How do we feel about CD-ROM drive mounted right in the cabinet.

[paigeoliver]

I just did this. The white button is a power button.



I have the option of not going that route, as I still have a metal speaker grill panel that can cover the whole area.

But I was wondering how we felt about that? I haven't exactly seen it done very much.

[Mooshoo111]

I'd make it so you could only see the tray, also I would have chosen a black cd drive.

[paigeoliver]

I don't have any black drives, so that part wasn't going to be happening. I also always try to seek the optimum bang for the buck (if it is real money, or my labor), so I just went with installing it cleanly but visible.

I'll agree that a mostly hidden black one would have been sweet, but that would have changed it from a 30 minute install with little chance of failure to something that would take a few hours and cost money and might not work correctly.

[Mooshoo111]

Yeah, I get the point. If thats the case, I'd just leave it hidden then.

[the3eyedblindman]

just paint it black, i dont think a thin coat of paint would hurt anything.

[JCL]

Dude, real arcade cabinets don't have cd players sticking out of them.

J/K

You'll probably like the end result better if it is hidden at least a little. How about a door made of smoked plexi? Or the grill thing.

[Skadar]

just paint it black, i dont think a thin coat of paint would hurt anything.

I've spray-painted drive faceplates black.  It works and looks pretty good.  I would do that.

The faceplate can be removed, as well as the little plate that sticks to the front of the tray that slides out.  Paint those suckas.

[SOAPboy]

just paint it black, i dont think a thin coat of paint would hurt anything.

I've spray-painted drive faceplates black.

[Kremmit]

After you paint your drive, be sure to give it a plexiglass overlay, to protect your paintjob.  And angle the P1 & p4 joysticks to match the angled sides of that cab. 
 

[SirPoonga]

One, my CD drive is available right behind the coin door.

If you are going to paint definately take the face plate off, you don't want overspray in your drive.  Also look at Krylon's new plastic paint.

[pmc]

Rather than paint, you can also get a replacement bezel for the CD drive. It's very inexpensive and maybe free because people have spares kicking around that they'll never need.

Another alternative is to use vinyl dye to "paint" the bezel. It's not so much a paint as it is a stain. Leaves a really professional finish. Popular with PC modders.

I like the convenience feature. Now if you could only interface the drive to a Dreamcast! 

-pmc

[Bomber]

I used some black vinyl dye on an old beige (that's being polite - it was nicotine stained to within an inch of its life) monitor I found. Worked a treat and is REALLY scratch resistant.

And one more vote for taking the fascia off before painting or whatever you end up doing.

As for the aesthetics - is there anyway you could have it hidden around the back or side so it is still accessible but out of eyeshot?

[Minwah]

Personally I don't like drives being visible.

[nostrebor]

I would dye everything black as well, but I would also rig some rare earth magnets in the corners of the big speaker grille, and some metal bits in the cabinet, so I could put the speaker grille on when I didn't need access to the drive.

Of course this assumes that the grille will clear the stuff you have mounted.

Oh and I would move the power switch also.

[Goz]

I did something very similar with a cocktail. It was a black drive and the unit was black it looked pretty nice, but I rarely used the drive. How often do you plan on using the drive?

-Goz

[dabone]

Two words.

Slot load.


(Also available in slimline..)

http://www.dfwdepot.com/dvd-ram/index.php?main_page=product_info&currency=USD&products_id=54


tiny hole, easy to use.

Later,
dabone

[pcates]

I would also rig some rare earth magnets in the corners of the big speaker grille, and some metal bits in the cabinet, so I could put the speaker grille on when I didn't need access to the drive.

Of course this assumes that the grille will clear the stuff you have mounted.

Oh and I would move the power switch also.

I second this idea.... Just put the grill on so that it can be relatively easily removed. The drives are so rarely used. It would also make the speakers look better also(I think the drive sticking out looks better than bare speakers). The other great part about this idea is that it is free.....

[Franco]

Im planning on mounting the cd drive in a new CP im making for my cab. Ive made a ally bezel for it to mount it in. Some people dont like to have drives visable i suppose to make the cab look more authentic, however I want to show mine off.

Just realised I havent got a pic of the finished bezel but I will upload one when I get home later. You can see the (slow)progress of the project here -> http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=39463.msg355946#msg355946

[MameJunkie]

Yuck...

I try to hide anything is isn't require for gameplay.

[Abomination]

what you should do is "stealth" the CD rom, that allows you to put it right up front but nobody knows any better...  Its very common in case modding for pcs

http://www.rabidhardware.net/index.php?id=2 this is a link showing how to do it but the concept is easy.

Cut a rectangle the EXACT size of your hole in the cab, Recess the CD rom so that when the rectangle you cut out is attached it sits flush with the rest of the cab and attach with appoxy ect.  There are also multiple ways to use the button (you can relocate it to a hidden spot, use the eject button in windows or create a button on the stealth plate)

Thats your best option imho

[pmc]

But I was wondering how we felt about that? I haven't exactly seen it done very much.

You know, I love the way you asked that question. How do "we" feel about it (versus how do "you", the individual reader, feel about it)?

-pmc

[EndTwist]

what you should do is "stealth" the CD rom, that allows you to put it right up front but nobody knows any better...  Its very common in case modding for pcs

http://www.rabidhardware.net/index.php?id=2 this is a link showing how to do it but the concept is easy.

Cut a rectangle the EXACT size of your hole in the cab, Recess the CD rom so that when the rectangle you cut out is attached it sits flush with the rest of the cab and attach with appoxy ect.  There are also multiple ways to use the button (you can relocate it to a hidden spot, use the eject button in windows or create a button on the stealth plate)

Thats your best option imho

That's what I was going to suggest. Definetly the best solution, IMHO.

[SirPoonga]

Another alternative it to get a decent sized hd and alcohol 120%.  You can mount images as though they were drives.

[tristan]

No CDs on mine. Ill have a network jack on the back, and USB headers hidden under the lip on the front. If I ever need a CD drive (or a keyboard or mouse), I'll plug in an external USB one.

[TOK]

If you're going to pop it out to hold a beer, its cool. If you're going to actually use it as a CD drive, put it somewhere else... Anywhere else.

[MajorHavoc]

What ever works for you.  I think when painted black and overlaid with a speaker grill you'll have a nice set up.   Out of sight mostof the time,  but nice looking when needed. 

[KevSteele]

I did it side-mount with my original MAMEframe:



Worked out great, and practically invisible unless you know it's there.

Kevin

[Stingray]

I have the option of not going that route, as I still have a metal speaker grill panel that can cover the whole area.

Put a hinge on the speaker grill so you can open it to change disks.

Mine is inside the coin door, FWIW.

-S

[SirPoonga]

Put a hinge on the speaker grill so you can open it to change disks.

It wouldn't be that hard to glue a hings on.  If oyu look hard enough you might find a parted out motorcycle stereo as they use hinged covers over the cd player to protect it form elements.

[Stingray]

If oyu look hard enough you might find a parted out motorcycle stereo as they use hinged covers over the cd player to protect it form elements.

Now that you mention it, boat stereos usually have a black plastic cover that would work well in this application too.

-S

[88mph]

I really like the convenience of an easily accessible drive... I'd keep it, especially if you're planning on doing other things like watching movies or playing CDs/MP3s on the cab.  I also like the idea of a coat of black spray paint on the front panel. 

-88mph