This small CRT monitor is less than 2" thick
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 เม.ย. 2024
- A few weeks ago I was browsing AliExpress and came across this cool little 4" Flat CRT that was clearly made in the style of the Sony Watchman line. In this video let's explore how this little CRT monitor actually works.
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Neat display. Strange to think that there's a warehouse in China with a random number of these stacked in it.
Makes you wonder what else is waiting to be discovered in warehouses.
And it's ready to work, fresh outta the box as if it was still 1984!
I'm not surprised at all. People don't tend to waste "good" stuff like this. I bet there's all kinds gems like this in the world, kinda like nixie tubes! :D
Nah, at eastern europe there are countries that still have 27 years old meat, deep frozen. Waiting to be shipped out.
@@pirateradioFPV LMAO
Love the warning label.
"Warning. High voltage may cause mortal damage"
That's one way of putting it.
Obviously, this means you’re supposed to play Mortal Kombat on it. FATALITY!
Between 10Kv and 20Kv !
Just touch everything while making a video. It might just make a good episode of CSI.
I picked one of these up in a new in box door phone at Goodwill. Paid $5 or something for it. It's awesome! Had to come back months later and find this video when I realized it was the same modular display.
Actually I doubt that the high voltage exceeded 10kv. More likely in the 5kv to 7kv. The reason the television screens used 10kv to 30kv is because the larger screens required it do to the greater distance that the CRT election beam has to go to strike the phosphorus screen. Color TV's have to use 30kv & at a current level high enough to kill you if you came into contact with it. This was one of the hazards of working on the first color TV's. The CRT's didn't have a glass bell like later color CRT's. Instead the bell part of the CRT's was metal. If you came into contact with those CRT's while the power was on, you risked getting electrocuted. Even after the power was turned off, you could an electric shock strong enough to knock you on your butt. I worked with a TV Technician who got such a shoke once. His hand came flying out of the back of the TV so fast that he ripped some of the skin on his hand as it collided some of the electronics attached to the back of the TV cabinet. Yeah he was bleeding afterwards. Later color TV's had a resistor and other features designed to discharge the CRT anode high voltage as soon as the TV was turned off or disconnected from the power.
I've worked in electronic/industrial surplus, and it's always amazed me how much new, vintage, unsold technology just sits on rows of pallets in some random huge warehouses for decades before becoming e-waste and ending up on the market again. It can be like an electronic version of a vintage auto barn find.
I could never work in surplus, I would always ask to take stuff home.
Yeah that would be an occupational hazard...
@@someguystudios23 same
fake news, if you worked in the field you say you do, you would have said, "New, Old Stock" or as us nerds know and love it, NOS.
@@NullStaticVoid hey mate, year ago lol and besides op said worked like past tense and never claimed to be an enthusiast or anything. I'm an enthusiast but never use the nos term. To each their own, you know? Have a good one
Funny fact: he says literally "I'm shocked" at least 4 times (and one "shockingly"...) before being physically shocked.
TV's like "No, but you will be."
I don't think it's a coincidence
Spoiler warning ⚠️ h
Heh, i came to look for this comment. And here it is. ;-)
beetlejuice beetlejuice
27:54 Adrian gets shocked
_Thank you Angel!_ 😀👍
Angel - O - That's not good! Sinclair of Cambridge-UK had a flat CRT color TV available around 1970.
😂😂
U da man!
Aww yee
There actually was a COLOR version of the watchman CRT. It didn't have a shadow mask, and it had only ONE electron gun. Between each RGB strip of phosphor, was a thin strip of UV phosphor. A photo detector saw the flash of UV light as the beam moved, and then the electronics switched the gun to the next color in sequence. By the time SONY worked out the kinks on this tube, color LCD's were cheaper to make and the CRT color watchman didn't make it to the consumer market, but there are probably some prototypes floating around out there, maybe some industrial versions too.
I think Adafruit has those connectors, maybe on cable assys.
Try a degaussing coil on the monitor to remove stray magnetism.
Wasn't that the Indextron? From what I heard only one model of Sony Indextron (really a beam-index tube) and even that it's pretty rare these days...
Color Watchman TVs iirc used a plain Samsung shadow mask tube.
There is a some videos about that one: th-cam.com/video/9mGqyCtXyhA/w-d-xo.html
amazing
Legend has it that years ago there was an Adrian's Analog Basement, but then one night there was a freak lightning storm and now here we are
Adrian's Analog Attic, maybe!
