Looking for Ideas on How to Build a Rotating CRT Screen

[Dyslectric]

Hello arcadecontrols forum! I am looking to build my very own MAME cabinet but I have a bit of a dilemma. So I want to put a bulky CRT in this cabinet but I do not want to de-case it as I don't know how to and that it could be expensive in my case to find someone to do it for me. I know I can just sit the crt on a shelf inside the cabinet but I want to be able to easily rotate the screen so I can play vertical games the way they are supposed to be played.

I think that if I set it on a turntable in a wooden case that it will work as long as the tv is sitting backside to the bottom, but I was wondering if I could make a rotating screen that is facing more towards the front than the top. Does anybody know of any cabinets with rotating, front facing crt cabinets?

[Automark]

dont think a turntable is powefull enough to move a crt.
Cheapest way? Remove the bezel and turn it manually 

[keilmillerjr]

Build a second machine for portrait.

[yotsuya]

Build a second machine for portrait.

Rep for you!

[vwalbridge]

Build a second machine for portrait.

Rep for you!

Rep for both of you!

[BadMouth]

Look at the rotating monitor threads stickied in the "automated projects" subforum.

There are a couple CRTs in there.

[Dyslectric]

dont think a turntable is powefull enough to move a crt.
Cheapest way? Remove the bezel and turn it manually 

I mean something like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/300mm-Turn-Table-Heavy-Duty-Lazy-Susan-Bearing-330-lbs-/400523887236?hash=item5d41158284:m:m5ce7D9JjwipoK-4j91n6MQ
Not a friggin vinyl turntable.

[Dyslectric]

Also, I would like to say that I do not plan for it to be automated. I plan for it to be controlled by a lever that would come out of a slot in the cabinet... does that sound too dumb?

[vwalbridge]

I plan for it to be controlled by a lever that would come out of a slot in the cabinet... does that sound too dumb?

Please build this and post your progress. This forum needs this.

[Dyslectric]

Please build this and post your progress. This forum needs this.

Crap... I had decided just recently that I was not going to do the rotating monitor because it would be too hard to do and I did not feel like spending this much brain power on it. Sorry dude, but I could tell you how I would do it.

I would have built a box that would contain the tv, and mount it to a sturdy, strong af turntable bearing connected to another piece of wood that would connect somehow to the outer shell or shelf of the cabinet. The box would have to be able to support the wait of the crt by itself in order for this to work as it could not be supported by anything else or the mechanism wouldn't work. I would connect a sort of long wooden pole to the back of the box holding the crt that would be sticking out of the side of the cabinet with enough clearance to rotate it 90 degrees. There would be a slot on the outside that would be cut so the lever could only go 2 directions. It would also have a locking mechanism for the lever so it would not spin out of place resulting in cable stress. Opinions anyone?

[Le Chuck]

If doing CRT don't rotate.  Juice isn't worth the squeeze.  If doing LCD don't rotate, there are better options, like getting a screen that fills the entire bezel area and displaying games to fill as needed.  This also gives you room to make use of all those mame art files and display the original bezels. 

Rotating a CRT takes a big heavy cabinet and makes is really big heavy cabinet.  Mounting a freaking huge crt vertically and then doing the same thing as the LCD bit works well too.  Malenko did that with one of his I think, shoehorned a 29" into a MVS or some such nonsense.  I recall it was cool as hell. 

[Dyslectric]

If doing CRT don't rotate.  Juice isn't worth the squeeze.  If doing LCD don't rotate, there are better options, like getting a screen that fills the entire bezel area and displaying games to fill as needed.  This also gives you room to make use of all those mame art files and display the original bezels. 

Rotating a CRT takes a big heavy cabinet and makes is really big heavy cabinet.  Mounting a freaking huge crt vertically and then doing the same thing as the LCD bit works well too.  Malenko did that with one of his I think, shoehorned a 29" into a MVS or some such nonsense.  I recall it was cool as hell.

but if you are using a crt you will get overscan for vertical games if in horizontal position and horizontal scanlines which is not at all a legitimate experience. I am just going to add a hinge to a part of the cabinet so I can open it and switch positions whenever I need to instead of trying to install this hard, and risky, mechanism.

[BadMouth]

Also, I would like to say that I do not plan for it to be automated. I plan for it to be controlled by a lever that would come out of a slot in the cabinet... does that sound too dumb?

Nah.  I remember one of the MAME devs early builds had a rope to pull for each direction.  In a dark room the ergonomics, controls, & screen are the only things dictating how good the game experience is.

[harveybirdman]

That one dude wits all the fans was going to do it but he changed at last minute as I recall though he had ot workingat one point.... search for rotatting CRT I bet you can find the project here.

[Automark]

dont think a turntable is powefull enough to move a crt.
Cheapest way? Remove the bezel and turn it manually 

I mean something like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/300mm-Turn-Table-Heavy-Duty-Lazy-Susan-Bearing-330-lbs-/400523887236?hash=item5d41158284:m:m5ce7D9JjwipoK-4j91n6MQ
Not a friggin vinyl turntable.

lol, I thought you meant something like this



 

[Le Chuck]

FYI, on those sleuth bearings (lazy susans/turntables) unless stated the rated weight capacity is for a horizontal application, not vertical.  Most of those will fall about if you wall mounted them and stuck a fraction of the rated weight on them.  They aren't designed for applications where all the weight is pulling the bearing out of alignment.  In other words, best of luck.   

[morton]

I wasn't gonna rotate a CRT either... then I saw the Taito Egret rotate and how it works... tempting:

[GeoMan]

If you buy a large enough TFT there will be no need to rorate it. Use Bezels for vertical games and HLSL for any effect you want - curved corners, shadows, e.t.c

http://www.jammaplus.co.uk/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=62800&title=mame-virtual-cab-widescreen-artwork

[keilmillerjr]

dont think a turntable is powefull enough to move a crt.
Cheapest way? Remove the bezel and turn it manually 

I mean something like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/300mm-Turn-Table-Heavy-Duty-Lazy-Susan-Bearing-330-lbs-/400523887236?hash=item5d41158284:m:m5ce7D9JjwipoK-4j91n6MQ
Not a friggin vinyl turntable.

lol, I thought you meant something like this



 

Please build it exactly like this so your crt can face away because it is ashamed of such a bad idea.

You could possibly score a dead vert cabinet with working crt off craigslist for 100-200$. You need to loose the "does everything except printing money" idea and narrow it down. A simple cab will have the best experience.

[yotsuya]

I dunno,  when I read lever to make it rotate,  I thought of this....

[morton]

I came to a bit of a conclusion. If someone wants a rotating CRT, for the time and effort, one is better off trying to find an Egret or something that has the mech designed and built, then enjoy the game IMO.

I realized that as much as I love the idea of rotating a CRT, I am likely gonna have a classic cab, vertical for the oldies, and a newer fight cab for games that use a horizontal screen.