First machine! Two simple questions

[Tekn0mega]

  ...I breazed through the FAQ to limit the annoyance factor of newB questions.

   First, I am unsure what material to use on the sides of the Arcade (full standup 6' 2"). I read from http://www.lusid.net/arcade/ that contact paper worked, but can I put a decal on this?

   The other option that I have been considering is Formica, such as the one used by Jeff http://mame.velociworks.com/. Will decals stick to this surface well?

    Is good ol' primer/paint the best option? Not sure how well that decal will stay on it.

  Lastly, I plan to use a 25" TV, for the monitor (I ruled out the authentic Arcade monitor, because I have a 25" TV alread ).  Can any light guns, made for use on a PC, work on a TV ? If not, any sollution to this issue?


  Thanks in advance!

[APFelon]

Decals should stick on any of these surfaces, provided that you don't use el cheapo paint or a crummy decal.

I believe that lightguns will work on a TV, but someone might correct me on this. It seems, though, that the Act Labs guns are in short supply nowdays. You may have some trouble getting a hold of a set.

APf

[Flinkly]

yeah, the act labs tv lightgun should work well for you, and they were just discontinued, so it will be a little tough to find some, but they wont cost as much as the pc lightguns from the same manufacturer.  the pc version sells for over 200 dollars each right now.

as for the sides, if you can afford it, formica would be the best thing to do, but painting would come in a close second, and is usually cheaper.  as for contact paper, that sounds a little too cheap.

and the decals, you should get them to stick well on gloss or even semigloss paint well, and formica is usually just like countertop material, so you should have no problem there.

good luck.

[Tekn0mega]

  Alright, thanks a ton guys!

  I will try and locate one of those light guns. I did see (think it was actlabs) a light gun that was made for the PC, that did not work on TV screens.  It was on Ebay, so there is a chance the guy selling it was wrong with his description...

[armax]

yeah, the act labs tv lightgun should work well for you, and they were just discontinued, so it will be a little tough to find some, but they wont cost as much as the pc lightguns from the same manufacturer.

[cholin]

Meaning if you need one for your cab, buy three and later on sell em and you make your money back

[Hoagie_one]

my paint jobas are worth a crap so I will be using laminate on everything else I ever do.

[pmc]

I used paint (floor and porch paint so it's tough). It was cheap and looks right. Read all the old posts about primer and application (use a sponge roller). There's been lots of discussion on that topic in the last 3 years. The only problem is occassional wear at friction points (doors and drawers) but it's easy to touch up.

I never used laminate so I can't say if it's better. If I was building a PacMan cabinet I'd probably try with laminate for that brilliant yellow and the ease of applying decals. But for general purpose black, I think paint is fine. It's easy to work with, hide imperfections, touches up for years to come, and gets into all kinds of tight areas and strange geometries.

- pmc