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javeryh's Small-ish Bartop ["Jack Attack!"]
javeryh:
--- Quote from: Mike A on June 20, 2018, 10:14:58 am ---It seems like a bunch of work for no real gain. An eight of an inch is not going to make the screen look bigger. It seems like a can of worms that doesn't need to be opened. That being said, I am sure it will look good either way. You know what you are doing.
--- End quote ---
I agree but I've already opened the monitor up as soon as it arrived at the house because that was the original plan. There are only 4 screws holding the case together. I got a little scared because it wasn't what I expected so I closed it up. The screen is literally just the screen - about 1/4" thick, if that. The other monitors I've messed around with (Dell 19" mostly) all have removable plastic bezels but still retain the Vesa mount and everything inside.
I think I can get the finished product to look a little nicer with it decased so that's the rationale. I think I'm going to try. Maybe.
ivwshane:
Decasing a screen isn't really that big of a deal and in my opinion it allows for a better, more precise fit because of its square and flat dimensions. Whereas on a non decased screen some time the bezel has curves to it. It also cuts a lot more depth than you think out of it.
JDFan:
--- Quote from: javeryh on June 20, 2018, 03:50:21 pm ---
--- Quote from: Mike A on June 20, 2018, 10:14:58 am ---It seems like a bunch of work for no real gain. An eight of an inch is not going to make the screen look bigger. It seems like a can of worms that doesn't need to be opened. That being said, I am sure it will look good either way. You know what you are doing.
--- End quote ---
I agree but I've already opened the monitor up as soon as it arrived at the house because that was the original plan. There are only 4 screws holding the case together. I got a little scared because it wasn't what I expected so I closed it up. The screen is literally just the screen - about 1/4" thick, if that. The other monitors I've messed around with (Dell 19" mostly) all have removable plastic bezels but still retain the Vesa mount and everything inside.
I think I can get the finished product to look a little nicer with it decased so that's the rationale. I think I'm going to try. Maybe.
--- End quote ---
Could also just remove the front of the case and leave the back of the case on so you could use the VESA mounts.
javeryh:
--- Quote from: JDFan on June 21, 2018, 11:43:36 pm ---Could also just remove the front of the case and leave the back of the case on so you could use the VESA mounts.
--- End quote ---
This won't work actually. Once the case comes off the screen just floats. At that point there would only be a ribbon cable holding the screen to the rest of the case (vesa mount plus ports). I'll open it uip ans grab a pic or two this weekend - I'm hoping to make a lot of progress while the wife is out of town.
--- Quote from: ivwshane on June 21, 2018, 11:19:28 pm ---Decasing a screen isn't really that big of a deal and in my opinion it allows for a better, more precise fit because of its square and flat dimensions. Whereas on a non decased screen some time the bezel has curves to it. It also cuts a lot more depth than you think out of it.
--- End quote ---
Yup. My issue now is trying to find a good way to support it along with the monitor glass. I do not want to make a bezel out of MDF - I want the monitor to be flush to the glass. I'm thinking I could use some heavy tape to secure the monitor in place and use some double sided tape to attach the HDMI and other ports to the back of the screen. Not sure how it will work until I actually do it though.
How would you support the monitor glass?
javeryh:
Alright... it's time to get serious about the art. I've had a theme in mind for a while now but not sure how to carry it out. My son's name is Jack so I thought it would be cool to incorporate his name in the art and make it seem like it could have been a game that was designed in the 80s.
Something like this for the marquee:
The lettering here is too flat if that makes any sense but this is the general look. It will obviously need a background - I was thinking of a city skyline below (and behind) the lettering that looked like it was being invaded by UFOs or something.
For the CP, I want to keep it simple but match the marquee in terms of color and design.
I don't want any art here - more like a design? Nothing too busy but not too plain like Frogger or something. Maybe some button rings but not sure I can measure that exactly so maybe some stripes will have to do. Something similar to Centipede or Tron or Tempest (not the colors, obviously) - just a cool design. I do not want to label any of the buttons - the 6 on the top are self explanatory and the 4 on the bottom can accept button inserts so I'll label those that way. I do think it would be cool to add "Invading Earth Since 2007" along the bottom (in somewhat small font) because that is the year my son was born and it fits the theme.
Not sure about side art yet. In my head I picture a martian with green skin and antennae pointing a retro-futuristic ray gun with "Jack Attack" along the bottom edge and a UFO in the marquee area but I have no idea how to get the image in my brain onto the computer. Maybe that's too busy. I don't know.
I'm not sold on any of this if someone can come up with something better than "Jack Attack" for a fake game that incorporates the name.
Either way, I'm obviously going to have to commission the art - is there somewhere reliable I can go to hire a comic book or graphic artist who will take some direction?
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