MAME cab monitor solutions?

[Zaxxon]

What is your prefered method? Do you use an old/original RGB monitor and use an ArcadeVGA card, do you use a VGA arcade monitor or just a regular PC monitor? I see these VGA arcade monitors for sale. Are they any different than just a regular PC monitor, other than that metal frame they have? Is it cheaper and easier to just to use a standard PC monitor or are there too many problems getting it to sit right in the cab?

[Zaxxon]

Also, are there any benefits to one over the other in terms of image quality etc.? Is one more susceptable to burn-in?

[christianscott27]

if you want to avoid a lot of messing around an oversized PC monitor is the way to go. it took a lot of wedgeing and propping to get it to sit at just the right angle but once that was done its pretty nice. what you need is an arcade bezel to make it look right or just build your own http://www.ionpool.net/arcade/Bezel/bezel_...nstruction.html

 

once that bezel is snug over the monitor screen it looks just like an arcade screen, and of course you can adjust the screen size on the monitors controls to make it fit just so. the monitor i use has a sleep feature, it powers up when the computer does so i never need to touch it. unless the cab you are using is really shallow there should be more than enough room to fit a monitor in there. since its a mame cab it wont live in attract mode and burn in should not be an issue.

[Stingray]

I just used a regular PC monitor in mine. I took it out of the case and it fit perfectly in the space where the original monitor had been in the cab.

 

-S

[chadtower]

Stardard 15khz arcade monitor all the way. A VGA monitor just doesn't look the same. 60khz will never look like 15khz. It's downgrading for the sake of authenticity, but I prefer authenticity.

[MattG/Snyper2099]

Stardard 15khz arcade monitor all the way. A VGA monitor just doesn't look the same. 60khz will never look like 15khz. It's downgrading for the sake of authenticity' date=' but I prefer authenticity.[/quote']

 

I totally agrre. I put an arcade monitor in my 19 inch vertical MAME and it rocks! If you're handy with solder, it's the way to go for classic authentic action!

 

I've got two other MAME's, one with a TV and one with an RGB computer monitor. To tell you the truth, I prefer the TV over the RGB. It just looks so close to the arcade... I guess I'll never get away from that authentic feel.

[Zaxxon]

Stardard 15khz arcade monitor all the way. A VGA monitor just doesn't look the same. 60khz will never look like 15khz. It's downgrading for the sake of authenticity' date=' but I prefer authenticity.[/quote']

 

I totally agrre. I put an arcade monitor in my 19 inch vertical MAME and it rocks! If you're handy with solder' date=' it's the way to go for classic authentic action!

[/quote']

 

Isn't that really expensive, having to buy RGB monitors and a vga arcade card for each cab?

[desiv]

Well, my arcade monitor came in my cab, but I think the 19"s run under $200 new...

 

As for VGA cards, they make a VGA card specifically for use with arcade monitors, but I had an old VGA card lying around that worked already, at least for DOS emulators. It won't work with Windows.

If you want that, you buy the fancy VGA card.

 

Also, my cab was JAMMA, so I just bought a JPAC, which plugs into the JAMMA harness in my arcade machine. Then I run a VGA cable from the JPAC to the motherboard and video works.

(I also run a cable to the keyboard port for joystick-keyboard mapping and I chose to run audio from my PC to the JPAC, since I didn't need stereo..)

 

JPAC was $60 and everything else (MB/VGA card) was hand me down. :-)

 

I much prefer a real arcade monitor. IMHO

 

desiv

[chadtower]

  Isn't that really expensive, having to buy RGB monitors and a vga arcade card for each cab?

 

Not really, if you can get a used arcade monitor. Or you just make sure the cabs you get have working monitors in them.

 

You don't HAVE to use the arcadeVGA, btw. You can use AdvanceMAME just as well for a MAME cab with much, much cheaper video cards.

[sisko]

I am going to us a propped up black pc monitor (17"). I got lucky and scored it free from my girlfriends work. I will take a piece of $.99 black posterboard and recreate a proper sized bezel. I have all of the stuff, but the wood to raise the monitor. Fortunately, this will be an easy mod since there is already a very stable shelf, and I only need to raise it a few inches. I'm not sure if this is typical though.

 

Even if you can't score a free monitor, it shouldn't be hard to find a cheap one. A large monitor at the thrift store, posterboard, wood, and a can of black spraypaint (if necessary) could cost you under $25.

 

A used arcade monitor on the other hand could cost easily $100+, cooler, yes, but just so much more expensive.