Easy Tall box mod In an hour with no cabinet alteration

[sccarlso]

Finally got my G23 with an MLD!

I had a design in mind to be able to play tall box games, but not alter the cabinet at all.  And be able to easily switch from a tall box back to the std machine in minutes.
There are mods to frame it in, but then it's locked to tall screen, and alters the cabinet.   But for about $225 I was able to get the best of both.

Tall Monitor (a TV is best, large monitors are pretty much all "ultrawide" so they're too narrow and expensive.
Found a "dumb TV" that does just what's needed which you can get for $150

43” 1080p
38” tall, 22.5” wide
VGA & HDMI inputs
15lb.  VESA 200x200 (adapted with a mount plate for a 100x100 spring tension monitor arm.)

Width is perfect for a G23. 

Removed the topper and the mount hole is reinforced, so a monitor arm could mount right into it.

Ran a second cable to the brainbox with DVI to HDMI adapter.  And a power connecttion through the cabinet.

Attached the arm, the screen, and now to switch, I can just rotate the arm and the tall screen is on the side of the cabinet for normal screen games.  Easily removed and topper put back on if ever desired and the cabinet is just as it was.   Loving it!

[Stayouttadabunker]

haha...All you need is a splitter and a remote and you can watch the Superbowl while playing! Awessome!!

[sccarlso]

No kidding right?

I'll be keeping an eye out to see if there are any different mounts that are cleaner since any 100x100 VESA mount will work and could hold up that big screen with one hand as it's only 15lbs.  But the 1080p "TV", having both VGA and HDMI without "smart" functions was a bargain.  If I would have found a "frameless" one, that would have been better, but they were all much more expensive.  I think I'll get moulding and just paint it to match the screen and glue it to the edges so the entire screen will have a nice, even look.

I originally was just going to use a single post mount that rotated.  That works, but when rotated, the tall screen is WIDE, and you can still see the original top monintor.

So I opted for a swing arm to give rotation if you wanted a big top screen in normal mode.  But I liked the idea of "stowing" the tall screen on the side easily, leaving the cabling to the orginal monitor, so switching is just a matter of swapping the cables on the brainbox and enabling different games.  I wanted an easy conversion to have the best of both in one machine. 

Suggestions for any improvements are certainly welcome!  This was a concept, and it worked out pretty well the first time.
 

[Sunrise Side]

Very Nice! Thanks for the info.!

[rickhunter]

What a clever hack!  I'm going to do that for my old alpha cabinet, instead of building a big boxtop.  The only concerns for me would be, when tipping the monitor forward like you do, does that not change the center of gravity and lead to a potential cabinet accident tipping forward?  Also I would put some sort of felt padding on the bottom part of the screen that touches the original monitor to prevent scratches.

[sccarlso]

What a clever hack!  I'm going to do that for my old alpha cabinet, instead of building a big boxtop.  The only concerns for me would be, when tipping the monitor forward like you do, does that not change the center of gravity and lead to a potential cabinet accident tipping forward?  Also I would put some sort of felt padding on the bottom part of the screen that touches the original monitor to prevent scratches.

I thought about center of gravity.  But the arm is at the bottom of the mounting pole so it isn’t actually putting much leverage at all on it.  It’s really light.  Plus the SMLD and top monitor still in keep it heavy.  It looks like it would tip by the pic.  But it puts less forward weight on the cabinet than it appears.  I think the mount arm weighs as much as the screen!  lol

And ya, since the TV has a protruding speaker enclosure at the bottom, i’m going to put a felt pad on the left & a rubber bumper stop on the right with a felt pad on the end to not scratch the screen on either side.  The mount will hold it level.  But it looks better (I think), with a slight forward tilt

But all in all, I was surprised how easy it was.  The mount fit perfectly & had all the right adjustments to center it, and adjust the tension so the tall screen can move and it feels neutral, but it holds position wherever it’s moved so it doesn’t sag.  It could be better, but I’m happy with how it came out for the price.  And now I can have decent tall box games, but I really like that I can switch it back in 5 minutes.  And with the tall screen moved so it’s on the side doesn’t look like an ugly hack job either.  👍

[sccarlso]

Great work,  I did something similar,  with a smaller monitor and a TV wall mount that allows the TV to rotate vertical or horizontal.  I removed the top box first, so no top box at all.  Pic of each orientation below

Thanks,
Wayne

That’s a pretty good size that’s just right to rotate without it being too wide.  Very nice!

