Well i'm a bit way on with this build now and actually have some pics so maybe its of interest if you like weird ideas
It all started with an old Gas Fire that was going to be thrown away and of course when that's about to happen the only logical option is to turn it into a mini arcade machine...right?
The plan was to use as much of the original as possible (with minimal modifications), so all bracket etc were taken or made from the frame.
This is the guy in question :
Well it was stripped down and this is how the side panel looks :
You can't tell me the original designer didn't want this to be an arcade machine.
A few brackets made up from the back panel and a few bits of wood glued and screwed to the sides and we get this :
The control panel uses the original panel from the front of the gas fire and with a bit a wooden support for its internals ended up like this :
While i was at it the panel thats on the side used to house the on / flame amount switch and a gasometer for temp.
So with a little modification the on/flame switch became the volume. I installed a little red on button and a usb for any service requirements so i don't have to open the machine up. I was planning on converting the gasometer to display like a VU Meter but after testing i couldn't work out 100% how to make it, so for now it's off the build plan (though easy to add later).
Anyways it now looks like this :
The Sides were joined together and the control panels installed :
The internals are made up a MSI wind netbook (the screen is the perfect size)
Audio board is one of those mini usb powered pam chip types.
Control board is the zero delay usb adapters on ebay.
Everything fits nicely inside with loads of space lol considering its overall foot print and looks like this :
Back door is just a vent / carry handle and power socket. and as you've probably spotted the original chrome has be cut down to match the width and carry on the original Gas Fire's design.
This is were i'm currently up to :
I just need a piece of perspex for the front, a power supply fitting and to finish off the mala frontend.
Then it's re-oiling the wood finish to try and bring it up a bit and its all done.
I'm actually pretty pleased with it, it occupies a floor space of 23cm wide x 28cm Deep and 39.5cm High at the widest points.
It maybe a worlds first i dunno lol it was never the intention anyway, but it was built on a whim and just for fun.
It looks tiny compared to the Donkey Kong bartop i built a while back. It was built for vertical games, but 4:3 with marquees etc displayed look quite good aswell.