Man, a Gameboy would suit that screen size well!
Or a pip boy
2 years ago Bitluni did just that.
hell yeah, would be light years better than the ghosty display too LOL
Yea, one of those raspberry pi's and a gameboy emulator running. It would probably look much better than the real gameboy! But you would need something with a composite output I suppose.
@@anthonydenn4345 pi can do composite output pretty simply, I looked into it while building my picade. It is output through the 3.5mm audio jack, just need a 4 pin 3.5mm connector that splits out to 2 audio and 1 video. Setting the pi to then use that as the output is pretty simple, but from memory you can't have both hdmi and composite at the same time, I I ended up going hdmi to vga for the weird old TV I had for my setup as it gave me more flexibility.
I had one of those little Sony Watchman TVs when I was a kid. It definitely didn’t have the best picture, but it was serviceable, and the ability to have portable TV back in the late 80’s was amazing!
A couple of tips that I learned playing with these:
Adding a magnet as you mentioned does help with the geometry.
If you are able to push the yoke up closer to the screen, that also helps with the geometry. If the neck were just a tad longer, I think it would be about perfect.
These look really cool with gel filters over the glass. I have tried red, green, and amber. Even better with a negative image while using the filters
Using the Arduino TVOut library to play with this is fun. I have been working on an expressive robot face to retrofit an 80s robot with one of these monitors.
That "spill over" lighting of the unlit phosphor is reflection of the image on the inside of the glass front, which is why it gets worse when there are large areas of white. It's an inherent flaw in the design that a regular CRT won't suffer from.
Not true u still get blooms
@@primus711 I just meant this particular issue wouldn't be possible on a regular CRT where you're looking at the back side of the phosphor. There are certainly other CRT issues that will affect any CRT, bloom being one of them
You can't do much about the internal reflections, but a neutral density (or if you want to emulate old CRTs, green or amber) filter would reduce the light getting in from outside. As long as this doesn't make the display itself too dark, it should increase contrast somewhat when the lights are on.
Color TVs have a odd looking metal coating on top of the phosphor layer. I've broken a few color TV tubes and they all are like that.
@@louistournas120 that’s the shadow mask.
My first thought was, put a green (or amber) film/filter over the glass and use it to build a custom Fallout-style pipboy. Due to the vertical nature of it, it'd be entirely too large to wear on your arm that way. So, you'd want to rotate your video source (like a Raspberry Pi) 90 degrees counter-clockwise. Or possibly even rotate the yoke on the CRT 90 degrees? Not sure if that'd work.
Rotating the yoke would probably totally mess up the geometry, so that probably isn't a great idea.
@@eDoc2020 Yeah, kinda figured as much, with that oblique angle and all. Wouldn't stop me from trying, though, if I ever were tp attempt it (the price is mighty tempting).
I was thinking the same damn thing
@@KyoshoLP it could be even cheaper if you would buy a used video intercom system with such CRT
put whole screen sideways.. actually pipboy prototype seen in intro of Fallout4 uses that.
Quite fascinating. As CRTs go, this isn't too bad for what it is. You were literally "Shocked" to see how well this functioned. You got to remember that when it is Kv it can jump inches through the air to a ground (You). lol
Pretty neat. I was wondering if that type of CRT technology would be applicable for color? I have a feeling the answer is no because the mask would probably be in the way of the picture. But maybe there is some other way it could be done?
Well, maybe ask Technology Connections. 🤔
Wild idea, but the colour shutter that he showed in a video a while ago... maybe it could be adapted somehow.
But I am just guessing here.
Someone here on TH-cam showed off a camcorder that had a colorized viewfinder using a tiny CRT and it was really a b&w CRT with some sort of color shutter.
@@cll1out That was the very video! From Technology Connections. Here is the link: th-cam.com/video/z-q8ehzHeQQ/w-d-xo.html
@@cll1out you use a crt and an lcd pannel.infront so you get the brightnes from the crt.and color from the lcd
They probably could’ve made a beam index tube in this form factor. Those use only a single gun.
Miniature analog tech from the 80's is so cute. The image being affected by the computer operations is the cherry on the cake.
