To de-case or not to de-case? that is the question

[evilfuzzle]

Hey everybody!
I have been wanting to become a member here for a while and finally have. 

Well... me and my dad are building an upright arcade cabinet together and we have most of the parts. We have a 27" tv (which we are told is an average size) that we are going to use except for the fact that has two speakers hanging off the sides that make it alot larger and harder to fit in. it looks like this:


So my question is should I de-case it and take out the speakers then move them to the usual place (endangering my 13 yr old life), have the speakers hanging out the sides of the cabinet (which doesn't look too bad) or make the case larger to fit the whole thing in (will this look ugly) . I don't really want to have to buy a new tv because this one works perfectly and we would have to throw it out if i don't use it.

well thanks for reading my post and I am looking forward to an answer

edit: i havent started building the cabinet yet, btw

[fa001]

Given the choices you mentions I would vote for de-casing it. However there may be a third option, you might be able to remove and relocate the speakers and then cut the case down to size.
The advantages to keeping some of the case are: you will have a good bezel, you will probably have better mount points, and the chassis is usually supported by the case.

[TimmyB]

I just decased a Samsung HDTV Slim Fit.  The decasing really wasn't too difficult. I was a bit nervous, high voltage and all that.  But the decasing itself was very easy.  You defiantly need to have your dad help you with this. 

Determining the best way to mount it was the hard part.  This was a conversion so was limited by the overall size of the case, leaving me only 1/2 " on each side.

[Flake]

Decasing a TV is not hard at all.  I did it without any experience whatsoever.  That being said, I was very careful and made sure I never touched the yoke or whatever you call it that extends out from the back center of the TV.  The hard part about decasing a TV is mounting it afterwards when you have to try and hold a VERY heavy tv monitor in place while lining it up with your mounting hardware...all the while making sure you dont touch the yoke (these can break easily if your not careful).

Take a look at this thread http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=67467.0

[evilfuzzle]

thanks for all the advice everyone 
i am going to go with the cutting the speakers off the sides and re-mounting them in the regular place (above the screen) mainly because it will be much easier to mount with such a big tv and i dont have to buy a mounting kit with the minuscule budget of mine. has anybody ever made a cab that had speakers hanging out the side. coz if it looks ok then i will go with that.

[Jack Burton]

You could optionally just remove the speakers altogether after decasing and use seperate speakers if that would make things easier from a design standpoint.  I think that would be the cleanest and simplest design.  No sense making funky cabinet designs when the cost of the speakers is so little compared to the aesthetic of the final design.

[Droler]

About 6 years ago I built a MAME cab with a 27 inch TV in it, and then we moved to a smaller house and I had to dismantle the cab - the important thing about this is that I ended up needing the TV - and had I de-cased it I'd have been out of luck. It's a matter of preference in my opinion, as I was able to build a custom bezel that covered the case completely.

[Zebidee]

I'm a bit wary about recommending this, but once you de-case a TV and realise how easy it is, there is no going back.

It is much easier to mount a screen securely (by the four corner mount points) than to try and make a TV fit in and wedge it tightly with wooden blocks.  Your cab will be slimmer and look a lot better without all the extra stuff as well.  As for mounting the chassis - you can screw that to the inside wall of your cabinet, or make a little shelf for it inside.

If going down the decasing path, you should do some research (ie google) on discharging the anode cap with a screwdriver.  You may or may not want to try temporarily removing all or some of the connections with the chassis and control board as well, and reconnecting them once the tube is mounted from the four corner mounts (all TV tubes have these).  This will make your life a bit easier and safer.

The second worst thing that could happen is that you do something dumb and damage the TV.  If that happens, at least you know CRT TVs are so cheap these days that it hardly matters.  We all know what the worst thing that can happen is, so be safe and smart not dumb and ....... At least there are two of you (so look out for each other and be safe - am I repeating myself?).

[evilfuzzle]

Thanks for the help so far 
I went on photoshop to see what it would look like with the speakers still in, tell me what you think...



i think it looks ok, but i want to see what you guys think. it is actually beige/ silver but i plan to paint the speakers black. if you have suggestions that might make it look better i would be open to them

[evilfuzzle]

oh , also, how large do people usually make their bezel around the screen? from what i can see i wont have much of one with my design.

also, does anybody know what the best way to mount the monitor to the cabinet frame that would make it sturdiest? my dad and me have been wondering if the monitor shelf we plan to make is strong enough to hold such a heavy object.

[HighNoon]

De-case it.

I will look much better in the long run.





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[pinballwizard79]

de-case, seriously

[evilfuzzle]

yeah, looking back on it... it looks rather crap, i will go with the partial de-case then

[evilfuzzle]

i just found a perfect tv that my friend is willing to sell to me! i wont have to de-case the other tv now  it is 23" and works brilliantly.

thanks for all the help everyone

[BASS!]

Hehe. I kind of like the look with the speakers sticking out the side. Kinda reminds me of a diehard machine.

[evilfuzzle]

 i think I will pass on the speakers makes it look like an elephant

[Zebidee]

I like elephants!  Which is a good thing, because we have a lot of them here in Thailand

Rgeardless, I agree that your cab will look better without them mounted on the side.