New Life Games LLC
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?

Login with username, password and session length

News:

Welcome to the NewLifeGames.com message forum! 

 


NLG Site Navigation Menu


Archives of old posts can be found at...... Newlifegames.net/nlg/

Author Topic: Easy G23 Vertical top display mod version 2.0!  (Read 168 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline sccarlso

  • Contributing NLG Member
  • NLG Member 251 to 500 Posts
  • *
  • Posts: 337
  • Reputation Power: 43
  • sccarlso Might someday be someone...sccarlso Might someday be someone...sccarlso Might someday be someone...sccarlso Might someday be someone...
  • Gender: Male
  • NLG
Easy G23 Vertical top display mod version 2.0!
« on: February 04, 2025, 06:39:19 AM »
G23 Vertical top display mod 2.0!

Since I did this mod originally and posted the end result a year ago here:  https://newlifegames.com/nlg/index.php?topic=41751.0

There have been some nice improvements, with all "in stock" components if anyone is looking to do a vertical screen mod now vs my original post.
 
Displays are cheaper, and there's now another option other than using a rotating mount screen mount for the tall display to still play horizontal top screen games.

The original 1080p display I used sold out some time ago as it was an older model "dumb TV", and HDTV's with no Apps or OS on them are even harder to find.  But, dropping prices for newer displays made the mod even better IMHO.  But as with anything that is "in stock" or on sale for a greate price now.  That can change, and specific displays can just go out of stock and never come back.  Sure, a different model display can always pop up later at a great deal.  But I did this "updated 2.0" mod on two other machines, and used a much better display that's available now for $195 at WalMart.  And after putting this newer display on another machine.  I was so impressed by it, that I picked up a second one, and replaced the existing tall display with one of them on my BB2E > Gamefield xD conversion machine as well. 

This same kind of mod can also be done on a BB2/BB3 Conversion machine if you prefer tall screen games.  For a WMS machine you actually remove the original top display, and you just need to use any kind of mount that will hold it securly in place and at the right height.  But it should be noted that on WMS machines you can't open the main door with it there, so a mount that allows it to be simply released with a quick release plate, or pulled out and moved to the side, or with any method so you can easily open the main door is important.  This isn't a problem on G23's as the main door opens fine with the tall screen in place.

The best part is having WalMart+, so the display was delivered for free in about an hour from my local Walmart store!   

Some component changes, some the same.  The main quest was finding a decent, yet inexensive display with the original one being out of stock everywhere now.

I wasn't sure about a HiSense model from WalMart.  But after looking at the specs.  The price was right, good customer reviews, and it weighs about the same.  Only annoyance was EVERY reference to the specific model number listed it's VESA pattern as 200x200.  WRONG.  When I received it, the VESA pattern was actually the less common 200x400 size.  Which wasn't really logical with it being so light.  But no different really.  You just need to convert/connect a display mount that's usually VESA 100x100 to whatever the tall display you're putting on it has.  So as specs vs what you actually get can change.  Should you get this specific display, I would wait to visually confirm the actual VESA pattern before getting the necessary VESA adapter plate.  But with that said, the adapter plate listed below will adapt pretty much any VESA pattern other than 400x400, rarely seen since Plasma TV's. so it can be mounted to a quick release plate. 

Really important so you can have it all assembled and easily attach/remove the display from the mount easily.  You're just mounting this VESA 100x100 quick release plate to the larger VESA mount found on large screens.  Some display mounts may even come with a quick release plate already. Then you don't need a seperate quick release plate.  The mount just needs to be adapted to fit a TV's larger VESA pattern, and not a typical PC monitor which are almost always the smaller VESA 100x100.  The larger adapter plate can adapt a VESA 100x100 to almost any display up to VESA 200x400.

The updated components!

Available right now to walk in and pick up, or have delivered same day, (at least at my local WalMart) for $195.

43" display, which when vertical, is also is pretty much even the width of a G23's cabinet so it doesn't look odd when mounted.  It does have Roku built in.  But if you never connect it to a network, it works as a dumb TV just fine.  And it usually remembers which HDMI port you had it set to when it was powered off.  No app screens come up by default.  Change your mind down the road and remove it?  Hey, no loss, you have a 43" TV with Roku to put anywhere!