To help those old white phosphor CRTs, all you need is a tinted glass/plastic filter or photographic gel right on top of the display. It will really help with contrast in daylight scenarios.
that's what i was thinking, try putting a black-tinted piece of plastic or glass over it, in theory it'd work
Every day I turn on my PC and I think "What's Adrian up to today?" I am NEVER disappointed. Great fun. Time for a 3D printed case I think. 👍😊
Yeah that'd be awesome, add a 12v battery and a composite jack and it'd be a great portable display
this guy could make a video about an adding machine and make it fun and interesting for all I know!
Hell even a label printer!
Just one of those channels you always look forward to watching
I was thinking he should make an analog oscilloscope from this module.
Very cool. Perhaps with the upright form factor it could be used to build a mini Macintosh
Yeah, you could use a Raspberry Pi to emulate the Mac OS. Then we could call it a PiMac, lol
Model Railroad guys used a portable DVD player with the small screen to make a drive in theater for O Gauge. You could make a drive-in theater for HO or Z gauge with this.
Or, go the other way and make a console game for a 12 inch action figure like GI Joe and Barbie. They real ones had those mirrored things that look a bit like this.
In Z this would be larger than the largest IMAX screen.
or a CRT based raspberry pi emulation handheld.
imax for polly pocket
imax for polly pocket
It's not bad at all! And we retrocomputer users are accustomed to our dimly lit underground lairs.
Definitely sharper than the portable B&W TVs I used with some of my computers back in the day.
The one you ordered (the biggest one) had a main purpose as a monitor for multiple type of CCTV security systems, i can't remember the full story but there was a reason why it was so small and portable. Someone else had a video with one of these units fully assembled and branded.
"This is shocking..." "I'm really shocked..." "It's shocking..." *Zapp!* How could you not see that coming?
I used to work at a place called "Lexel Imaging" that was the remnants of Hughes Electronics. Their specialty was CRTs for specialized markets (the only that exist now). Those little CRTs remind me of the tiny CRTs we made for the AH64 Apache HUD! I made the coils by hand on a little lathe type apparatus, and formed them into a C shape by hand. Then you would put just the right amount of high current through it so it would melt the lacquer coating and get hard to retain its new shape. I also assembled the coils on to the tube and wrapped with mu metal. There were probably only about 5 of us who worked there doing soldering, assembly and rework. I got the job because I could solder. Anyway the AH-64 CRTS weren't 90 deg angle like these -- they were just like a tiny TV set. In the HUD, it uses a prism or mirror to turn the image. I wonder why they didn't do it the same way in those Watchmans.
Best use for this? Retro CRT handheld. Use a Raspberry Pi Zero or something and integrate it together in a case.
It’s monochrome, but yeah a CRT Gameboy would be neat.
its too bad it isn't color!
My first thought was functional pip-boy style wearable retro-futuristic computer.
@@michaelathens953 the fact that in Fallout they miniaturised standard tubes (with the bulbous curvature etc) instead of a real side-beam one, is probably the most impressive thing about the Pip Boys to me. Though of course in 1&2 the UI was a bit more mechanical with paper labels vs the “B&W TV but small” aesthetic of the latter ones.
Perhaps you can even "Re-Invent" a Gameboy handheld console:@)
I was joking by the way !
Now get a big fresnel lens and turn it into a Brazil terminal!
Brazil terminal?
@@pedrofelck i guess it is properly called a brazil console th-cam.com/video/rXW32WB3Xm4/w-d-xo.html
@@pedrofelck Bit obscure but it's referencing Terry Gilliam's Brazil. external-preview.redd.it/ngcAs3AOfLOpKYNs0YOx-xaVCWc76s5XNcoVAG4jVXY.jpg?auto=webp&s=98fc705326f205712c3b8b0214ca61cbb3d5df19
I know its been done a thousand times with normal CRT's on you tube, however this little CRT would make a very cool packet oscilloscope/Curve Tracer, I might give it a go myself sans the shocks....maybe. Very cool find !!
Again another interesting video. Never saw a CRT like that. Made CRT's for my first 2 years of my 8 years with Sony in San Diego after Navy electronics retirement in March of 95. Last 4 in Philly at the Bristol Service Center. Miss a work bench. Brings back memories.
When the lights went out the whole vibe was lit and I was here to stay
I would make the worlds smallest Macintosh 128K with a CRT, putting this and a Raspberry Pi running Mini vMac in a 3D printed case of the original Macintosh 128K to scale!
