Slim cab 32" plans? 2 vs 4 player

[deezdrama]

Im going to be starting my build soon and decided against using my 4 player Vendetta cab since its footprint is too large for my needs and decided on building my own slim design using a 32"- 42" monitor (have not decided on size yet, will depend on whats the best deal i can find)

Anyway... ive always wanted a 4 player cp  but wonder if its actually needed. Theres not a huge amount of 4 player games, it would be nice to have but wondered what people thought on 2p vs 4p control panels?

Ive seen alot of nice slim cab designs but all of them used small pc monitors, Has anyone built a slim cab with a larger display? Would it be front heavy and prone to tipping?
I do have some 22" monitors sitting around and it would save money on build cost to use one but dont really like the looks of a tiny screen and large bezel area. Are there any pros cons to using a smaller screen vs a larger one I should consider?

Finally.... are there any dimensions or plans for a slim cab someone could link that I could adapt for a larger screen? I dont use any 3d cad programs so just simple dimensions would suffice.

Thanks.

[mgb]

The 2p vs 4p thing is very much a preference thing.
Some people really get good use out of 4p machines.
Some people have many parties or get togethers where 4 player games like gauntlet or Simpsons may get played by 4 people at a time.

I personally see no use to having a 4p myself because I just wouldn't get the use out of it.
You can still play the two player versions of those games.

When looking to go larger with a monitor, remember that too big of a monitor will really look crappy when that close.
I'd stick with something smaller than 32"

Also for all of your needs when among a new cabinet, think about the games that are truly important to you rather than just being able to play 'em all and you'll be able to plan a cabinet that you'll truly enjoy.

[BadMouth]

I have a rotating 27" monitor in my slim cab.  I originally planned on securing it to the wall to prevent tipping, but upon completing it decided it's unnecessary.
It's rock solid.  I did put a build a subwoofer enclosure into half of the bottom, but it's only one extra piece of MDF and a small 8" speaker, so I don't think it's adding a huge amount of extra weight in the bottom.  The cab could fit a non-rotating 32".  Others have gone that route and been happy with it, but it's too big for being that close for me.

Link to my cab in my sig.

Some nice looking cabs with 32" screens:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,112721.0.html
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,107662.msg1362544.html#msg1362544

[deezdrama]

Thanks for the links and replies!

Ive seen tinted plexi mentioned before for use as bezel/screen cover.
I think the tinted glass is used to hide the border/bezel around the screen when the machine is off, but Ive been wondering if a tinted front glass would or could possibley blurr/diffuse pixelation a bit and act as a physical filter?

Anyone ran tinted or smoked front glass before and does it add a blurr or smoothing effect to the lcd pixelation?


I really would like a 32" panel and 4 player cp but maybe for my first cab I should stick with 2 player and use this 22" 1050 native resmonitor I already have.... what would you guys suggest?

[abkaz]

Regarding screen size: It might help to spend some time at www.displaywars.com so you can make some comparisons. Then you can see how big your image will really be. Our last build had a 39" screen which gave us the equivalent screen size as an old 32" 3:4 tube screen. For vertical games it's similar to a vertically mounted 23" screen. And obviously it's a 39" screen for widescreen games and content.

The 39" screen works just fine and doesn't feel too big or look bad. But I wouldn't go any bigger unless it was a pedestal design and the screen was farther away. This build was very loosely based on Chance's Flynn's arcade cab and some other slim/wide builds. There are several of them in progress right now in the projects forum. In our case this build needed to be a little oversize because it's hiding a door (partially revealed in the attached pic).

I'd recommend tinted glass or plexi for a lot of reasons. The tint cleans up the cab and obscures the fact that it's just a TV in there. There are many threads discussing it if you search this forum. If you're concerned about getting a CRT look out of an LCD, the tint helps a little, but you'll get more mileage out of some decent hardware/software shaders and a good high-res screen.

I think 22" is too small - even for a two player cab. Especially if it's 16:9. For 4:3 games that's an 18" screen (or about an 11 x 15" rectangle). But that's just my opinion, lots of classic arcade game had screens that were about that size.

[BadMouth]

If you have LCD TVs in the house, try playing games on them and see how close is comfortable.
My rule of thumb for arcade machines is that your eyeballs should be as far away from the screen as the diagonal measurement of the monitor....or in the case of widescreen monitors, the diagonal measurement of the 4:3 image that's displayed.

When playing vertical shmups on my 27" screen (rotated vertically), sometimes I feel like it's too big because I can't take in the entire screen at once without moving my head.
But some of these games were originally in candy cabs with 25" screens, so eh.....