It's also a 4k display!!  Would seem like overkill, except it upscales!  Unusual for a brand like HiSense, but it has it.  It's a little thinner, and almost the same weight as the 1080p screen from the original mod, roughly 17lbs.

The picture when connected to an AVPs top display is impressive.  With good picture control adjustments to tweak it as you prefer it to look.  Best display I've found for the purpose at such a low price!

Updated components:

The improved display I used:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hisense-43-Class-4K-UHD-LED-LCD-Smart-Roku-TV-HDR-R6-Series-43R6E3/213300402


VESA Adapter Plate:

The HiSense display I received had a less common VESA pattern. It "says" it's 200x200 VESA everywhere online, but it was actually 400X200.  But you need an adapter plate to mount any display that isn't a smaller PC monitor.  This one below will work for almost any display, but also fits VESA 200x400 on a display.  Most multi size adapter plates don't adapt the VESA 400x200 size, but this one will and is very sturdy, comes with bolts, but you'll likely want slightly longer ones.  To complete the "sandwiching" of adapters, you'll likely visit your local hardware store a few times so you have all the right ones you need.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MCMTCP3


VESA Quick Release adapter:

You absolutely need this so you can click it on and off the mount arm easily!    But, you don't absolutely need a mount arm.  The mount can be a fixed mount, as long as the mount has a "hole mount" option and not just a clamp mount.  You really only need height adjustment, and some tilt adjustment.  The taller the pole is for the mount gives you more flexibility on height adjustment to easily get it right where you want.  And many display mounts already have a quick release plate on them.  If it has one included, you don't need the above Quick Release plate.  You'll just be bolting the included 100x100 VESA plate to the larger VESA Adapter plate to secure the display so it locks onto the mount's VESA 100x100 size.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BTAAUV8
 
 
And the actual display mount of course.  Ignore the display "sizes" that a mount says it supports, that's not really a gauge to go by.  All that matters is the weight it supports.  The more weight supported is of course better, but gets more expensive, your discretion of course.  My mount arms support 23lbs, the display is 17lbs, and it works just fine.  Fixed mounts usually support more weight than gas charged arm mounts, and are much cheaper.   Just ensure the mount has the features you need, in case you want to be able to rotate it, or actually move it to the side of the machine and out of the way entirely at times, or if you're going to keep it in place.  Nothing wrong with being creative as long as it has a hole mounting option.  Otherwise you'll need to do something like screw a 1.5ft long 2x6 on the top of the machine on the back edge of cabinet to use a clamp mount, and it's further back, so you need to ensure the mount can extend out long enough out to hold the display at the front of the machine.  Do your measurements when looking at mounts, if it doesn't extend far enough when the center mount pole is attached via the hole where the light candle or light topper is now, it's a real drag to get a different mount!

Also, for some it wasn't clear.  The top display doesn't need DVI input, that really limits your display option.  I used a simple 10ft DVI>HDMI cable to connect the tall display to the brainbox through the inside of the cabinet.  For power to the tall display, my G23 machine has an internal 110v AC power outlet that's always on when the machine is plugged in whether it's actually powered on or not.  So a simple ungrounded 10 ft household extension cord does the job as few displays even have a ground plug and don't use much power at all.  And is fed up through the cabinet along with the HDMI cable out the top of the machine.  Not all G23 variants have one.  But if you don't have one in your machine, simply feed a 10ft light indoor extension cord through the back that's always connected to power, and up through the machine and out the top for a clean look.  In either case the display always has power to it.  Too bad the brainbox doesn't support ARC!  lol  If it did, the tall display would power on and off with the machine automatically.

The most recent major improvement!  I took a gamble, and it worked great!   The main reason for the tall mod was for my favortie game, CSI.  Turns out, the PSR's fib a bit in some cases!  :)    While Back to the Future must run as the only game enabled.  CSI for example runs totally fine in multigame when it says it won't.  Other tall screen games that required an IPC also ran fine in multigame.  Didn't test Godzilla (I probably should!).  But it just might work in multigame just the same regardless of what the PSR says.