Why _only_ emulate the 128k though? You should be able to fork over more RAM at the very least, even if CPU speed is capped by the limits of your RPi.
@@mal2ksc Depends if you want stock authenticity or not.
@@RetroJack Not really, you can have more than one emulation mode. If you want an authentic experience, the Pi can emulate the timing of all the hardware including the spinning rust. When you get tired of that, it can also accommodate what would have been seriously buffed builds back in the day.
@@mal2ksc True, but as I said, it depends if you want the _stock_ experience or not.
@@RetroJack If you can set it so that it powers up as whatever model you've chosen, and you have to hold down a weird key combo and restart to change the emulation... then it's the stock experience so long as you don't shift out of that emulation. What I'm saying is that it makes little sense to _only_ configure that one emulation mode when you can have many on file.
What a great little unit and much better than I expected it to be.
I grabbed a couple of these a while ago. One is being used as a handy workbench mini-monitor for retro SD video out testing and projects. The other one I intend to use as the display for getting my 70’s General Instruments AY-3-8500 series video game IC’s back up and running as a cool retro self-contained portable game. :)
How did you prevent it from randomly turning off after 30 or so seconds?
10 years ago there was a whole stack of these complete in a white case, for just €4 a piece at a army and electronics dump store. Bought one of course. They're cute little things, and very convenient as a mobile analog monitor to use when testing consoles and such.
Mine is indeed one of those door monitors. Doesn't have a brand stamped on it, but it's similar to a Golmar monitor.
The picture quality is just fine. For 'organic' things like people, the distortion is not noticeable and the contrast is no different than from other monitors.
The sharpness is not ideal though. Small text is a bit hard to read. Gotta say i didn't try the focus control yet.
where is this store? I keep hearing of these type of places never seen one
This CRT is the opposite of a BVM.
@@snooks5607 There are fewer every year. In Montreal there used to be a few of these surplus shops but now they either don't exist or sell cheap DJ turntables and USB cables. You might try looking at the industrial areas in your town and for places that sell used laptops, they might have areas of weird electronics they haven't tossed out yet.
Yes, regular CRTs use tinted glass to increase the contrast ratio. But usually only a thin layer of tinted glass on the inside, because if the whole 1/2...3/4" thickness of the screen would be tinted, it would decrease the brightness too much. I wonder if a tinted plastic foil would improve the picture with this tube. You can also make the picture green or amber this way, to emulate monochrome monitors :)
If you take a look at the back of this tube, and the tubes in the Watchmans, there is a big difference due to penny pinching during the manufacturing of the newer tubes (even in the genuine Sony I bought from ebay). There's an aluminium coating under the phosphor in the Watchman tubes, but there's no aluminium coating in the new tubes. The purpose of the aluminium coating is to reflect the light from the phosphor. Without that coating, *the newer tubes waste close to 50% of their light output* by projecting it behind the tube, onto the black plasitc bracket! This also means if you reverse the newer tube you can see the image from the back side, but unfortunately it's not usable this way, because the glass is textured, so the image is blurry through it. There's also a transparent, conductive ITO (Indium-Tin Oxide) coating on the inside of the screen to apply the anode voltage behind the phosphor. You can see some painted aquadag "fingers" inside the tube which connect the different parts of the tube through the lines where they are glued together. These painted "fingers" bring the anode voltage to the transparent electrode behind the phosphor.
I bought one of these monitors in a local online auction here in Hungary a few years ago (2017-2018 I think). I bought an other one from ebay a few months ago, that's actually a genuine Sony one. I will buy one more from Aliexpress, because I have a plan with them since years. Unfortunately the genuine Sony model is out of stock everywhere, except one US seller, but it's too expensive, both the product and the shipping.
The housing for the door intercom screens protected the screen from getting too much light and typically would only have been lit from overhead, so it wasn’t too hard to make it functional. I always wondered how they were made... very cool. I saw quite a few of them still in use as a Home theater installer between 2009-2018, the area had a lot of ‘fancy’ older apartment buildings; if it ain’t broke...
Adrian your enthusiasm with gadgets is amazing! I have one of this and now I can try use it. Thank you.
So weird, I just discovered these yesterday while searching for CRT stuff. Great timing Adrian!
"No idea what that part is" ... *shows schematic with part labelled flyback transformer*
This is strange to me! How didn’t he know it was the flyback with that single big insulated wire running to the crt?
