ideas for functional cartridge display

[digdugnate]

Heya! I was wondering what other folks were using to display their TI cartridges in a way that is attractive, but make it easy to access when you want to play that game of Video Chess.

 

Not that my tote (pictured) isn't cool, but it's getting unwieldy. I don't consider the solution to be 'buy fewer cartridges'.

 

Thanks in advance!

Nathan

[Osgeld]

might be a tight fit but what about one of those cassette tape racks

[+arcadeshopper]

They are a little big for cassette racks you can get 2 together skip a slot then 2 more etc I use those wood grain cassette drawers to store mine. I have ideas of 3d printing a solution that either replaces these or is a wall type rack..

 

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[digdugnate]

They are a little big for cassette racks you can get 2 together skip a slot then 2 more etc I use those wood grain cassette drawers to store mine. I have ideas of 3d printing a solution that either replaces these or is a wall type rack..

 

Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk

oh cool! I found a cassette rack at a thrift store, but it was pretty busted i realized when i got it home. I'll keep looking when we are in town thrifting. I'm poking around for a disk box as well- who would've thought when i purged my boxes several years ago i'd need another one!

 

I'm intrigued at the idea of a wall-mounted cassette-style rack but i'd have to have a pretty good wall space and i'd need to take my wife's *ahem* 'doll' collection into consideration.

 

Thank you!

[+Schmitzi]

I use this custody boxes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(tight fit in ikea shelves)

 

 

 

 

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[+jedimatt42]

The nappa valley wooden wall mount cassette racks are on my wish list... Ooh, my birthday's around the corner...

 

[digdugnate]

I love those Ikea shelves and then the Napa Valley wooden racks (I looked em up online). My birthday isn't for five months yet, but I think getting it on the wall would help with the purchase approval.

[+Ksarul]

I have several of the Napa Valley cassette racks. Each of them holds close to 100 cartridges--they look nice and give great easy access.

[Osgeld]

yea I was looking at them earlier when I suggested the tape rack, they do look nice, and lets you show the collection off, sitting at work I just didnt remember the proportions of a TI cart to a tape case other than the op's tote picture which had both

[PeBo]

I've posted this before, so forgive me if I'm repeating myself (happens after 60, so deal with it)

 

I got this from Sauder furniture. Assembled in about 5 minutes. They sell it as a "multimedia
stand", but judging by the nuber of shelves supplied (6, plus the bottom "shelf") I'd say it was originally intended for cassettes.

 

It's got a very narrow footprint, making it Ideal to squeeze up against the wall, out of the way. Each shelf holds 35 cartridges to near perfection (about 1/4" to spare) (and if I put the boxes and assorted odds and sods elsewhere, I could add another shelf and use the bottom, for a total of 8 shelves for a total of 280 carts (Warning, I never thought I'd get close to that...I am now close to that!)

 

AND I think it was about $39 US or something ridiculous like that. Sauder sells two VERY similar models, but this one is the one that COMES with 6 shelves, and it's ever-so-slightly wider width allows quite a few more carts.

.

I like it because it is also a nice piece of furniture (meaning she approved the purchase), and as you said, it displays (shows off) all of the carts at a glance.

Edited May 4, 2017 by PeBo

[digdugnate]

I am in AWE of that shelf, Pebo. Definitely have some ideas now!

 

Thanks!

[jstimson]

I used a number of cassette holders attached to a flat board. I can stack them on top of each other if needed.

[PeBo]

I use this custody boxes

 

IMG_5050-small.JPG

 

 

 

 

 

 

(tight fit in ikea shelves)

 

 

 

Sent from my Acer Aspire V3-771G using Windows 7

I really do have to break in to your home equipped with a large van there schmitzi!.

[+Schmitzi]

yep. I´m already on the road Pebo.

Tell me when you are on holiday, so I can pick your stuff aarrrgh you up at home

 

 

[Airshack]

I recommend sending all of your old non-homebrew carts to Greg at arcadeshopper.com so he can repurpose them. My wife is thrilled with my idea.

 

 

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[matthew180]

IMO the problem with cartridges is their odd shape and size, and with their rounded corners they are slippery. They are also inconsistent in color, both the plastic and the labels, and the label fonts are also inconsistent. It makes it difficult to make a nice looking display since as humans we naturally like symmetry and consistency. Then there are the odd-ball Atari carts (stupid shape too), and the side-port only carts like Miner2049er, etc. PITA really.

 

What you really need is a robotic arm in a hermetically sealed cabinet to retrieve your carts upon request. You then need a touch-screen interface for this device that lets flip through images of the manual cover, view the manual, see screen shots of actual game play, see the auto-maintained high score table, review comments, etc. That would be best I think.

 

@schmitzi: That is quite a collection. Is there any TI gear you *don't* have? I see some side-car expansions in there too. Interesting to see I'm not the only one who stores consoles on their back. :-)

[digdugnate]

IMO the problem with cartridges is their odd shape and size, and with their rounded corners they are slippery. They are also inconsistent in color, both the plastic and the labels, and the label fonts are also inconsistent. It makes it difficult to make a nice looking display since as humans we naturally like symmetry and consistency. Then there are the odd-ball Atari carts (stupid shape too), and the side-port only carts like Miner2049er, etc. PITA really.

 

What you really need is a robotic arm in a hermetically sealed cabinet to retrieve your carts upon request. You then need a touch-screen interface for this device that lets flip through images of the manual cover, view the manual, see screen shots of actual game play, see the auto-maintained high score table, review comments, etc. That would be best I think.

 

@schmitzi: That is quite a collection. Is there any TI gear you *don't* have? I see some side-car expansions in there too. Interesting to see I'm not the only one who stores consoles on their back. :-)

I'm all for robot arms!

 

And here I was thinking probably the best-case for tactile folks like me would be to get some of those comic book-style boards/pouches and put the manuals in them to view. The only catch is that it'd be a pain in the butt if I wanted to actually look at one of the manuals, lol

[ventrra]

IMO the problem with cartridges is their odd shape and size, and with their rounded corners they are slippery. They are also inconsistent in color, both the plastic and the labels, and the label fonts are also inconsistent. It makes it difficult to make a nice looking display since as humans we naturally like symmetry and consistency.

I guess that I'm not very human, then. I like how odd and inconsistent the carts are on the TI/99. Those sort of oddities are why I also like the Famicom and dislike the carts on a lot of other systems. (Not that it stops me from playing any of those games, however.)