As the title says, I am trying to find a VFD - Vacuum Fluorescent Display type watch face. There is one listed in the Play store, but it's nowhere near what a real VFD looks like.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
EDIT Thanks for the down vote on a honest question. I hope your day gets better...
I designed and build a VFD module using a bare VFD that I bought a few years ago.
I used an STM32F030F4P microcontroller running at 8MHz to control the display and a pair of HV518's to drive it. The microcontroller outputs the display data over SPI to the HV518 using DMA and a timer interrupt. It uses very little CPU time while refreshing at 635Hz. Since the display is multiplexed, the microcontroller updates the driver at 8260Hz. The high refresh rate is because the VFD is rated for a 100µs on time with a 1/14 duty cycle.
The display draws 130-160mA at 5V depending on the brightness and characters displayed.
The display will output any text sent over the serial port. It can also store a message in RAM or flash that will be scrolled across the display automatically. It has a CH340 USB to UART converter so it can be controlled and powered from a USB cable. I also managed to fit a text user interface on it that can be used to configure it. It uses ANSI escape codes and works with screen and minicom.
The display mounted in a wooden case
The case is made with 3mm plywood and some acrylic. It fits nicely on my desk underneath of my monitors. I will probably write a script to display some system info on it or something.
The display is 100mm wide and has 12 dot matrix characters and some various other segments. It was probably intended to be used in some sort of set top box judging by the segments on it.
The microcontroller, USB, and level shifter is mounted on the top side of the board under the VFD.
The back has the display drivers, power supply, and the filament driver. The boost converter provides 30 volts for the HV518. The filament runs on 3.6v AC provided by the transformer. The microcontroller produces a 20KHz PWM signal to drive the transformer using an H-bridge IC.
The transformer is wound on an EE10 ferrite core with 50 turns on the primary and secondary. The filament voltage is biased about 5 volts above ground with the zener diode on the center tap so that the VFD is fully cut off when the grids are
... keep reading on reddit ➡I've searched online as best I could, but I couldn't find the data sheet for this display. The closest one I could find was for the model IEE 03601.
Looking for a source of ready-made VFD PSUs for an automotive project.
output: 2vac, ~10khz, ~1A
Input : <14vdc
I've done quite a bit of "searching" and I can't find anything. A couple of white papers and an odd schematic....I'd really like NOT to build one.
Once I get the project finalized, my initial order will be about 100x units.
I still see some places selling new vacuum fluorescent displays, and I'm curious about whether they're actually still preferable over other display technologies for some niche applications or if it's just for retro styling at this point.
https://preview.redd.it/6k5w2zps8ud31.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=824e24d065b2bec83102af32f47fa4d46ac3b39e
https://preview.redd.it/m7krjt1baud31.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a22c2a886bf847d4e2080cbc3ad74e6a280e6c70
I'm looking to replace the LCD on my Prusa i3 MK3S with a Noritake / I5E CU200045-KTW228A VFD. Here is the link to the part:
I am planning to mount the VFD onto a display controller from printedsolid.com, here is the link to the board:
https://www.printedsolid.com/products/ldo-prusa-mk2-mk2-5-mk3-display-controller-no-lcd
I am wondering if there would be any issues with attempting to do this. I might have to snip a few pins off of the display controller, but other than that, i think that i really should only have to solder the 2 parts and shove it back in. For reference, I am looking to make a display similar to the one in this article:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=26&v=ziwGgVkpcQc
https://preview.redd.it/vsvlpzucaud31.png?width=800&format=png&auto=webp&s=17e62a4437ffe2c3de2675719b7b7f753cf55808
Please let me know your thoughts, and if you see any potential issues with this!
Has anyone on here experience with VFDs? I have a four digit one without any drivers, just the terminal pins. But I cant get it to light up properly. The filament works fine, but when I apply a voltage to an anode and the grid, the segment doesnt really light up. Plus the voltage has come from a transistor, straight from the power supply doesnt work at all.
I have a favorite clock (actually have 2, one as spare) that uses VFD but it has a drawback: no brightness setting. Because of this, I have to put a sock or something over the front in order to sleep at night.
I am not too familiar with VFD technology, what specifically can be manipulated to dim the display? I thought maybe a microcontroller like ATTiny10 with a photoresistor to detect light level, and dim the display if it's dark in my room.
Thanks for any info you can provide.
I've read the wiki page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_fluorescent_display, but I'm not convinced that VFD's are a better choice than the other technologies. Lots of autos have LCD displays now, OLED displays show great contrast, and even color LCD's have become feature on some cars. I don't see the claim of VFDs besting other technology in temperature-dependent operation.
Also, from what I understand of the 'tube/triode' based operation of a VFD, it sounds like it would consume a fair amount of power, which I imagine would be a concern for today.
What I'm asking in simpler terms is: why is this old technology still being used in new designs when other low-cost and more advanced options exist?
We want to set up a section of shelving in our wholesale showroom for UV reactive materials, and are looking for recommendations on lighting set ups! Doesn’t need to be fancy, but needs some strength. Any input is appreciated!