I didn't want this video to end... Great work, mate! I'm a software developer from Germany and I am also really into retro micro computers, consoles and crt monitors of almost any kind. ^^ I really wan't to know more about electronics and how you can hook those babies up to any kind of video source. You have a new fan my friend. I love how you explain and show everything in such detail. Keep up the great work!
I picked up an original 4" all put together and working at a good will. I had no idea it was an actual cut. That is amazing. I look forward to hooking it up to one of my old game systems. Thanks for the vid!
One of the few times I'm thankful for a clickbait title being clickbait!
Really enjoyed this one thanks!
Neat. It would be interesting to make a CRTBoy or that one handheld C64 concept in about the same form factor (though that render had a mini tape drive that wouldn't fit with this, and had a color screen) from this.
So interesting, thank you for putting the time into this video.
I remember when those Sony Watchman sets were new and always wanted one back then. Many years later I was reminded about them so I bought several of them on eBay. I probably have both of those Sony sets you showed and I think I paid around 20 to 25 each shipped. All of them worked and analog TV was still broadcasting back then so I was actually able to watch them. They do produce a pretty decent picture depending on how good the crt is. I used to repair used TVs for fun and profit so I still have a couple of a Beltron rejuvenaters and tubes, tube testors, and boards and parts.
OK, I admit, I'm only at 5:30 now, but I've noticed @ 2:10 that the PCB has a design date on it 2006-12-10, which could suggest that this has a 2007 manufacturing date - most likely for the South-East-Asian and South-American markets, as it would yet have been less expensive than LCD back then.
I think you'll find that the first version of that display was built and designed by Sinclair Research (1985), though that used static charge for deflection rather than magnetic coils.
A static charge one would be AMAZING because it would open up DIY oscilloscope possibilities
Yes I also believe Sir Clive Sinclair was the first with the Tv80. I have one in my collection.
@@daholmes1 I've still got mine too. Owned it since 1984.
Yes - Sinclair did get theirs into production first - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV80. One interesting difference (for CRT nerds) - the Sony tube uses a curved surface for the phosphor which helps display geometry by simplifying the vertical deflection requirements. In the Sinclair tube, the phosphor surface is aid flat, parallel to the origins of the electron beam, so the beam has to be bent through a much greater angle. In addition, the Sinclair tube has the electron gun off to one side, instead of below the viewing area.
Congratulations on the 100K!
New-old stock never ceases to amaze me.
I've always wondered what a Gameboy game would look like on one of those CRTs.
that Hakko desoldering gun is the greatest thing since sliced internet.
Not according to Louis Rossman. The old Hakko stuff (not blue and yellow) was great. There are lots of options out there nowadays.
@@8BitNaptime tell louis rossman to try out that chinese s91 piece of crap and then tell me how bad this amazing desoldering gun is.
or maybe he should just go back to using braid.
@@opp31337 Or maybe he knows what he's talking about.
I love that flashlight you have at 13:25
its such a good work light. I carry one at work always
Mine turned up last week, but I haven't had chance to examine it in any depth yet..
I'm glad I watched your vid as you appear to have done all the hard work for me..
Thanks for that..!! ;)
I was expecting more of an Electroboom style shock. Either way, take your own advice and stay safe!
Thank you. I wondered how these type of picture tubes work. I was thinking it was more of a projection tube that lit up the screen, but you showed it is more direct then that. To use video signal with these old TVs you can use a RF modulator.
Love these kind of projects! :D Thanks for sharing!
Adrian, at time stamps 26:04 to 26:44 you discussed the color & brightness of the phosphorus display & asked if anyone knows about this. Well I'm your man. One of my 1st jobs as an Electronics Technician was in TV Repair in 1970. The color of most of the black & white CRT's was a flat light white or greenish white. The glass face of the CRT was clear to Smokey Grey. This smokey coloring acted like an ND lens filter on a camera to improve the contrast of the CRT image. Sometimes the glass in front of the CRT was tinted. This later trick of filtering ths CRT with tinted glass TV some fell fell y the wayside as the new color TV's started coming out, the CRT's all had smokey filters built into the glass. Also the larger CRT's had a noticably higher anode voltage applied allowing for a brighter image on the phosphorus screen. You could boost the anode high voltage on that monitor if you have the Hardware Skills necessary and then add a smokey grey glass or plastic sheet over the screen to improve the contrast in bright conditions. Sort of the same effect you get when you turn the lights out. In low light conditions, you eyes iris opens up to let in more light and the low light reduces the amount of light that reflects off of the light colored phosphorus.
