VFD Displays
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- čas přidán 23. 02. 2023
- VFD or Vacuum Fluorescent Display valhalla...
Here's my music: posy.bandcamp.com/
You can now support me on Patreon too! / posy
Big thanks to everyone that supports me!
New (experimental) channel is here: / @lazyposy
Posy on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/3zkrm...
Or on Apple Music: / posy
Note: The title says VFD Displays, because VFD also means variable frequency drive... But technically the D in VFD is already the word Display. - Zábava
"The strings need the springs because the strings stretch and the springs fetch the stretch of the strings" - just wonderful!
2:23
worthy of Princess Caroline
as a non-native speaker i'm not going to attempt saying that
i found this line to be at least inspired with Alec's Technology Connections, as he also likes to put some fantastic tongue twisters between his lines
That was a winner rap battle rhyme from the 90s. 😂
Watching a Posy video feels like looking into a different world, one that seems nicer to live in.
Video has this childlike admiration and curiosity for the world
It reminds me of being really young, and being really young was really nice.
i think thats just scandinavia
@@legodbrez4202 he lives in the Netherlands though
It is called living in the first world. So yeah, you're right hes from other world
VFDs are basically the peak of 80's and 90's aesthetics. Fun to see these lit up on every Hi-Fi audio receiver system in the electronic shops.
Totally. It was stuff like this which drew my attention to the design of electronics and how it "talked" or "conveyed" things to the end user when I was young.
2000s too.
I love how they look, but they are also a big let down cause I just bought a used AV receiver from like 2009/2010 and the display is much dimmer than new and with burn-in marks sadly...
You should buy a pioneer cdj1000 mk3 or cdj800 if you love fvd
The green ones (or blue with filters?) were used in a radio and odometer in Ford Mustangs 05-09 :)
The pro voiceover sound and tight script, the clean editing, the original score, and of course, the beautiful camerawork. Posy you are a renaissance man
“Renaissance man”. That is exactly what springs to mind when i watch Posy.
He has the same voice of @destinyspace
The extreme macro shots were unreal, your art is appreciated as always!
Thank you!! :)
I'd totally love to see that as an (expensive) piece of modern art in a museum. A bunch of VFD displays, with camera trained on them, focus controlled (and choreographier) by motors, with the close-ups displayed around the on large screens around the VDF centerpieces. The "random" texts and symbol fading in and out of view offer room for interpretation, turning this into true art.
A cheaper version could use pre-recorded macro shots, with the VFDs synchronized to the video display. So the cameras could be fake.
The whole installation could get as large as _De Nachtwacht_ from that other Netherlands artist, playing out the difference in sizes between the immensely magnified close-up shots on the displays and the (comparatively) tiny VFDs. Sad that VFDs have limited lifespans and are no longer easily replaceable.
its beautiful in 4K
this!!! i was floored, beautiful
@@klausstock8020 You know, maybe *you* could be the one to do this, internet stranger.
It is interesting to know how engineers worked around the cost and technology to create the aesthetic they wanted in the old days. Nice contents as always and thanks for the new music.
Thank you!! :-)
as someone who designs interfaces, it makes me appreciate how easy we have it today lol. but also it would be really cool to work with these displays
great video mate! Some of the displays you've shown are not VFD's at all, but backlit LCD's - just wanted to point that out... the designers made them look like VFD's - especially in the 2000's era this type of LCD's were popular... they imitated the high end look of the devices from the 90's 🙂
@@evoelias6035 Sometimes they go at great lengths to make sure displays match, especially when different suppliers are involved. I had a 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP (Supercharged 3.8L), and much like Audi of the same era, all of the dashboard lights are red. All of the digital displays were backlit reverse LCD (and so they were red segments) except the HVAC, which was clearly a standard bluish-green VFD. This was because 1998 was the first year of the new design, and only the GTP had digital HVAC, so they must have not specified correctly. However, the 1999 GTP had a matching red HVAC display. I found one in a junkyard, but the buttons were worn, so I disassembled it to use my buttons and was shocked to find a red filter over the same VFD! I was sure it was an LCD lol. I later learned about the filter and how common it was used, like in mirrors with a compass and/or outside temperature display in different cars... All the Gentex mirrors use a greenish blue VFD and Audi/BMW put a red filter and certain other cars made them yellow (I can't remember who... Cadillac?).
