Unusual / old tech displays - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: 0b01010011
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2015, 05:25:04 am
content: I have been working on building clocks from different display technologies - have already done LED, LCD, and VFD ones, and have a Numitron and OLED one on the way. Not a great fan of Nixie tubes so haven't gone there yet.I know that mechanical displays like flipdot arrays and 'flip-segment' 7-segments were (and are on buses etc) still used but can't find many sources of these - apart from one guy selling the petrol-pump style 7-segments I can't see much else in the way of older displays. I foundhttp://www.flipdots.com/but they are yet to get back to me about distributors etc.Can anyone think of other display technologies that still available?

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2015, 05:41:54 am
content: Flipdots were used heavily on buses until recently. New buses are using super bright LEDs (often with a dumb system that doesn't turn them down at night). I wonder what markets flipdots have left?

author: RJFreeman
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2015, 06:32:24 am
content: The Minitron? (although I guess technically that is a smaller Numitron)Then there were the light pipe displays, but these might not be available any-more as they weren't around for long.and there is CRT of course.

author: mikerj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2015, 09:31:30 am
content: A laser projection clock would be pretty neat

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2015, 09:42:42 am
content: A Charactron display or those giant round radar CRTs on the SAGE system would be awesome.

author: 0b01010011
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2015, 10:11:05 am
content: I have noticed they have just started going to LEDs on buses now as well - used to be all flipdots and large flip 7-segments but no moreWould love to know where all those flipdot displays are going though - I suspect it's the bin.Minitrons are a DIP package Numitron I believe - Mike has some herehttp://www.electricstuff.co.uk/count.html#filamentI like the laser idea but I think a CRT will not have a great wife acceptance ranking.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2015, 10:13:41 am
content: EL wire? El panels?Spark generators?

author: calexanian
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2015, 02:40:58 pm
content: Quote from: Alex Eisenhut on June 15, 2015, 09:42:42 amMy friends father designed and developed the Charachartron. The very first one sits on her display table. She has many interesting things on display at her business her dad worked on in the 50's and 60's for Heughs electronics and Convair. The people who made a lot of the sage systems.

author: wine+dine
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2015, 06:49:28 am
content: There were plenty more designs around ... see e.g.http://w140.com/tekwiki/wiki/5031orhttp://hpmemoryproject.org/wa_pages/wall_a_page_11.htm

author: McBryce
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2015, 10:38:42 am
content: Lots of people have made some nice clocks from old Scope CRTs:https://blog.adafruit.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/CIMG0004edit.jpgAlso you could make a spinning LED bargraph clock:http://www.red5.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/l/e/led-usb-clock-fan1.jpgA little less adventurous: Clocks made using nummeric reels like this:http://www.ebay.de/itm/Digital-Wecker-Retro-Schatz-original-/171827832806?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item2801bca7e6or flip numbers like this:http://www.ebay.de/itm/Philips-440-Radio-Wecker-UKW-MW-mit-Retro-Klappzahlen-Uhr-/111700614003?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item1a01e01b73McBryce.

author: Rerouter
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2015, 10:44:28 am
content: Contact local bus companies, expecially any you see driving around Volvo B7R coaches, they are reaching 20 years old, so by the hundred the buses are just being cubed around aus, meaning you would be free to get at the flipdot display and controller before it becomes another part of the cube,

author: george graves
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2015, 10:50:26 am
content: Fire is always fun? How about something with individual little flames? Closest thing I can think of is this:....but in a 7 segment matrix? You'd need to make it out of glass and metal or something (plaster?) and lots of pumps or valves.

author: Muttley Snickers
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 23, 2015, 10:54:06 am
content: I recently went into a Subway food store for lunch and it was only when I went to pay at the cashier that I really started to drool over the HP VFD on the counter. This thing was huge and separate from the main register, will go back for a photo.Muttley

author: LukeW
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2015, 10:59:44 am
content: Those 20x2 HP VFD displays used on cash registers in shops are actually one of the most common, easy to obtain, low cost VFDs, if you want to find a VFD to play with. They're pretty easy to talk to, just serial.

author: PA0PBZ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2015, 11:01:38 am
content: http://www.rurbanlife.net/amazing-water-fountain-in-osaka-station-city-japan/https://twitter.com/marcan42/status/610982254630666243

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2015, 12:20:21 pm
content: Quote from: coppice on June 15, 2015, 05:41:54 amI've seen a lot of buses with bad LED signs - usually a whole row/column area is affected and is either permanently on or permanently off - might be the driver circuitry and not the LEDs themselves.

author: richard.cs
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2015, 07:46:58 pm
content: Filament 7 segments, edge-lit displays. The latter is very easy to diy.