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Thank you for all that (organized) info, I'm going to read over a few more times.

I too realized that the best route is to make a new and separate pedestal TOP/control that has the (based on your info) both sticks (analog and 8way etc) - as my pedestal has the option to remove the top part to play somewhere else.
In fact I'd also like to make another (third) control top with steering wheel, shifter etc, (and add removable pedals at bottom) for racing games - but this is for another time in future.

Ill use your info first to start figuring out the hardware I actually need- I may come back wit the list of games to verify the type of trigger stick needed...

BTW, what kind of joystick would I need for afterburner?

I play the SWT game with my trackball, but its hard to aim efficiently using that (I was very good with the original arcade version/triggers stick, that I used to have a crowd of people watching me - what a rush that was) - do you happen to know if I can increase the trackball's sensitivity to be able to move the crosshairs faster?

Thanks again in advance for the insight

Apologies if this has been asked before - I don't see an option to search this thread.
The default behavior of LEDBlinky for JRD is to switch back to 4-way when the frontend is active.  Is it possible to change this?  I would prefer it to switch to 8-way or leave it in the last state it was in.  Using AM for the FE, FYI.
Also - is there a global way to reduce the intensity of the LEDs?  I find them far too bright.  It would be wondrous if there was a global setting or slider and I could just reduce that.
And... LEDBlinky is taking like 20-30 seconds to launch after I start AM.  How might I fix that?
Thank you!

I greatly appreciate the feedback from this thread.  I ended up pulling out the 25" CRT from my MVS style cab (possibly was an actual MVS) and replacing it with a 48" LG OLED in portrait orientation.  That was a NIGHTMARE of a process, and a bit of a miracle.  I did manage to mod the cab and get it installed without tearing the cab apart.  The TV is butting up against the roof of the cab, and at the bottom it cleared the coin mech by a couple of millimeters!  Hah!
I'm extremely pleased to say that the new setup does not irritate me in the slightest.
I can finally play this thing!  Except of course, I spend most of my time setting up software and customizing things!  LOL
I absolutely LOVE having the full arcade bezels and the flexibility this provides.  Vertical games look amazing and proper too (which they couldn't on my CRT in landscape orientation). I'm still tweaking the CRT effect, playing with BGFX and HLSL.  I spent some time comparing this to my actual CRT side-by-side and tweaking the CRT effect on the OLED.  I have to say, I'm very impressed at just how close I can get it to look like the real thing.  It's REALLY close.  Plus, I can subtract things I don't really like about the real thing, such as scanline jitter.  =D
So much to do still, but I'm thrilled.
The blacks, oh the blacks... it's nice having perfect blacks!
The ONE thing I haven't got perfect yet, and I may not be able to - motion blur.
It looks like a CRT, and the motion is good, but not perfect.
When I turn on the TV's black frame insertion at 60hz, it does eliminate the motion blur - if I can get perfect settings with groovymame with vsync on and reduce the input lag enough then this might be a seriously winning combo.  Just straight VRR is nice, but there's some motion blur like this.  I think I can live with that if I need to.  I only notice it in some games.
I would definitely choose a setup like this over CRT now, no hesitation - I only have one cab and it's nice that it can do everything I want.

Nothing like a Stream Deck for that authentic arcade experience!  ; )  Heheheh.  Cool idea though, what do you plan to do with it?

Thanks for replying back.  I tested the power supply and it is good.  Yes....I did find .75 cents in the machine.  CHA CHING!!

It took more time to analyze it then it did to finally remove it.  I should have done this days ago.  After taking all of the screws out of the machine and still not being able to remove the back chrome plate, I noticed 5 rivets on the bottom which I drilled out. The rivets held in the cage in.  Wedged it over the raised screw holes which hold down the power supply. Once the cage was out, it was still riveted through the cage and black cover which shows through the back of the chrome. If I had found a way to remove the chrome plate from the back, the two rivets would have still needed to be removed. DONE!! Now to order the new switch and re-rivet it back together.

This is an outstanding cabinet. Clean lines and an elegant theme. 

Only one LED at a time should be lit! Either the green one (15Khz ok) or the red one (sync blocked).

I looked a bit closer - because the LEDs point downwards on my PCs, and the cards are near the bottom already, it is actually hard to get a good look without craning my neck about. So I turned the PC upside-down!

Turns out you are right, of course - but it LOOKS like the red LED is lit at the same time as the other one (yellow?) if you view it from the side. The light from the yellow LED shines through the dome of the red LED, making it look like it is lit.

I've attached pics to demonstrate. I changed nothing between the pics except my viewing angle. The red LED seems lit and seems to get redder as you move around to see the yellow light shining directly through it

I wrapped the dongle in some paper tape because the 3D printed housing was starting to come apart a bit too easily.

It only works one way, so the male VGA side of the dongle is the input. Or did you mean you were using a normal male-male VGA cable, and then a female-female adapter, then into the male VGA of the dongle?

