Help with finding pivoting monitor (180 degrees)

[GrandAmChandler]

Obviously because certain arcade games run vertical (I.e. Pac-man) and some Horizontal (i.e. Street Fighter) I am looking for an LCD stand that can pivot at will 180 degrees so I can change it to my liking. I found so far this:

http://www.amazon.com/Ergotron-Neo-F...&s=home-garden

But the review contradicts what the product description says......

Any ideas? I am sure other MAME enthusiasts have had this issue.... I'd love to put my new 19" Wide LCD screen to good use in vertical mode!!!

-GAC-

[Kid Ice]

Hmm...finding a way to physically rotate the monitor is probably the easy part. You probably remember my MAME set up with the vertical monitor...I first set that up before I had the Pivot software, so to use Windows and the MAME menu you had to sort of turn your head sideways. Eventually I got the Pivot Pro software but I had a lot of issues with that, and of course horizontal games like Robotron looked prettty stupid.

I started down the road of two MAME set ups (one vertical and one horizontal), but then I would have to buy another Slik Stik which is not an expense I care to undertake twice. Now I just do it all on one big TV and I'm much happier with the set up.

[ScoobyMaster]

But the review contradicts what the product description says......

Any ideas? I am sure other MAME enthusiasts have had this issue.... I'd love to put my new 19" Wide LCD screen to good use in vertical mode!!!

I have the exact same dilemma you have regarding MAME and the desire to pivot a MAME monitor for vertical and horizontal games.

I have been hooked on Ergotron products for a long time now, as they are very nice (hi-tech, streamlined, almost science-fiction looking), and they are very durable.

I own a DS100 tri-panel for my main system and my girlfriend has this Ergotron Neo-Flex:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16850000336

BTW, the NewEgg reviews seem to be a little more accurate than the Amazon reviews. I almost didn't purchase the Neo-Flex when I read the Amazon reviews but decided to give it a chance since my local OfficeDepot has them in stock and it was a simple matter of testing it out and returning it in 14 days if my gf didn't like it, but fortunately, she did, and I will be getting a 2nd one sometime to use with my MAME project.

I must admit though, that even though the Neo-Flex 45-174-300 can pivot, it does it in a rather cumbersome manner, as it pivots and moves in another direction at the same time (not just a clean pivot from horizontal to vertical unless you have the main arm on the highest setting which may be too high for your needs). Kinda hard to explain. Basically, the 45-174-300 can do what you want, but maybe not as quickly as you want it to if that makes sense. See, I want to be able to flip from vertical to horizontal in 2 seconds, but with this Neo-Flex unit, it takes considerably longer. I might be able to compensate by lowering the deskunit, or rack, or whatever the arm attaches too, but depending on your setup, you may or may not be able to do the same.

I'm trying to build a streamlined MAME Box with a minimal footprint (not interested in a huge retro cabinet, which seems odd because alot of retrogamers like the whole package - Full cabinet, etc., but I want a sortof hi-tech retro MAME machine.

I loved playing the games in the arcade as a kid but I just don't want to or even have the space to dedicate to a full sized cabinet so I'm hoping to come up with something smaller and streamlined.

I have already decided on the controller I am going to get:

http://www.x-arcade.com/tankstick-arcade-game.shtml

It's kinda big for the small footprint I have in mind but I had the Solo joystick they carry for 30 days and decided I should get the tankstick instead since my gf likes to play a few games like Mario Brothers, etc., plus for Robotron it will be great, also Centipede, MarbleMadness, etc. (I think they could have positioned the trackball better though as it looks like you could hit the 2nd player joystick occasionally). We'll see though.

I'm hoping to use it with some sort of mini-desktop thing or tiny converted server rack or something, along with a thin bezel LCD and Ergotron LCD arm.
I have the MAME box in a different room with a small hole in the wall for all the cables to go through. Sounds weird but I did that just to keep the footprint smaller, and to keep the extra system noise in my server room where it belongs.

I'll need to have whatever the Ergotron arm connects to be separated from the tankstick though, otherwise the monitor will probably bounce around a bit.

Anyway, it sounds like you are trying to do something similar with the pivot problem, because if you were building a cabinet like everyone else, you wouldn't be able to pivot your screen. You should check out the 45-174-300 at your local OfficeDepot, they have a good return policy and if you think the pivot is too cumbersome, you can always return it. I think the 45-174-300 is a great device, I'd give it 4 or 4.5 stars but only you will be able to know if the pivoting is fast enough for your liking or not for your setup.

I'd be curious as to what you end up going with to solve the pivot problem.

[ScoobyMaster]

That's different.

http://one.revver.com/watch/153880