load sensors still show a reading once they have passed their load rating or will it just stop functioning?

[Paul Price]

You might not need something so sophisticated and costly as a "load sensor" product. You could just make a simple one from two pieces of PC board separated by some foam/rubber with an array of holes. Much more rugged and very cheap. You can substitute thin metal plates to make the contact surfaces even cheaper. Or make a cheap pressure sensor by forming two contacts that will overlap when the item stepped on distorts the original shape and make a connection. Or make a capacitive sensor by a metal sheet/plastic sheet/metal sheet combo that changes capacitance. The possibilities are endless.

[ByronKingson]

That might work. I wanted to go for one of the thin sheet load sensor in the hopes to avoid damage and keep it reliable over time. but i guess i dont really know how well that will work either.

[tpowell1830]

A variation of this may work for you.



Edit: I will add that there is a part 2 to the video.