Oh gosh you are right - I was using a VGA male-male cable and turning the dongle around without even realising it. I think I need to write IN / OUT on it 

One reason why I wanted to use a cable was to see the LEDs better.

Will see if I can find my VGA gender-benders and give that a go

Cutting the First Side

The sides of the cabinet are the largest individual components, so it made sense to make these first. The first step was to purchase some tools. I decided it was worth spending a bit extra to get quality tools capable of delivering accurate results. These are the tools I used to make the first side:

• Track saw
• Shop vac
• Jig saw
• Steel square
• Stainless steel rulers

Track Saw and Shop Vac

I initially purchased a circular saw, but returned it in favour of the track saw because it had some flex in the base and, not being an experienced wood worker, I wasn't confident I'd be able to use it effectively. Set up correctly, the track saw guarantees it will cut where you want it to. It can also cut accurately at angles other than 90 degrees which will be useful later on. It has a safety mechanism that stops it from jumping of the track if you get kickback, as well as a connector for a shop vac, which works very well to redirect sawdust.

Because I'm working indoors, and not in a dedicated workshop, it was important to keep things as tidy as possible. I chose a small cordless shop vac because it was relatively inexpensive and easy to move around. It works well, the battery life is reasonably good, but beyond the bag it doesn't have any filtration, which might be worth considering.



Jig Saw, Square and Rulers

The jig saw will be used to cut the rounded corners, as well as the internal 90 degree corner for the control panel shelf. This model came with a good blade for clean straight cuts, but I also needed to buy a narrower blade for the tighter concave curves.

The high quality steel square was possibly one of the most important investments. Along with the stainless steel rulers, it made it possible to accurately transfer measurements from the plan to the surface of the plywood. Additionally, it can be used to check that a panel is square, or check that the track saw track is square. This may seem excessive for a project of this type, but small errors can compound. I wanted to be as precise as possible at all stages, and particularly early on, so I could be confident that I was building on a solid foundation.



Initial Cuts

Before making a first cut, I carefully transferred the measurements for the side onto the plywood using the square, rulers, a 0.5mm mechanical pencil, and a compass for the curves, double checking everything. Measure twice, cut once

The next step was to position and clamp the track saw track with equal care, and make the straight, exterior cuts. It's a good idea to think about the order of the cuts at this point, and the size and shape of the offcuts, so as little as possible is wasted.

When using the track saw, it's important to choose a speed that's fast enough to cut cleanly, but not so fast it will burn the edge of the plywood, which can happen quite easily. Make sure the saw is up to full speed before lowering the blade to avoid kickback, and keep the saw at full speed until it's clear of the wood when finishing a cut for the same reason. While considering safety, it's a good time to note the importance of eye and ear protection, and a dust mask is also advisable.



Completing the First Side

For the interior angles, the track saw can be used to cut most of the length of a side approaching the corner, but the jig saw needs to be used to complete the cut. The interior curves are the most difficult and it's a good idea to practice on some scrap before attempting it on the real thing. I found it was best to go slowly (but not too slowly or the blade will bind) and try to keep the cut slightly on the offcut side of the guide line. The same applies to the exterior corners - sandpaper can be used to remove the excess. Wrap the sandpaper around a small block of wood for the exterior corners and around a cylindrical object with the correct radius for the interior corners.

Only one LED at a time should be lit! Either the green one (15Khz ok) or the red one (sync blocked).

The dongle only works one way, so the male VGA side is the input. Or did you mean you were using a normal male-male VGA cable, and then a female-female adapter, then into the male VGA of the dongle?

Is OK, no need to retrofit for me, I'm kinda used to it

Yes I am "red-green colourblind", despite designing and building colour space transcoders. It's all maths anyway. FWIW the "blind" part is a misnomer - I still see the colours just fine, is just the way retina cone frequency sensitivities are tweaked.

Some colour shades that are different to most people may look similar to me. OTOH often I see colours or differences where other don't. I see the world slightly differently, but then we all do to some extent.

We have a big green tree with bright red flowers that my wife describes as "outstanding", yet I hardly notice them until I look closely. Stuff like resistor colour-coding is also a nightmare (small as well), I usually have fun guessing then just grab the DMM (like most normal people probably!).

I love your dongle but distinguishing LED colours is hard. Certain things, like old-school red/green/orange LEDs, especially diffused ones, are horrible to distinguish. Guess it doesn't really matter, it is either one or two LEDs on. Colour is irrelevant.

The newer LEDs like the "bright" or "superbright" "clear" ones seem much better (guess it depends on exactly what you get). Many colours to choose from. They can be very bright if run at ~20mA - you can reduce the brightness to suit your needs by using a larger resistor to limit current. 

BTW your dongle works great with GreenAntz! Am testing it as I write. You must use the dongle directly at the video card VGA head though. It won't work attached via a VGA male-male cable, the sync doesn't pass through. Red LED lights up but not the other one (whatever colour it is). Not sure why as all 15 pins are present and accounted for.

I may pull it apart and have another look later