Also after thinking about it, I think the reason the image moves or distorts when you touch the CRT screen is because the CRT beam is striking the front instead of the back of the screen. Everytime you touch the screen, you are putting your finger in the path of the electron CRT beam. Your finger is blocking &/or magnetically moving the electron beam to go around your finger. The static charge you're body picks up acts just like the magnetic field the video yoke produces to move the electron beam. When the electron beam strikes the phosphorus screen from the backside of the CRT screen, you don't get this affect.
Reminds me of the LCD based pocket TV we had when I was a kid that was made... I think in the mid 80s. It had a little monochrome LCD that was almost impossible to see anything on. I have to imagine something like this would have looked amazing in comparison!
I'm an old nerd and I think that's just cool. Pocket sized TV's always fascinated me. I have about a 2x2.5 inch CRT from an oscilloscope is about the smallest one i've ever seen.
One obvious use here: GAMEBOY! Better give Ben Heck a call and let him know what his next project should be!
I'm 54 years of age and it always amuses me when people say "I'd have never believed this would work as well as it did". It really shows how young they are, or perhaps I am just a fossil !
Why on earth not CRT technology has been around for 70 plus years ?
LCD's on the other hand have not by comparison and are relative newcomers. If you could find a colour CRT that would be even better.
We were doing this sort of thing in the early 80's with the Sinclair Microvision, which was the late (very recently) Sir Clive Sinclair's go at making a mini TV. They were quite good and they folded the CRT back on itself to make it even smaller. There was one at my boarding school which we used to connect up to an Acorn Atom or similar other early computer, with similar results to here.
I would say, that the original device this was made for came with a "cool looking shaded outer cover" for the screen, kind of like sunglasses. That way the bright base color would be muted and the "overdriven" look would probably also be just fine? Hard to be certain without knowing the device but I recall many of these door cams to have a "dark screen that lit up when in use".
Hmmmm
LOVE this experiment and video! Amazing (but perhaps predictable) that a new/old-stock CRT from 1993 still works so well.
... also love your use of RealCalc in RPN format. I'm still using an HP48g for daily engineering use, but I use RealCalc in RPN when on the go.
I had a 48G all through college -- and never stopped using RPN. (My HP48G died a long time ago.) So yeah, RealCalc Plus is pretty damn awesome for quick calculations
I still use my HP15C regularly. I haven’t found anything that does quick calculations any better.
If you're an HP fan, you might prefer Free42, an HP-42S emulator. I find the HP-42S interface to be most comfortable of HP's interfaces, and more comfortable to use than RealCalc for most things. (One major exception is working in hexadecimal, where RealCalc is significantly better.)
There's a HP 48g android app called Droid48.
@@Endelin Thanks for the insight. At this point I'm going to stick with RealCalc. After Adrian's reply, I upgraded RealCalc to PLUS to support the creator of an app I was frequently using (and also became one of Adrian's Patreon members to support another great creator.)
I have a collection of Sony Watchmans. I love the look of those old flat CRTs.
You re-soldering iron works really well! I've never got one to work so easily..
The wash out effect may just be from looking at 90 degrees scattered light, it's going to be more diffuse.
The 15 pin video connector on the //c has a 12v output rated at 300mA... It also has a composite video output on it... so you could make a cable to connect the crt directly to the //c with one cable/connection. :D
Yeah it could just do it -- with it taking just under that much current. :-) So a replacement for that flat LCD :-)
I love these watchmans when it comes to modding them I have done some stuff not too long ago where I cover modding a watchman and adding RCA jacks to a FD-10A and a USB cable for power
Ah, I saw these while I was looking at tiny CRTs a few months ago. Funny to be recommended a video on it now!
"Let me see what the voltage is."
**uses one of the 10 leads on his human voltage detector**
You should add a grounding bypass wire around that plastic piece.
I'm pretty sure my video intercom has that exact same display!
I also used the Sinclair flat tube mini tv as in monitor on my ZX80 at that time in 1983. I waited the whole episode expecting you to get a shock at anytime.
Another very interesting vid! Thanks for sharing.
@28:56 that's a neat vintage calculator app there, for a second I thought that it was a real vintage calculator! What app is that if I may ask? BTW, great little CRT display there too, electrifying!
