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Main => Project Announcements => Topic started by: Coolin on December 10, 2011, 03:38:52 pm

Title: VERTICAL BARTOP PLAYING ALL GAMES inc changing MARQUEES & BEZELS on the fly
Post by: Coolin on December 10, 2011, 03:38:52 pm

Hot on the back of my last project the SlimCade which is now gone (a close friend talked me out of it) I decided I needed a quick and dirty cab to keep me playing the classics I love so I knocked up a little vertical bartop that would do me till I had time to plan my next project. However before it was even finished it was shelved as the moment I powered it up to check how it played I had an epiphany!
(http://homepage.ntlworld.com/colin.chapman2/ebay/bartop.jpg)

 A couple of years ago I had a mess around with lay files in MAME to display Marquees & Bezels on launch, I loved how they looked but couldn't see any advantage incorporating them in my cabs until now. Why not use a vertical monitor to display the marquee on top whilst the remaining screen available would incorperate the game and bezel but somehow disguise it so it actually looked like a normal cab? I am sure someone must have already thought of this and carried it through to the end but either way this is my personal take on it.

This is what I have come up with after a couple of failed attempts with my 3rd Profile template being the one I used to start the actual build
(http://homepage.ntlworld.com/colin.chapman2/ebay/vertbartop1.jpg)

Cut out in 12mm MDF with inner profiles screwed & glued in place
(http://homepage.ntlworld.com/colin.chapman2/ebay/vertbartop2.jpg)

Finally clamped together its starting to take shape of the typical bartop we know and love
(http://homepage.ntlworld.com/colin.chapman2/ebay/vertbartop3.jpg)

Next Jobs - Fit the PC which was a freebie given to me along with a 15in monitor I recently won off eBay for £5.50. I have already knocked up the front end based on my usual maximus arcade along with a dozen or so games to show the look I'm after and hopefully I will attach a quick Video to demonstrate.

Title: Re: VERTICAL BARTOP PLAYING ALL GAMES inc changing MARQUEES & BEZELS on the fly
Post by: mgb on December 11, 2011, 09:06:20 pm

Lookin' good. definitely plus points for vertical.

Title: Re: VERTICAL BARTOP PLAYING ALL GAMES inc changing MARQUEES & BEZELS on the fly
Post by: Unstupid on December 12, 2011, 02:17:17 pm

If you are doing marquee and game on the same monitor you may want to look at using a widescreen monitor.  You can do the game full screen in a 3x4 aspect ratio on the lower section with enough left over to put the marquee on the top section of the screen.  If not full screen, you'll still be closer to getting to the correct aspect ratio over a 4x3 screen...

Title: Re: VERTICAL BARTOP PLAYING ALL GAMES inc changing MARQUEES & BEZELS on the fly
Post by: Yvan256 on December 12, 2011, 09:46:39 pm

I thought of that exact same idea with the widescreen monitor, but with a fresnel lens to actually bring the marquee forward like a real cabinet. Not sure what the end result would look like, but since the focus would be fixed I'm thinking it could be worked out somehow.

Title: Re: VERTICAL BARTOP PLAYING ALL GAMES inc changing MARQUEES & BEZELS on the fly
Post by: ChurchOfSolipsism on December 13, 2011, 04:05:41 pm

I'm also totally interested in how this turns out.

Title: Re: VERTICAL BARTOP PLAYING ALL GAMES inc changing MARQUEES & BEZELS on the fly
Post by: Vidiot on December 16, 2011, 12:27:35 pm

Nice. I'm watching this one.  ;D

Title: Re: VERTICAL BARTOP PLAYING ALL GAMES inc changing MARQUEES & BEZELS on the fly
Post by: Crazy Cooter on December 16, 2011, 08:48:51 pm

When/if you find a source for usable marquee images please post in my thread:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=107206.0 (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=107206.0)

A couple of us have been looking for suitable marquees for over a year for this exact purpose.