I just went with a larger one as I wanted to hide the top screen & be really close to the width of the cabinet. 

[Rob in AK]

Great idea! Got my gears turning now. Might have to do the same with mine and keep this IPC after all. 

[sccarlso]

Originally was going to be just a pole mount for the screen.  But in a last minute design change.  I went with the arm mount so it can be stowed on the side.

Turned out to be the better way, the arm is at least 10 lbs.  The screen is 15lbs.

Rick mentioned if tipping forward was a concern.  None at all as the screen is light.  But the way the arm folds back to center the screen.  It also acts as a counterweight so it’s like putting a 5lb object in front.   Which isn’t nearly enough to tip the cabinet or really change the center of gravity at all.  It’s quite stable. 

Next mod.  Rewire the brainbox switch and lower panel switch to toggles accessible from behind the SMLD.  And mount a small USB hub there as well, connected to the brainbox USB port.  As well as a SATA extension cable so the SSD is held by Velcro outside the brainbox, behind the SMLD door.

Then never need to open the brainbox or lower door to switch SSDs, or to change/load games.  All can be done by just opening the SMLD door.  Not a big job, and I hate having to open everything up just to enable/disable a game.  Or pulling the brainbox to get to the SSD.

[sccarlso]

Components if anyone is interested.  Even knowing dimensions can help when looking for a screen. 

43” “dumb” full HD TV

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B078SGZZXR?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

200x200 to 100x100 adapter plate

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0036L5RJY?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Arm mount, used the hole mount option.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08FB7WFCT?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

[wilm245]

That looks really good.  I'd love to see an up close and personal "video tour" of the setup.  About a week before I saw this post I came across this monitor mount and the first thing I thought about was a tall box conversion.  This mount might possibly be perfect for the top monitor, or it could be completely useless.  Max screen size is 32".  Thought I would share and I'd like to hear the some opinions/observations from those who have done diy top box conversions.  Potential or no?  https://www.vevor.com/monitor-arms-c_12487/vevor-single-monitor-mount-for-13-32-screens-gas-spring-monitor-arm-holds-up-to-20-lbs-monitor-arm-desk-mount-with-c-clamp-grommet-mounting-base-vesa-mount-75x75-100-x100mm-p_010221863339

[sccarlso]

I posted a link to the mount arm I used.

You probably don’t want that mount.  It needs to have both a clamp and hole mount.

You need one that has a hole mount as you attach it in the hole on top where the candle light is.  Bolt from the mount goes through that and is tightened inside the cabinet as it’s solid and centered.

Any arm mount that has a hole mount would work. The size monitor a mount says doesn’t matter.  Only the max weight.  The mount I used was for up to 32”.  Max weight 20 lbs.  But my 43” screen only weighs 15 lbs.  Just need to know the VESA plate size on the screen.  Most arm mounts will be 100x100mm. My screen had a 200x200mm VESA mount pattern.  So you just get an adapter plate for 200x200 to 100x100 so the arm can be attached to the screen. 

They just list a screen size as many screens larger than 32” might weigh more than 20lbs. 

So find a screen first.  It can be 32” to 43”.  But must have VESA mount holes and find out what size the hole pattern is.  And look at the screen weight.  It’s likely under 15 lbs but need to be sure.  And if the screen has a VESA mount that’s larger than 100x100, you just need an adapter plate to mount to any arm that supports up to 20lbs and has both a clamp and hole mount option.  Most arm mounts do but not all. 

If it only has a clamp mount there’s really nowhere to clamp to that isn’t centered. 

You “could”, but you’d have to do something like screw a 16” long 2x4 to the top of the cabinet so it sticks off the back 2” so there’s a lip to use a clamp mount to actually clamp to.

If you use one with a hole mount, you just remove the candle and the hole is the perfect size to bolt the arm mount base through and it’s supported perfectly.

[coolwavepic]

Any thoughts on how to do this same thing with keeping the topper intact? (For my Alpha 2 as well as I have a crown topper)

My thinking was to mount something on the back of the slot stand from behind. When playing vertical games rotate it in front of the topper and top screen.  when not playing verticals rotate it back to the SIDE of the cabinet. I could never find an arm that would essentially wrap around the cabinet. 

