WTB: 21 inch Plastic Bezel

[jelwell]

I just upgraded from a 19" Computer Monitor to 21 inches. I have a beautiful Happ Plastic 19" Bezel installed on my cabinet. Now I need a 21" bezel, but Happ doesn't sell them at that size.

I did some searching but came up empty handed, as it seems that most people simply resell Happ parts.

Any suggestions?
Joseph Elwell.

[AlanS17]

If your monitor casing isn't already black, paint it. Then set a sheet of smoked plexi or glass over it rather than your clear plexi/glass. This will hide any ambient light, but the image on the screen will still shine through just fine.

[jelwell]

If your monitor casing isn't already black, paint it. Then set a sheet of smoked plexi or glass over it rather than your clear plexi/glass. This will hide any ambient light, but the image on the screen will still shine through just fine.

I used Black Ducktape on my last monitor. but I haven't done anything like that on the new one, since the bezel is currently too small - and hiding the edges.

I do like the smoked plexi idea to maybe help with glare? However smoked plexi doesn't sound like a very appealing bezel replacement since it'll be a lot easier to tell that the monitor is merely a PC monitor - for starters the NEC logo and display buttons will be easy enough to spot. Also, users will be able to see right through to the rear of the cabinet, which is actually the wall behind my cabinet.

I might end up having to cut/resize my current bezel. Although I'm reluctant because I'm sure I can't cut well enough to make it look as nice as it does now.
Joseph Elwell.

[AlanS17]

Well doesn't Happ sell a 20" bezel? I bet that would be pretty darn close to what you need. You can always adjust the vertical and horizontal widths on the monitors to make it all fit.

[jelwell]

Well doesn't Happ sell a 20" bezel? I bet that would be pretty darn close to what you need.

Not on the page I linked to. They jump from 19 inch to 25 inches.

You can always adjust the vertical and horizontal widths on the monitors to make it all fit.

Haha. That's brilliant. It kinda defeats the point of upgrading but I'm definitely going to adjust it until I get a suitable replacement.
Joseph Elwell.

[AlanS17]

Oh I know it defeats the purpose, but 2" isn't much, anyways...

[AlanS17]

You've got a few options, none of which include buying a 21" bezel:

1.) cut one out of paper
2.) make one out of paper using the BYO bezel tutorial
3.) mask your monitor glass to the appropriate size
4.) get smoked plexi and put a back door on your machine

P.S. You better believe I'm brilliant...

[jelwell]

1.) cut one out of paper

Before I bought the 19 inch Happ Bezel I made a bezel out of black carboard and I'll never go back. The plastic bezel just looks so much better than anything I could create.

2.) make one out of paper using the BYO bezel tutorial

I couldn't find that tutorial. But if I imagine it involves talent on my part.

3.) mask your monitor glass to the appropriate size

I don't understand this. Are you saying I should masking tape or paint the plexi in front of the monitor?
Joseph Elwell.

[AlanS17]

By masking, I mean you can paint the inside of the monitor glass.

[NoOne=NBA=]

By masking, I mean you can paint the inside of the monitor glass.

Better yet, put graphics on the front glass.
That makes the monitor appear even bigger--if done right.



That's a picture of my cab after converting to a 19" vertical monitor from the 21" horizontal it had before.



That's what it looked like with the 21" in it.
Notice that despite being a bigger monitor, it looks alot smaller.

[jelwell]

Better yet, put graphics on the front glass.
That makes the monitor appear even bigger--if done right.

Two things stop me from putting graphics around the monitor:
1) I can't/won't, personally, create anything that looks nearly as good as a well fit plastic bezel. So I could try to convince a friend to do it, but ...
2) I'd have to pick a design. Whereas a plastic bezel doesn't require me to be married to the look. Kind of like my marquee, it's easy to swap it out for a different one if I get sick of it.

It does look bigger. Are you implying that it looks bigger because your new artwork is better? It seems like it's a combination of the angle, the distance and the change from horizontal to vertical. But I can see how the boxed lines kind of add fake girth.
Joseph Elwell.

[NoOne=NBA=]

It's because I was able to mount the monitor properly the second time around.

My wife found out about my plan to decase, or as she put it "tear apart", the brand new 21" I bought for the cab, and objected to that plan.
That forced me to redesign my cab to fit the 21" with the case on, which wouldn't allow me to mount the monitor leaning back from the front glass far enough.
The layback is what gets you the larger "window" on the front glass.
Your bezel has to travel farther, so it can do it at an angle.

As was mentioned earlier, you can go with smoked acrylic, and just paint the back black to hide the edges of the bezel.
If you get a back on the cab, and use black on everything inside, you can barely see it through the smoked glass.

[rchadd]

i made my centipede bezel (copy of original atari bezel)

it uses same principle as http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?board=1%3baction=display%3bthreadid=17175

[NoOne=NBA=]

That looks almost identical to the one that's in my cab now, except for color.
The black behind smoked glass hides better than a colored one would have.

[paigeoliver]

None of the arcade monitor bezels are the correct fit for computer tubes anyway, the curves are different. The closest fit I have seen is the standard 13" plastic bezel, which mates up pretty well to most early 90s 14" PC monitor tubes.

Also, a 21" computer monitor has a tube only a smidge larger than a 19" arcade monitor, once you decase it then you might very well be able to trim the inside of your plastic 19" bezel to fit.