Need help with Cabinet Size...

[photorock]

           My last post got moved to the Monitor/Video Forum where I fear it will die, or run off topic so I'll try a different approach to my problem. Just a side note, I did search all over this board for info and found none, although I did find some posts asking the same questions but with no responses. Maybe I need to look harder.

           Here is the thread, Please read it... http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=4;action=display;threadid=22269

           My problem is I am designing my cab and I am trying to decide how wide to make it? I want to design around the display instead of trying to find one after that will fit in it. The problem is every type has different dimensions.

           The whole design will be totally modular. The base will be 27"- 28" wide to fit through the door opening, the CP will be detatchable, the display will be built into a wooden box with handles for easy movement, the side panels will be detachable as well as the marquee (another box). The upper part of the cab will all bolt up to the display box which will attach to the base.

           I know it may seem alittle confusing, complicated or over designed  but it will be perfect for apartment living. Once done one person will be able to dismantle, move and reasemble it in minutes.

[NoOne=NBA=]

The best advice I can give here is to get all the components, and THEN decide on sizes.

I used cardboard from some shelving units I got for my wife, to mockup everything around the components I had, until I got everything to the size/shape I wanted, THEN I committed to wood.

This let me tweak marquee size, cab shape, angles, size, etc.... before anything was permanent.

Once I had everything the way I wanted it, I started cutting the plywood.

I should probably add that my cabinet base is basically a 2X4-framed rolling table.
I built the table to fit my computer, (with room for a subwoofer and coin door), put the monitor on top of it on a stand (which was actually a couple 12-packs to start with), and then stapled/taped cardboard to create the mockup of the rest of the cabinet.

[Pilot143]

as NoOne said... find out what you want in it, then decide... if you pick your size now, and then pick a big tv/monitor, it wont' fit... and if you pick one too small, it won't look right... this will extremely narrow down your choices, and might not make you happy as an end result because you had to settle or spend more than planned.

as far as modular goes, its an interesting idea, and if it works, great.  but one thing to consider is strength.  take a look at the below thread, this talks about a design that splits into 2 parts. and you can see he can somewhat (even aquardly) lift it by himself.  but what monitor are you going to use?  something that can easly be taken out? like a tv or pc monitor?  or are you going with an arcade monitor that must be bolted in... if its bolted in, you can't move that yourself anyway...

http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=10;action=display;threadid=17180

but the 2 parts pictured there, should be enough for a guy and his girlfriend or buddy to handle EASILY with or without internal parts I would think.

[photorock]

        Hey NoOne=NBA= I think I will try it your way. It seems a little backwards to me but it's probably the best and safest approach. I will continue designing the cab, but I won't finalize it until I get everything. I'm glad I built the CP first, at last I can play while I work on my cab.

[paigeoliver]

I believe a 27" wide cabinet will fit most any monitor. I don't THINK there are any common arcade monitors wider than that. Now if you are wanting to use a 36" TV with speakers on the side or something, well then I would build it around that, but I also wouldn't do that.

[shmokes]

Before you pick your components, though, check out any hallways, doorways, and especially right-angle corners you will have to make to get your newly built cabinet into it's home.  If you find that putting a 27" monitor will require you to make a cabinet too big to maneuver through your hallways you will have to either go with a smaller monitor or consider some kind of modular or collapsible cabinet design.

[paigeoliver]

A 27" monitor will just nearly (and sometimes it will) squeeze into a standard classic sized cabinet, so using a 27" shouldn't require making a super wide cabinet.