also is there a general mount people use for the screens?
I recommend using 4 pieces of wood:
- two straight-edged battens, about 1 inch thick, screwed into the sides. They must be parallel, and angled according to your desired monitor angle.
- two offcut pieces for brackets about 4-5 inches wide, length same as internal width of cabinet (inside to inside). These will be attached to the CRT corner pegs.
For the bracket pieces, you need to cut in a U shape around 2 inches deep to accommodate the part of CRT that bulges above the level of the corner pegs, and to allow the degaussing coil to not get crunched.
The angled cuts can be at approximately 45 degrees (don't have to be precise) and around 2 inches long (again, don't have to be precise).
This simple design allows you to "slide" the brackets up/down along the battens, until you find the right positions for your CRT. Slide both up/down together to adjust your CRT position. Screw into place when finished.
Use T-nuts for securing the CRT corner pegs.
This is easier to do and more flexible than building a monitor "shelf".
In my
Aussie lowboy current build thread you can see an example of how this works. Later on in that thread I decided to swap in a slightly larger CRT, and you can see how easy it was to adapt the brackets and positioning for the larger size.
Two more straight battens, above and parallel to the first two below the monitor, support the glass.
i have some questions that have been boggling my mind though (about arcade building)
where the control panel and top panel meet the plexy glass i'm am so confused what is supposed to go there.
For my Aussie lowboy, I built a fold-out hinged metal control panel that comes down to just above the glass when closed. This locks the glass in place. A short length of automotive window trim seals it.
In a pinch, you can use the rubber seals that hold mosquito mesh into frames. You carefully cut a slot along one side and slip it over the edge of the metal.
Otherwise, you might cover the bottom/top of the glass with some simple angled metal brackets. Get them fabbed up at a local metal shop, paint them with a rattle-can. That keeps the glass in place, unscrew to remove/clean/replace glass. At least, that's what I've done before.