Content for VFD

VFD

A vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) is a display device once used commonly on consumer electronics equipment such as video cassette recorders, car radios, and microwave ovens. A VFD operates on the principle of cathodoluminescence, roughly similar to a cathode ray tube, but operating at much lower voltages. Each tube in a VFD has a phosphor coated anode that is bombarded by electrons emitted from the cathode filament. In fact, each tube in a VFD is a triode vacuum tube because it also has a mesh control grid. Unlike liquid crystal displays, a VFD emits a very bright light with high contrast and can support display elements of various colors. Standard illumination figures for VFDs are around 640 cd/m2 with high-brightness VFDs operating at 4,000 cd/m2, and experimental units as high as 35,000 cd/m2 depending on the drive voltage and its timing. The choice of color (which determines the nature of the phosphor) and display brightness significantly affect the lifetime of the tubes, which can range from as low as 1,500 hours for a vivid red VFD to 30,000 hours for the more common green ones. Cadmium was commonly used in VFDs in the past, but the current RoHS-compliant VFDs have eliminated this metal from their construction.

Arduino FFT Spectrum analyzer on VFD display GP1287

“How to make an audio FFT spectrum analyzer on a 256x50 pixel VFD display. An audio spectrum analyzer is a device that visualizes the frequency content of an audio signal. It represents the distribution of frequencies in a graphical form …

Retro Analog style VU meter on VFD display

“How to make a VU Meter that uses a VFD (vacuum fluorescent display) instead of analog instruments. VFD Display type is GP1287. A VU meter, also known as a Volume Unit meter, is a device used to display the audio …

A Device That Can be (Almost) Anything

“An IoT device that Retrieves data from public REST APIs, displays it on 6 VFD tubes, and also controls IoT devices with ease. What It Is A device that can be (almost) everything. Clock, calendar, stock ticker or weather station …

Simple ESP8266 NTP Clock on VFD Display VFD256x50 GP1287

“Simple way to make a ESP8266 clock on a VFD display that synchronizes the exact time through NTP time servers on the Internet. A VFD (Vacuum Fluorescent Display) is an electronic display device that is commonly used for displaying numeric …

MyVFD - A 9-Digit VFD Info Station

“ESP32 controlled VFD screen. This device supports date/time, weather, random number generator, etc. Last year, I got an old Sharp EL-8109 calculator. Which uses a 9-digit Futaba 9-ST-08A VFD display. The calculator still works, but the …

Driving VFD tubes with an Arduino Nano

“A simple method for incorporating vacuum fluorescent display tubes into your projects! I’ve had a handful of Soviet-made IV-6 (ИВ-6) tubes sitting around my workshop for years, but I never really tried to get them working for any …

Driving a Salvaged VFD With MAX7219 and an Arduino

“You can get your hands on some very interesting components when disassembling old electronics. One such I’ve found was this VFD (Vacuum Fluorescent Display). Trying to reverse-engineer the controller was, however not the way to go as all ICs …

Driving a VFD with MAX7219

“The process of making a salvaged VFD Arduino-friendly. You can get your hands on some very interesting components when disassembling old electronics. One such I’ve found was this VFD (Vacuum Fluorescent Display). Trying to reverse-engineer the controller was, however …

Display VFD48-1202FN analog style

“How to control the VFD48 display with Arduino My son gave me this vfd48 display and I did not know what to do with it. I searched on the internet for solutions, but there was none with arduino. So a …

Homemade IV-22 VFD Clock!

“Glowing retro tubes made in the Soviet Union? 80’s electro-style? Sign me up! (or sign us up comrade?) Many of you probably know how these things go: you start with making a nixie clock and you end up with …