Custom gaming table ideas

[JamzTheMan]

Just a small update for those looking to do the same some day...

Ran an 8 hour game with the TV just flat on the table and it worked awesome. The viewing angle from all four sides was the same and ok. It could be slightly better but that's mostly because it's not "in" the table yet and is just over 3" thick.

Heat was not a problem. This TV only has vents on the 4 "sides" and none on the back. It averaged 90 degrees with the hottest spot 100 degrees in the middle on the screen (I'm guessing most of the critical electronics are in the middle of the tv). Assuming the TV could just sit in a house for extended periods with ambient temperatures of 100 degrees, it should be a safe operating temperature. (although I will add fans when in the table just in case).

Pixel size for 50" seemed just fine for us. Coming from a projector, it was only 1080i and the material thread count gave it a slight grid pattern. The TV was SO much easier to see. The projector gave us around a 42-45" view before. Any increase in pixel depth was more than made up for in color depth, brightness, and higher resolution. Watching "TV" was not impressive at all, any 720p source (avg HD TV) is going to suffer at that close range. But a 1080p Movie looked a lot better and ok. And most important, a computer source and Map Tool looked awesome.

The biggest con was the glare. Since I have "can lights" in the ceiling and it's a low basement ceiling, there were some issues with glare. So when buying glass for the overlay/top, I'll have to look into anti-glare coating if possible? And not sure if that will help/stop the glare from the tv surface as well?

For the record, the TV is a VIZIO 50" 1080p 120Hz LED Smart TV w/ Wi-Fi.

[Bone White]

It averaged 90 degrees with the hottest spot 100 degrees in the middle on the screen

I assume you're measuring in Fahrenheit not Celsius...

[JamzTheMan]

It averaged 90 degrees with the hottest spot 100 degrees in the middle on the screen

I assume you're measuring in Fahrenheit not Celsius...

Yes. Sorry, forgot how international this group is and how American I am.

[Bone White]

Yes. Sorry, forgot how international this group is and how American I am.

Americanisms aren't always the newer versions, for once adopting Celsius over Fahrenheit is something the English did but the American's didn't do. Usually it's America who adopts "new" terms over "old" terms.

[wolph42]

Yes. Sorry, forgot how international this group is and how American I am.

Americanisms aren't always the newer versions, for once adopting Celsius over Fahrenheit is something the English did but the American's didn't do. Usually it's America who adopts "new" terms over "old" terms.

Well... The English did adopt the metric system a couple of years ago...! I thought that to be a pretty bold move.

[Bone White]

They also tried to make it so items and services were only sold in metric, and imperial was not allowed to be used anywhere, but so many rural communities (like mine) protested and campaigned against the decision, eventually the government relented and we're currently allowed to sell things by imperial measurement as long as the metric measurement/price is displayed as well.

(Sorry for hijacking this thread jamz, I hope we'll get to see a photo of your finished table sometime!)

[JamzTheMan]

Hijacking threads is an act of terrorism! You know how we feel about that! j/k

I WISH we would adopt the metric system. I mean, who likes fractions anyway?

[Bone White]

I mean, who likes fractions anyway?

According to a recent survey, 2/3 of all Americans.

[JamzTheMan]

Well played sir.

[wolph42]

Lol! Well played indeed!

[Xaelvaen]

I guess I'm one of the minority then - my family converts to metric when possible. I mean, 5280 feet in a mile, and other astronomically silly units of measurement, just don't cut it for me. This is useful especially in smaller increments - in example, we use metres for DnD instead of feet. To be honest, however, I like your community's approach BW - I like the idea of how useful it would be to use both consistently.

[JamzTheMan]

What annoys me is 26.19 inches. Either go metric and use decimals or give me a fraction. When doing woodworking, it's a pain to go back and forth.

Oh, and I downloaded Sketchup today and put the table table together, Mark I.

Still deciding on the table legs, and the 10' span really is huge. May need to change where they go? Also may adjust the middle boards. Not sure if I dig the semi-random widths or not. I'm sure there will be changes before I'm done. I just needed to get a rough idea how how much wood I need to get. It's hard getting rough sewn lumber is large widths. At least within budget. Looking to do it in white ash, but largest widths were around 8" give or take, at least in 10'+ lengths.

Mark I

Man-Cave Media Table.jpg (444.06 KiB) Viewed 1235 times

Look at all those fractions!

[Azhrei]

Be careful about ambient temperature. Most electronics have heat sinks on them to dissipate heat. While the chip might be rated for 90º C (very common) the surrounding air will be at a lower temp than that. However, without adequate air flow -- even the air flow of relatively warm air! -- the chip temperature will rise before the surrounding air does and you'll have a failure.

Devices are generally engineered for a particular orientation and they take a lot of things into account. Air flow is one of them, but also mechanical components.

LED screens typically have a "comb" latticework of wires across their screen. This latticework can become skewed by bumping or similar. Depending on the brand, there may be spacers to keep the wires at the proper distance from each other. Now you lay the unit down on it's side or it's back and gravity is no longer playing its part to keep the spacers at the proper separation.

Such design decisions are not obvious.

<offtopic howmuch="80%">
A race car has a much stronger oil pump and a different design for the oil pan than normal cars because at 150+ MPH on the Daytona Speedway banking, the centrifugal forces are pushing that oil into the pan much harder than normal. That means normal oil flow through the engine isn't happening, plus the pump has to work harder to get the oil back to the top of the engine in the first place. (I didn't realize this until it was pointed out to me ... about 10 minutes after I'd had my personal car on the embankment. But I was only going 85-90 MPH and only for a couple laps, so no harm done. )
</offtopic>

[JamzTheMan]

Yep, gonna be a guinea pig i guess

btw, it was 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit, so pretty low chip temp wise, although that is surface temperature of the screen measured with a Non-Contact Infrared Digital Thermometer. I do plan on using fans though.

Oh, and the

MCMT Mark II

Man-Cave Media Table - Mark II.jpg (276.21 KiB) Viewed 1208 times

Man-Cave Media Table - Mark II bottom.jpg (431.83 KiB) Viewed 1208 times

[Lee]

Going back off-topic (sorry Jamz ), I'm a metric-system-man through and through, but about the only time the imperial system units trumps its counterpart is its usage in prose/poetry/lyricism. It says a lot about its cultural roots and influence, doesn't it? Maybe that's part of the reason why it's so hard to drop