Dude! I got the perfect project for you: POCKET TRS-80 MODEL IV!
How fascinating! This might be perfect for a handheld Vectrex emulator I have been kicking around, it would look far better with a b/w CRT then an LCD would. If AliExpress still has these at the pricepoint, I think I am gonna grab one. Thanks for highlighting this!
3:37 I had one of those when I was kid. My father and I would be out in the backyard and watch that at night on Saturdays.
you read my mind, "I wanna see it display an Apple ][" lol
If you set it up perpendicular to your overhead light, and look at it straight on like a normal TV, you'll get a lot less reflective light off the phosphor from the overhead sources. That way it won't be quite so washed out.
I'd wager you would have a bezel around it as a finished product anyway, to shroud it from external light as well.
Always happy to see you on Wednesday regardless of the title!! 👍
I'm very glad you showed these, I've brought two of them.
Even if it's not practical, the thought of wrist-mounting one of these for a costume was just too great, we'll see how that goes!
You'd want to put a green filter on the screen if you're actually displaying anything on it, to make it more authentic to Fallout.
I've got a feeling that the sideways shooting CRT developed by Sinclair for their TV80 Pocket TV predates the Sony version by little bit.
My feeling also.
Possible, but that's a completely different approach. Electrostatic deflection, and manufactured with VFD fabrication techniques.
September 1983
When Adrian was removing the anode cap I was literally screaming at my screen "NOOOO oh noooo!" as I knew he was gonna get a good zapping. I made the same mistake many years ago while repairing one of these intercom monitors and got quite a funny belting from the CRT, lol.
Watching from the beginning even without the warning in the title I knew he'd get zapped. Not enough respect for the pixies.
@@vincei4252 Well, when messing with CRT tech and Flyback transformers, getting zapped is inevitable, lol. I was reacting that I knew what he was away to experience as I did the same mistake and got to feel what that zap feels like. It's fun, lol
Excellent video, bro!
This has been sitting in my cart for about half a year now. Will have to go ahead and buy it seeing setup is so easy.
I don't know why I'm here for bonus 😂
Would be kinda cool in an 2600 handheld or something like that. Not the best screen you can get ofc but more of a fun thing.
I'd pay good money for something like that.
That is a sweet lil CRT, fascinating.
So cool to see you here, very interesting video ! I was in high school when the watchman came out and is the reason I’m watching this I had totally forgot about the watchman...
Wonder if the distortion on the right side was caused by the magnetic field from the power and video cable.
If you moved them away did it clear up?
He was using a twisted pair of wires, so the magnetic fields should cancel each other out
Many of those monitors were used in video intercom systems.
Yeah, I'd imagine so
That's exactly what he said.
Yeah, he said that a few times.
Didn't get through the description even.. Noticed the background, and instantly subscribed. With that setup, I'm interested no matter what...
Excellent content, I really enjoyed this one .
There goes my "no more hoarding" pledge from two hours ago.
What you could try is adding a photo resistor to the brightness pot so it automatically. Gets brighter when the lights are on and dimmer when the lights are off. Might take a bit of tweaking to get it just right.
You've got a new subscriber. I loved watching this video.
i just ordered one of these from the same site store about 2 weeks ago before seeing this. im just waiting for it to arrive. i have, in some typical way in of finding an interest in something, gone down a rabbit hole of CRTs and vintage electronics. my backround....... i know nothing about electronics and circuitry, but find it really cool. in the past couple of months i managed to accidentally purchase a marantz model twenty and a marantz model 120b, which both are equiped with a miniature CRT scope display. then found a hitachi V-152F oscilloscope (free) and a 564B storage oscilloscope (pretty cheap). as well as five vintage CRT tubed televisions, in which two i transformed into dancing display oscilloscopes when audio is added to them. also on market place picked up a few boxes of stereo, tv, amplifier vacuum tubes that came with three seperate, individual , giant oscilloscope tubes/bulbs, which tey stand alone with no structure or frame, just the naked bulbs, and i tell ya, they alone are just beautiful.
17:36 Am I the only one who generally keeps plastic on electronics?
No, I generally leave it on as long as it doesn't get in the way. It's basically a free screen protector.
i miss crt screens
I love the fact that a company can still see the value in crt technology, rather than turning it's back on it like most. 👍
That //c on that monitor is just perfect retrofun! And way more readable than the Apple LCD screen for the //c