But I also had some 25+ regular horizontal top screen games I wanted to run in multigame as well, and rotating the top screen was kind of pain.  So I went hunting for video scalers and image rotator boxes to convert the horizontal top screen games for vertical, without it displaying all smushed! 

With a few days of searching, I finally found one.  Except all suppliers for this rotator box in the US wanted like $350 for the thing!  Crazy, especially for a gamble whether it would actually work right and have decent output.   Enter Aliexpress!   Idential box for $95!  That was worth the gamble.  And it only took about 10 days to arrive.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003512851514.html

Just plugs inline so the HDMI from the brainbox goes to the rotator box, then a short HDMI from the rotator box to the tall display.

Very happy with the results all things considered.  Now I never need to rotate the screen.  I think I might even replace the gas charged arm with a fixed mount now.  When you switch games to one that displays horizontal on the top display.  Just press the button on the box and the top image rotates so it's oriented properly, if you switch back to a tall screen game, just press the button again.  Well worth the $95!

It's not "perfect" with all games.  But going through them, they generally look pretty good with the games I load and don't display too smushed.   Certainly not required, but I'd recommend it.  Without it, you can of course always rotate the top screen when switching to a horizontal top screen game with a mount that rotates 90 degrees.  I just like leaving it vertical, so this image rotator box really pulled it all together.

All in all, if you want to make your G23 fresh and "interesting", and have already tried some tall screen games where the top screen displays sideways.  If you get the display, and the right parts to hold the display, and just adapt the displays VESA pattern to the VESA pattern on the mount.  It's an easy weekend project.  And still easily removed anytime you want.

I put a lot of work into mine, and also had an IPC so more tall games were available to run.   But my local shot shop guy who helps me out a lot when I'm looking for machine or parts, and sold my my first G23 saw my tall screen mod on a Standard screen G23 with The Hangover running on it.  And he just happened to have a customer who REALLY wanted The Hangover and was willing to pay big for it.

So I ended up installing the IPC itself inside the machine on top of the brainbox where there was enough space and ventilation.  And gave him that Standard screen G23 with the tall screen mod and the IPC now inside the machine running The Hangover for a clean look.  And in exchange, he gave me TWO complete G23's.  One MLD and one Standard screen.  Was a solid trade for me, and I'm sure he made a decent profit selling the complete Hangover machine with the IPC inside to his buyer who just had to have that game.  So I see another tall screen mod coming, perhaps with more enhancements on one of the G23's I got in the deal!

Hope this helps anyone who might want to do a mod like this.  If you've done a similar mod, interested to see it, as well as any suggestions for improvements!

Pics below using the HiSense 4k display with CSI which displays tall natively.  As well as how it looks with a few horizontal top screen games, where the video rotator box is correcting the orientation so the screen doesn't need to be rotated.

Offline coolwavepic

  • Sr NLG Member
  • NLG Member 501 to 10,000 Posts
  • *
  • Posts: 1576
  • Reputation Power: 106
  • coolwavepic Has an aura about them.coolwavepic Has an aura about them.coolwavepic Has an aura about them.coolwavepic Has an aura about them.coolwavepic Has an aura about them.coolwavepic Has an aura about them.coolwavepic Has an aura about them.coolwavepic Has an aura about them.coolwavepic Has an aura about them.coolwavepic Has an aura about them.
  • Gender: Male
  • NLG
Re: Easy G23 Vertical top display mod version 2.0!
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2025, 02:41:46 PM »
GREAT FIND on the rotator box!! I always wanted to do this with Bally games that were 22/32 and only had a 22/22! I looked years ago for such a thing and they were expensive and might not have worked !Thanks for the for heads up on these! I will have to mess around. I see your pictures, but in person sometimes it looks different. Does the video quality of that box look degrade or any weird artifacts?
-------
Charles

Offline sccarlso

  • Contributing NLG Member
  • NLG Member 251 to 500 Posts
  • *
  • Posts: 337
  • Reputation Power: 43
  • sccarlso Might someday be someone...sccarlso Might someday be someone...sccarlso Might someday be someone...sccarlso Might someday be someone...
  • Gender: Male
  • NLG
Re: Easy G23 Vertical top display mod version 2.0!
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2025, 03:12:49 PM »
No kidding, I was looking for one that just did simple rotaation since I put the first vertical screen on a year ago!   

