Portable Tabletop MAME Cabinet (Monitor Cover)

The monitor cover for the tabletop MAME cabinet sits on top of the monitor housing frame, which serves as a “tray” of sorts to support the LCD monitor. Depending on what type of monitor you get, you will need to do some measurements to determine the width of the monitor cover. I wanted my cover to extend beyond the width and height of the actual LCD monitor itself by 1 inch on each side, and 1/2-inch beyond the width and height of the housing frame, which we'll discuss shortly.

The monitor cover was cut from ¼ inch Medium-Density-Fiberboard (MDF) wood. A 2-foot by 4-foot sheet cost around $4.75 at my local Home Depot. Here are the measurements that I determined worked best for the Compaq w17Q Flat Panel.

● Total Cover Width: 19 inches

● Total Cover Height: 13 inches

The cut out for the screen took up most of the middle. Here are the cover widths (in other words, the border widths between the edges of the cover and the beginning of the cutout in the middle.)

● Top Border Width: 1 ¾ inches

● Bottom Border Width: 2 1/8 inches

● Side Border Widths: 2 ¼ inches

The bottom border width shown in the pictures (which will eventually be the top of the MAME cabinet screen) is slightly larger to accommodate the increased width at the bottom of the Compaq monitor. This width is used for the monitor's control panel buttons. Using a geometric compass, I also marked off a curve with a radius of ½ inch at each of the corners, to give the top panel a “rounded rectangle” look. Use a circular saw to cut the panel out from the rest of the wood. Then sand the “rounded rectangle” corners away until you get a curve that aligns with the pencil markings.

The easiest way to cut out the middle it to first drill a hole in the “Screen Cut Out” area near each of the corners with a one of the spade bits (be careful not to drill into the border area itself—that's the part you need!). Then use a jigsaw to cut each of the four interior sides, sawing from hole to hole. If you're not a steady hand with a jigsaw, don't be afraid the cut just a little bit inside the pencil markings. Then, use a power sander to sand away the extra portions, making sure that the edges are aligned with the pencil marks and are relatively straight.