Any thoughts?

[Stayouttadabunker]

Ohh...you have my brain spinning here....
Visualize this...>>>
A remote controlled concealed motorized drop-down 32" TV monitor from the ceiling?   

[coolwavepic]

I aint going to lie... I've thought of that hahahaha. 

[sccarlso]

Any thoughts on how to do this same thing with keeping the topper intact? (For my Alpha 2 as well as I have a crown topper)

My thinking was to mount something on the back of the slot stand from behind. When playing vertical games rotate it in front of the topper and top screen.  when not playing verticals rotate it back to the SIDE of the cabinet. I could never find an arm that would essentially wrap around the cabinet. 

Any thoughts?

If the arm doesn't interfere with the topper, you could likely just drill a hole for the "hole mount" of the arm behind the topper.  As long as it could move to center so it looks decent when in front, and be able to swing from center to the side without hitting the topper.  Should work, just want to keep it close to center of the machine.  It's well balanced, but could alter the center of gravity so it could tip easier.  But the lighter the top monitor, the less force there would even be. 

[TheEyeInTheSky]

WOAHHHHH SOOO EPICCC!!! A DIY TALL BOX!!!

[sccarlso]

Best mod for under $200 I think.  🙂

Love my setup.  And no cutting.
Unbolt the arm mount and put back the topper or candle and it’s original again.

I actually like just rotating the top screen for non tall games.  But it can still be stowed on the side of anyone prefers the original top screen. 

[sftechgeek]

Wow! That is so SWEEEEET!

I love that mod. Looks great. How do you swap video out from upper monitor to vertical screen when changing games? From the 660 BB are you using two or three video out? DVIs? Isn’t there also 1 VGA out?

Very sweet. I love it!

[sccarlso]

Top monitor video output on the E4690 card is DVI to DVI.   So two options really.   6ft DVI-D female to HDMI cable will work to remove the existing DVI cable to the built in top display and extend/convert it to HDMI.  And you can switch from the tall monitor to the built in by popping the top display latch and reconnecting the DVI cable to the top monitor instead of the adapter for the tall monitor.

Or, a 10' (to have extra cable if needed) DVI-D male to HDMI cable.  So the top monitor DVI cable is never disconnected at the monitor, the new cable is threaded from the brainbox to the top of the machine and out the side vent at the top to the tall display.  Just switch the DVI end at the brainbox to switch monitors and swing the tall display to the side.   But I've found it's actually pretty good just rotating the tall monitor for standard orientation games instead of switching.  Display is crisp for both tall and standard games.

For power, my std display machine had an internal outlet, so just a 10ft household black (cheap indoor) extension cable from it, through the cabinet and out the top side vent.  The top screen is very low power and isn't grounded anyway.   So if you have an internal plug in your machine, then power for the top monitor remains with the machine's power.   

I also did this on my other G23 with an MLD which didn't have an internal 110v plug, so I just ran both the HDMI and power cables inside the cabinet and out through the same upper side vent, then the power cable out the bottom of the machine where a hole exists already and to AC power along with the machine's power plug with an adapter.  A wifi smart switch controls it, so one tap or Alexa command and it powers both the machine and top monitor on or off at once.   

From other posts even though the video card has both analog and digital pins, (DVI-I)  The card actually is using DVI-D for the top monitor.   The bottom port of the video card does have to be a DVI-I to SVGA cable (or adapter plug), as I had to replace it as the old one since it would blink colors when it was jiggled.   But I found that even though on a standard screen primary display it has a DVI input, if you use it, the machine gets confused about which is the touch screen.  It expects analog video for the primary touchscreen whether it's a standard or MLD monitor.   But both a DVI-D to VGA and DVI-D to HDMI worked well for the top monitor.  I found the HDMI to be a little clearer.   If VGA is used to input the top display, the HDTV has a few additional color options but I didn't find them better or necessary.

I just wanted to hide cables as best as possible.  A hole could be drilled to be cleaner, but it's hidden enough and then there's no permanant cabined alteration so it can be removed and it's like it was never there as the monitor arm is mounted through the hole where the candle light was and holds it very well.