22" is probably a bit small if it's a 16:9 screen.  If it's a 16:10, I'd roll with it.
It makes a pretty big difference on the 4:3 games as well as when vertical games are displayed on it (with the monitor still horizontal).

[deezdrama]

That 22" i got is 1050 res... its not as wide as my 1080 monitors.
It would probably work but if im going through all the trouble and work of finally building my mame cabinet... i might as well not cut corners so i have no regrets down the road.

I just recentlly bought a 40" 1080 led for my kids room not too long ago for pretty cheap. Was under $300....so could pick a screen up pretty cheap.

abkaz..... thats a sweet cab! I really like how your cp has cuttouts on the sides so p3 and p4 can get closer to the controls without digging there hip into the cp lid. Thanks for posting! Thats about exactly the size/profile of what im looking for....
Do you have any build pics or more pics?

[abkaz]

I'm a slacker and our build documentation is depressingly sparse. Take a look around the Project Announcements subforum here and you'll find lots of similar cabs that are documented with plenty of pictures (this one should be very interesting to you: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,135116.0.html). You would benefit from starting your own thread there.

The CP design is somewhat common - although ours is stretched to accommodate extra buttons (8 instead of the typical 6) and we like some extra shoulder room. Someone coined the term aircraft carrier for that design due to its shape. I personally think it's an ugly design when compared to a classic arcade cab, but in our last case function won over the design. One side benefit of the shape is the sides by player one and two are great spots for pinball buttons (not shown in my previous picture, but were added last weekend).

[ChanceKJ]

Check out my FLYNN's build in my signature. You might find what you're looking for.

[Malenko]

heres my 4 player cab:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,140777.msg1458270.html

ever so slightly wider than the standard MK machine (same width as an NBA Jam)

[deezdrama]

Thanks for the links guys....
All your cabs look great!

chance.... im going to be copying your plans but doubt ill be able to pull it off with all the bells and whistles you did.
.I might head to the lumber store to look for some 3/4" furniture grade ply.

[deezdrama]

Well i went and bought wood.... ive officially comitted to it now lol.
Will start a thread in the projects section.... thanks

[ChanceKJ]

Awesome. Let me know if you have any questions.

[yotsuya]

I'm a slacker and our build documentation is depressingly sparse. Take a look around the Project Announcements subforum here and you'll find lots of similar cabs that are documented with plenty of pictures (this one should be very interesting to you: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,135116.0.html). You would benefit from starting your own thread there.

The CP design is somewhat common - although ours is stretched to accommodate extra buttons (8 instead of the typical 6) and we like some extra shoulder room. Someone coined the term aircraft carrier for that design due to its shape. I personally think it's an ugly design when compared to a classic arcade cab, but in our last case function won over the design. One side benefit of the shape is the sides by player one and two are great spots for pinball buttons (not shown in my previous picture, but were added last weekend).

We're going to have more aircraft carriers here at BYOAC than the whole 7th Fleet eventually. 

[deezdrama]

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,146268.0.html

quote author=ChanceKJ link=topic=146241.msg1521965#msg1521965 date=1436908315]
Awesome. Let me know if you have any questions.
[/quote]

You will probably regret that kind gesture lmao.... I have so many questions I dont know where to start. Lol

I didnt get wood wide enough (lol that aint sounding right)
Heres the build thread I started... stupid phone put link up top

[ChanceKJ]

Not a problem. I was quite detailed in my build thread so you should be able to find most answers there first. Let me know if you get stumped.

[eds1275]

My spinal tap cab has a 32" screen, 2 comfortable players between the sides (which is 28 3/4 wide)  and players 3 and 4 get usb snes pads. There are some measurements of the profile somewhere in the thread.

[deezdrama]

My spinal tap cab has a 32" screen, 2 comfortable players between the sides (which is 28 3/4 wide)  and players 3 and 4 get usb snes pads. There are some measurements of the profile somewhere in the thread.

Looks good! Thanks for posting.

Its a shame we loose so much screen.... why has noone got in the market for producing large 4:3 panels for our uses?
Not enough market i guess. Im thinking about 40" now

[eds1275]

When I'm that close, it's huge. Any bigger, I'd be turning my head to follow the action. I also have an HDMI port on the side and use the screen for bluray/dvd/computer/xbox etc when I have lots of guests or nephews/nieces over

[deezdrama]

When I'm that close, it's huge. Any bigger, I'd be turning my head to follow the action. I also have an HDMI port on the side and use the screen for bluray/dvd/computer/xbox etc when I have lots of guests or nephews/nieces over

ok,cool.
Yeah...im just going to stick with 32".
Id like to get hyperspin to launch some pc games too but still need to look into how to do this.