Gaming Stations

Do you want to start using a CRT for retro gaming, or even watching old TV shows & movies?  But maybe you don’t have the room to set up a dedicated CRT area?  Or maybe you do have the extra space, but would rather connect it to your existing audio setup?  Consider building a “CRT Cart” that contains everything you’d need, that you can wheel away out of sight when you’re done!

This page showcases the different “Retro Cart’s” I’ve built over the years.  The video is a pretty good overview, but I have some more documentation and links below that might be a help.  There’s no “right” answer, so I invite you to take a look at each cart and feel free to follow a similar method to what I’ve done!

This is the original cart that was the catalyst for getting into RGB and creating this site.  It has a Sony 24″ TV, Nintendo, Super Nintendo, the Master System and even a CDX (those things are really awesome).  The description is a bit long, because when I wrote it, this site didn’t exist.  Still, it’s a good story and the pics came out great.
After I realized the Retro Cart needed more systems and needed to be in RGB, I stripped it and made it into a “Nintendo Cart”, which I sold.  This page shows pictures, in case you’d like to do the same.  Also, I included the entire description from my eBay listing, in case someone was interested in the details.
I used this setup for about a year.  It had nine systems all outputting RGB into a Sony PVM monitor.  I loved this thing, but I just got too many consoles for it and needed to upgrade.
Here’s links to all the rack’s and cart’s I’ve been using the past few years.
Small Cart / Single Monitor Use: 
I use this for both my 14″ and 20″ monitors.  It’s a tiny bit high for the 20″ and a tiny bit low for 14″, so overall it’ll be fine for both:  https://amzn.to/2O6xXfP
Rack-Based Cart:
Here’s the one I’ve been using most often.  It’s very versatile, but I’d recommend not using it for monitors that weight more than 100lbs.  The dimensions listed are slightly off though and they don’t take the space between the poles into account.  Here’s the actual dimensions in inches:  15 3/4 deep by 33 1/4 wide between poles, 35 3/4 high with wheels on:  https://amzn.to/2O62v10
Large Monitor / TV Cart:
I currently use this for very large, heavy CRT’s.  Make SURE to get good castors that hammer in, as the ones that screw in could eventually back out and your whole setup will come crashing to the floor!
Storage Shelves:
This is what I use for storage shelves, but you could also configure this with a monitor in the bottom-middle if you’d like.  Once again, the dimensions listed aren’t 100% accurate:  Here’s the actual dimensions in inches 15 3/4 deep by 45 3/4 wide between poles, 76 3/4 high with wheels on:  https://amzn.to/2v9EcIQ
Also, for my main setup, I use some stationary racks with no wheels.  This is obviously only something you’d want for a permanent setup, but it might be a help:
Heavy duty metal rack for large, heavy CRT’s – I recommend putting plywood on each shelf to help distribute the weight better:  https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-4-Tier-Heavy-Duty-Industrial-Welded-Steel-Garage-Storage-Shelving-Unit-in-Black-77-in-W-x-78-in-H-x-24-in-D-HBR782478W4/310651468
Here’s smaller racks that are good for medium-to-small CRT’s.  The wire wheel racks might be a better choice in most situations, but this matches the above rack and I have one on each side of it:  https://www.homedepot.com/p/Muscle-Rack-5-Tier-Heavy-Duty-Steel-Garage-Storage-Shelving-Unit-in-Black-36-in-W-x-72-in-H-x-18-in-D-UR-185PBB/305553549

If you’re finished, I invite you to go back to the main page to see all the other retro-gaming awesomeness we have on this site… especially the RGB guide!