There is a lot you can do with your bartop, besides customizing it !
If you want to give the LCD screen that is usually put inside a much better rendition for these vintage games we all love so much to play, you can add a scanline generator in your set-up !
Now, what is it ?
It is a device that enables you to generate scanlines on your LCD screen, because natively, it does not. Scanlines are the lines you could see on older-generation LCD TVs and PC monitors. They were a bit hard on the eyes, but they gave the odd Pac-Man or Galaga their true graphical authenticity, because that is the way you could play them in arcades, too.
Examples and explanations here : http://scanlines.hazard-city.de/
or on this site (for a DIY project) : http://www.mmmonkey.co.uk/console/other/vga-scanlines.htm
You can check them out and compare their features on these different sites :
First this one, from arcadeforge.de (nicely built but expensive) : http:// www.arcadeforge.de/product_info.php?products_id=12&XTCsi d=ct8nrmtj1avq19emi1bjeekdv7
Then the T-SLG (for Toodles, a guy developing his own custom devices) : http://godlikecontrols.com/
Problem is, they have been out of stock for the T-SLG for a long time now. I bought mine off from a pal.
But if you are more interested, you can of course visit our forum, the first forum ever devoted to bartops only :
BARTOPMANIA
Now, I hope you will understand a little more what scanlines are and how much life and gusto they can add to your bartop gameplay!
