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2nd project - 4:3 bartop

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Extruder:
Thanks all  ;D

Marquee screen support is much easier now than it used to be. Most of the major retrogaming frontend managers like Launchbox, Batocera, Hyperspin, CoinOps, Retrobat, etc support it with minimal configuration. I used CoinOps and it was literally just one click to enable the 2nd display.

I think we'd see a lot more of these dynamic marquee screens if they weren't so expensive. A stretched bar LCD and driver board to fit a full-size cab with a widescreen primary display can easily run >$300-400 just for the marquee. I got super lucky with this thrift shop find. Retail the little LCD I used goes for $100 on Amazon.

One way I have seen large marquees done well for less cost is by using a larger monitor but carefully mounting it to where the cab frame obscures parts of the display, kind of like letterboxed video. Then the screen resolution on the marquee is set to match this smaller viewing area using driver tricks and custom resolutions. There have been projects in this forum using this method, but I can't recall the project names at the moment. Some projects do this for the primary display too, to create a large 4:3 display by using the center section of a large TV and hiding the rest of the screen within the cabinet. It's a neat idea.

Planning my third project now, going for a full-sized cab with a trackball and spinner. I love this little bartop but there are some games it just won't play properly. I'm ready to play Tempest with a spinner, it's been way too long.

Ond:
Nice work and does remind me of 'the good old days' of this forum.  Active builders need posts! Then it will be less dusty.

 :cheers:

DaOld Man:
I agree with everyone else, nice work!

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