Schlagwort: VFD

  • This original video game console features a VFD

    This original video game console features a VFD

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    VFDs (vacuum fluorescent displays) were common a few decades ago and have a nice, distinct glow that many find appealing. But like Nixie tubes and CRTs, VFDs have are outdated and almost obsolete at this point. They can’t come close to matching the price or functionality of modern LCD and OLED screens, but they still have a lot of charm. Simon Boak harnessed that charm when he built this custom video game console that features a VFD.

    This console is 100% custom and looks fantastic. It has two parts: the display and the controller. Both have enclosures made of formed sheet metal and wooden side panels, which enhance the retro aesthetic. Users can run Conway’s Game of Life, play a snake game, watch a snow animation, or draw within a painting program. If the user wants to keep their art, they can save it to EEPROM for later viewing.

    Boak originally planned to build this as a custom 6502 machine and program everything in Assembly, but realized that that plan was a bit too ambitious. Instead, he built this console around an Arduino Nano board. The screen is a Noritake Itron Gu20x8, which can display three different colors across the 20×8 grid of pixels. The controller uses an array of push buttons and there is a piezo buzzer for sound effects.

    While the current game/program selection is limited, Boak now has a console for which he can develop as many games as he likes.

    The post This original video game console features a VFD appeared first on Arduino Blog.

    Website: LINK

  • Vintage vacuum fluorescent display controlled with Arduino Due

    Vintage vacuum fluorescent display controlled with Arduino Due

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Vintage vacuum fluorescent display controlled with Arduino Due

    Arduino TeamOctober 2nd, 2019

    Vacuum fluorescent displays (VFDs) have a distinct cool blue-greenish glow, and were once used in a wide range of devices, from VCRs to microwave ovens and even car dashboards. Although extremely popular way back when, they can be more difficult to source today. In the video below, Scotty Allen of the Strange Parts YouTube channel takes on the challenge of getting a $600 ISE (now Noritake) display up and running with an Arduino Due.

    The process starts with examining the datasheet to find that the Due’s 3.3V logic can indeed drive the 20×2 character display, then he constructs a custom adapter board to do just that. After more datasheet lurking, head scratching and hacking, he finally got it to show “Hello world!” toward the end of the clip, along with some simple animations. 

    The VFD control is part of a larger build that will be revealed in the future, and a good reminder of just how much trial and error is needed to succeed in making something awesome.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy6o8TrDUFU?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK