After all these years, I still think HyperSpin is the ultimate in an arcade cabinet. Here's my latest project. I managed to find this gem for a mere $250 - working even! Don't worry, preservationists - my conversion is 100% reversible back to stock. I've even stashed the original CRT monitor away somewhere safe and dry for safekeeping.
A few fun parts of the project to note:
The CRT in it is actually a 27" Toshiba TV I got for free off Craigslist. Fun fact: the tube and mounting points are identical to the arcade original monitor. It slotted right into the frame and slid right into the cabinet. Also, the Toshiba has power-on sensing, so when I turn the cabinet on, the monitor turns itself on too!
The video connection from the PC is VGA-to-Svideo, via this great adapter board, at 640x480. I was concerned about lag, but I haven't noticed any at all. Score!
The stealth button bar above the control panel is actually a table leg cut to length and sprayed black! I needed a place to put the insert-coin buttons, and the little ledge below the monitor was the perfect spot. I picked up some tiny pushbuttons to match each player's color, and added a black button in the middle to escape back to the HyperSpin menu. The 25c slots in the coin door work for player 1 and 2 also.
The marquee light didn't work no matter what I tried, so I set it aside and put this LED fixture in its place. I still can't believe how perfectly it fits and looks.
I haven't gotten around to replacing the damaged yellow T-molding yet. It'll happen soon... if I can pull myself away from playing long enough to do it!
And yeah, I made sure I can play Gauntlet Legends and Gauntlet Dark Legacy on it. The monitor is also big enough to play 4-player Tournament Cyberball 2072 with both screens displayed on the one monitor!
MAME recommendation for other cabinet enthusiasts: Get familiar with the control bindings in the Tab menu! I was able to configure nearly every game in my setup in one shot, even the dual-stick games like Robotron and Karate Champ. It's super easy, once you get your brain around the way MAME does things.
Feel free to ask any questions you have!