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arcade mame cab monitor help


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hey all,

 

I started a mame cab project a while back - it's up to working order and the like but i'm stuck on the last bit, the monitor.

 

I have in place a 21" crt pc monitor - however i'd like to get a proper arcade monitor in place, bezel, glass. However I'm not electrical minded and done trust myself with doing this.

 

anyone know someone in melbourne who has a service or likes to complete mame cabs for cash?

 

I'm at a stage now where i just want the thing complete while i'm definitely open to advice/suggestions about how to do it/what i need, i'm happy to also pay someone to complete it lol

 

Anyways i've attached a few picts about where it's at.

 

Tnx heaps and happy gaming :)

IMG_9540.thumb.jpg.741e61c07d1997724e5558a187a37409.jpg

IMG_9542.thumb.jpg.6689087d3a9b57b1fb22053362922d35.jpg

IMG_9543.thumb.jpg.5d4696a40316208306a61b72795e6a67.jpg

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Hi, getting a monitor setup properly all depends on how you plan to use your MAME cabinet.

 

Do you want to go to the effort to create a cab that outputs all games in native resolution to a proper arcade monitor? It's a fair bit more effort, and it takes some tinkering and software knowledge. Heaps of people can help out with all the details on here.

 

The cabinet looks like it would fit a 25/26 inch tube. Your best bet, in my opinion, would be to track down either a 59 cm TV (25 inch) or a 63 cm TV (26 inch) and then remove the tube.

 

You do not have to be electrically minded to do this. It's a simple matter or finding a TV, taking the back off (usually with a standard Philips head screw driver) removing the stuff you don't need like the chassis and wiring and then just unplugging the few connectors on the tube. It's not hard, and if you decide to go down this path, heaps of people on here can give you more detailed advice on how to remove a tube.

 

Once you get the tube, you take yoke readings using a multimeter (very easy to do) and then send those yoke readings off to Joey at Jomac. He is a member here. He will then let you know if he can match a universal chassis to fit the tube. Heaps of tubes he can, but sometimes it's not possible, so it can be a bit of a crapshoot. Hence, just try to track down free TVs to get donor tubes, don't pay for them. Things to look for when harvesting tubes:

 

1) Look at the large sticker on the back of the TV, it will have a model number, in that model number, it will have a 2 digit number. You want to look for TVs with 59/25 or 63/26 in the model number.

2) No flat screen tubes, they need to be curved.

3) No Sony tubes, they are a pain in the ass.

 

Mid-90s TV tubes with Joey's chassis installed look great. They are a proper 15khz arcade monitor, and often display a much better image than the older, original arcade tubes. A chassis will run you anywhere from $110-$250 depending on what is needed for the tube.

 

However, you then need to start thinking about interface hardware. How do you plan to hook up the PC, to the arcade monitor? It cannot be done via VGA, so you will need a J-PAC if your cab is JAMMA wired, or something else if not.

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oh wow thanks heaps this info!

 

I'd be happy to go down the tv tube option for sure, but i've read about how you need to ground it first and if you don't do it right, there can be issues!

 

measurement wise the gap is around

- Diagonal: 30"

- Horizontal: 24"

- Vertical: 20"

so guessing once you put in the chassis etc that'll eat up some space, so yea around 25/26" could do it - i'll have a look around and see what i can pick up.

 

Thanks for the tips on the tv model numbers and stuff too!

 

In terms of connecting it up (it's pc based not JAMMA), i've read i can get a svideo out video card? would they connect into joeys's chassis? - so yea not sure about that yet.

 

Tnx again! :)

 

ps @narf_ - yea, but i really want the curved screen for the authentic look :)

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@dragonlee In Melbourne, northcote area

 

Hey dude - sounds like you're just around the corner from me as I'm in Thornbury.

 

I've got a couple of MAME cabs at home, along with a pile of CRTs (and I think an old 63cm arcade monitor that needs a chassis rebuild.)

 

If you want to come over and have a look at what's involved in setting up a proper monitor in a MAME cab, just PM me. Likewise, if you need a hand setting everything up, drop me a line.

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