Everything I found either didn't do simple rotation, or it did a ton of other things I didn't need.  All of them were way to expensive for what they did!

But this box worked out really well!  Depending on the specific graphics on the top screen does affect how it looks when rotated.  In the pics, Lobstermania and Little Shop of Horrors look like they were made to display that way.  Jeckyll & Hyde is a "little" off because of the larger graphics that display on the top screen, but it's still completely acceptable though.  Of all the horizontal games I have on there, only a few are a "little" smushed like Jekyll & Hyde.  But none are bad by any means.

All the others almost look like they were intended to display vertical.  No pixelation or video issues with any of the games.

I was also able to plug the power in behind the G23's internal display.  So there's just that little box on the side of the cabinet that's mounted cleanly, can't see any wires, and easy to just push the button when switching between vertical and horizontal display games.  Glad I took a chance with that box.

Offline Tilt

  • Topic Moderator
  • NLG Member 501 to 10,000 Posts
  • *
  • Posts: 4727
  • Reputation Power: 403
  • Tilt Is an-NLG GOD!Tilt Is an-NLG GOD!Tilt Is an-NLG GOD!Tilt Is an-NLG GOD!Tilt Is an-NLG GOD!Tilt Is an-NLG GOD!Tilt Is an-NLG GOD!Tilt Is an-NLG GOD!Tilt Is an-NLG GOD!Tilt Is an-NLG GOD!Tilt Is an-NLG GOD!Tilt Is an-NLG GOD!
  • Gender: Male
Re: Easy G23 Vertical top display mod version 2.0!
« Reply #3 on: February 06, 2025, 11:39:04 AM »
Thanks for the time and effort you put into this and posting it for all to benefit from :applause: :applause:

Offline sccarlso

  • Contributing NLG Member
  • NLG Member 251 to 500 Posts
  • *
  • Posts: 337
  • Reputation Power: 43
  • sccarlso Might someday be someone...sccarlso Might someday be someone...sccarlso Might someday be someone...sccarlso Might someday be someone...
  • Gender: Male
  • NLG
Re: Easy G23 Vertical top display mod version 2.0!
« Reply #4 on: February 06, 2025, 12:46:31 PM »

A solid bracket that could fit a few different G23 models with a VESA 200x200 pattern to support a vertical screen would be really nice.

Especially since it isn't essential to physically rotate the screen anymore when switching to normal top screen games.

I enjoy making things work, so why not share it.   Perhaps someone might come up with their own improved mount just for this purpose and make it even easier!

 

Cell Phone and Pad Mode

imode wap wap2

NLG Archives

Archives @ newlifegames.net Wayback Machine

Contact Us

NLG Shop 928 754-4147 Email Us 1788 Highway 95 30 BHC City AZ 86442
If you find this site helpful, please consider becoming a Contributing NLG Member with a monthly subscription to help cover the cost of pizza, coffee, aspirin, hosting, and bandwidth.
Contributing Members: get unlimited personal messages, can save topics and replies as drafts,
can post to the Classified ads, get unlimited access to the downloads, and also get this minty badge:



**Subscription Link** (Click Here) **Subscription Link**



           
If you would rather remain anonymous Thank You or just want to help support the site, please use this "make a donation" button:




From your entire NLG staff, thank you for supporting NLG.


New Life Games LLC 1788 HIGHWAY 95 UNIT 30 BULLHEAD CITY AZ 86442




Newlifegames.com     Newlifegames.net     Newlifegames.org

Newlifegame.com     Newlifegame.net     Newlifegame.org    Newlifegames.us

   New Life Games     NewLifeGames  NLG

 We Bring new Life to old Games    1-888-NLG-SLOTS

Are all Copyright and Trademarks of New Life Games LLC 1992 - 2022


FAIR USE NOTICE:



This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.
We make such material available in an effort to advance awareness and understanding of the issues involved.
We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those
who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

For more information please visit: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use,
you must obtain permission directly from the copyright owner.




The NewLifeGames.com website is optimized for use with Firefox and a minimum screen resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels.

SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal