Secondary monitor on top of cabinet... need some suggestions/opinions

[Mysterioii]

Hey guys.  I have an UAII kit cabinet from mameroom/NorthCoast Customs, and several years back I added a secondary 4:3 LCD monitor on top...  I don't even know if there is an "official" term for that, I've been calling it an "attract mode" monitor but I basically did it so I could run a poker timer program on my cabinet back when I was hosting some home poker tourneys while leaving the main monitor running the games.  Then if I want I can mirror the displays and have the gameplay showing up top too.  I remember some games doing this in the arcades, and I presume it was just so spectators can watch the action on an otherwise crowded popular game, but I don't recall if certain games always had this setup and they were cleanly built into the cabs, or if the arcade owners just threw them up there.

Mine is just sitting up there... well, it's fastened on with hidden nylon bolts, but I didn't build up the cabinet around it.  It's a black monitor on a black cabinet so it doesn't look too terribly god-awful but it's definitely not as nice as it could be.  Even though I haven't done a poker tourney for a while I would really like to leave it on there, but I'm looking for some thoughts from the community.  Anyone know if certain cabs always had those, or if they were just thrown up there by the arcade operators?  Anyone have any pics of cabs where these were built-in?  Thoughts or opinions in general?

My cab is very plain right now, I basically put the kit together and that was it, but I'm looking at making some upgrades, redesigning the CP and putting some sideart on there etc.  Bigger monitor, replacing the scratched plexi with tinted tempered glass and such.  But unless I do something for that monitor it will still just look like a desktop monitor sitting on top, so any (constructive) feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Nephasth]

Midway offered it as an option.



I use a 13" TV as a secondary monitor for my dart board so the throw line doesn't get crowded by people trying to see the marks.



And the second monitor on the Two-Headed Beast serves as a spectator's monitor during single player games...

[lanman31337]

Those Midway conversions are ugly.

[Santoro]

Yes they are.... has anyone actually ever seen that in a real arcade?

[Mysterioii]

Haha yeah that's pretty ugly...  I guess it gets the job done, and back when the only option was CRTs then they had to be boxy...  my biggest problem is that my memory isn't what it used to be (I'm not THAT old...   )  I don't recall seeing any of them from back in the Tron/Ms. Pacman days like in that photo, the ones I'm remembering I guess were more for fighters and such a little later on.  Just can't recall how they were presented...  I guess it really boils down to "build a box around it", and at least since mine is an LCD I can go with something slimmer...

[mytymaus007]

My neck hurts just lookin at it. I would put 2 monitors  Wall mounted one on each side if you realy care to.

[CheffoJeffo]

Some years back, Randy Fromm wrote an article about doing this on real arcade machines. I have to admit that I thought about it at one point, but arcade monitors are just too scarce now.

Dragon's Lair was one cab where I remember the satellite monitors.

[boardjunkie]

I remember seeing them back in the early/mid 80s. They used them when there was a high score contest so a large crowd could watch the game happen. Last one I saw was in an Aladdin's Castle arcade in like 1994.

[mytymaus007]

Midway offered it as an option.



I use a 13" TV as a secondary monitor for my dart board so the throw line doesn't get crowded by people trying to see the marks.



And the second monitor on the Two-Headed Beast serves as a spectator's monitor during single player games...

I love the couple dressed in their business atire playing ms pacman you would never see this in 2012 such a shame!