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Can a 19" monitor fit in a mini cabinet?
ArtMAME:
If you have access to a laptop PC, then load it up with MAME and see what the games on an LCD monitor looks like. I have been experimenting on my laptop and have been messing around with the scanline settings and it definitely makes the games look nicer and less pixelated.
If you are using an older PC, you may want to try MAME version 0.36, which has a scanline setting that is pretty good. Later versions of MAME let you set the percentage of scanlines, but I do not like those settings very much. I have also been using MAMEPlus 0.109 and it has some really neat tricks and effects. I have been experimenting with those also, and I have gotten very favorable results. But, you really need a more powerful PC to run the latest versions of MAME and MAMEPlus.
Also, with higher versions of MAME you can use use the bilinear filtering to smooth out the graphics a bit. It is not really arcade acurate, but I think it is better than the blocky pixelated look.
I really am a diehard CRT person myself, but in your case, I would say go ahead and use a 15" or a 17" LCD. Better to have too much monitor than not enough. Also, an LCD will be easier to mount and more versitile in the long run.
Again, it is your project and your desicion ultimately. I would say go ahead and get the LCD and experiment with some of the settings, and see if it looks good to you. If it does not look good to you, you can always return it, or use it on another PC in the house.
MinerAl:
--- Quote from: shardian on October 27, 2006, 04:57:29 pm ---... There is a detailed build on here where the guy made a modified pac-man mini with a 19" tv. The front of the pac-man had a door that gave access to a dvd player, and a switch box to switch between a handful of Jakks handheld games.
--- End quote ---
That would be MarkRVP's mini for his son. Regardless of what monitor you use you should find that thread and study it for how to do this stuff correctly.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=36591.0
javeryh:
--- Quote from: MinerAl on October 29, 2006, 12:58:22 pm ---
--- Quote from: shardian on October 27, 2006, 04:57:29 pm ---... There is a detailed build on here where the guy made a modified pac-man mini with a 19" tv. The front of the pac-man had a door that gave access to a dvd player, and a switch box to switch between a handful of Jakks handheld games.
--- End quote ---
That would be MarkRVP's mini for his son. Regardless of what monitor you use you should find that thread and study it for how to do this stuff correctly.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=36591.0
--- End quote ---
That project is my inspiration. It came out so nice. I think I'm going to keep the monitor of mine at the original angle though (or very close to it) because this won't be used for TV watching - although it's a great idea but I'm not so sure how the angle would be for gaming. It seems like the player would have the monitor too close to his/her face...
javeryh:
OK, I think I am going to go for the LCD screen. It will allow me the most flexibility in terms of cabinet depth even if I decide to lay it at the same angle found in the Galaga/Ms. Pac-man ones. I am going to lay out my cuts and hopefully have the sides cut out tomorrow!
Any reason not to go with LCD that hasn't been already posted?
javeryh:
OK, I've definitely decided on a 17" Dell LCD for my vertical mini cab - any last thoughts before I pull the trigger?