@@davidkane4300 very interesting indeed... most european cars from that era used unreliable backlit LCD technoogy. I remember that Audi and Volkswagen had often issues with dead pixels... VFD's seem to be rather uncommon there... I really like the sharpness of bright blue VFD's. I remember getting my first CASIO G-Shock back in the day. I think It used that VFD tehcnnology as backlight for the LCD - or am I wrong there?
I don’t know if there are well defined eras of CZcams, but your videos definitely feels like we’ve entered a new era. Shockingly original, fantastic, a joy to watch.
between posy nerdirotica and others
it really feels like a different take on the XboxAhoy style of vids.
@@ut2k4wikichici nerderotic is just right-wing propaganda masquerading as film critique
@@ThinkAboutViche so reminds me of AHOY
And not in a bad or cringy way, a truly interesting one.
never realized how much I appreciate the aesthetic of these displays
In the modern era where displays on most devices are so sharp and colorful, it's wonderful to see these displays of the past, especially in such detail that most people back then wouldn't have even noticed.
“That’s No Good”
Huh I thought I scheduled this for Sunday... 😅
Oh no. At least we get to watch this banger early :)
Yea another perfect video from an awesome guy
Too late, already watching...
lol
lol this is a win us subscribers
One of my strongest lasting memories from my childhood in the 80s was sitting in front of a hi-fi system watching the VFD EQ while Metallica and Guns n Roses played in the dark.
As a native German speaker, I was confused at first since the element phosphorous is called Phosphor in German, while the English word phosphor, as it turns out, can be used for any phosphorescent OR fluorescent substance, so that's something I learned on top of the contents of this beautifully made piece! Apparently the commonly used phosphor for VFD was zinc oxide.
Just to add to the confusion, “Phosphorus” was the ancient Greek name for Venus as the Morning Star.
I would absolutely love a longer form collection of several minutes each of all those macro shots. They're absolutely beautiful watching the pulsing patterns, 100% relaxing. Thank you!!
Totally. I'd put on a hour long supercut for background!
Yeah, there was some beautiful stuff there.
Would make a really nice screensaver too.
@@PhilRennie Yes!! Posy upload something like these macro shots onto wall paper engine!!
@@Vacated204 awesome. Thanks for the heads up.
@@PhilRennie oh sorry I was agreeing with you and suggesting posy make some wallpapers! he hasn’t uploaded any yet haha sorry
I really hope VFD displays gain the popularity that nixie tubes have. They deserve to live on :)
Basically the same idea, just a different form factor
If they do, their prices will skyrocket, just like nixies did
@@TheRailroad99 Nah, one is a Cold-cathode indicator with a gas filling, the other is more like a flood CRT with a hard vacuum. Not the same.
@@Puuuszzku They are still being made so maybe in a couple of years
Probably hasn't happened yet because they're still fairly common.
VFDs have a special place in my heart. That turquoise glow (And i will die on that hill with you) with splashes of other colors for different elements will always be an aesthetic that remains unmatched by today's LCD and OLED displays.
You know this kind of reminds me of Vsauce and Technology Connections in the way you take joy in everything. I love these more explorative videos where you mess with and analyze interesting machines, but not in a more analytical manner, just enjoying the process of opening these gadgets up. And the sound design and music is of course a revolution. The whole series you have here is the most artistic stuff I’ve seen in years.
He's answering questions I never asked about topics I quite frankly don't care about. But the way he presents it makes me want to explore more and more of these weird technological oddities and curiosities.
@@jassie138 Very well said. I'm in the same boat.
2:24 "The strings need the springs because the strings stretch and the spring fetch the stretch of the springs" - Posy 2023
I thought it was gonna go on until the end of the video lol
It is rare these days to find content of this quality. The camerawork, the music, the passion with which you talk about the topic. All truly fantastic stuff. I look forward to seeing more in the future!
Thank you! :)
You’re such a cool dude, love your videos and attention to detail. ☺️
@Kajan.
This feels like seeing a segment of Sesame Street but for grown ups. Really love it. I'm just discovering this channel yet and I'm a total fan already. Thank you Posy
I really love the animated messages that the Japanese units would say when you powered on or off. It was quite charming when my CD player told me “SEE YOU!” I miss that little touch when using the iPhone music app.
That gear looks gorgeous, BTW.
YAAS little things like those greetings in the most artistic VFDs are seemingly such a lost art nowadays
That's so intricately beautiful.
VFD display is really a lost art, the shear amount of engineering that goes into creating these display are remarkable.
Nowadays its replace with LCD/LEDs which yes is more efficient, but it just doesn't look and feel the same.
It's strange, LCD and LEDs if anything are more of brilliant technology, but they just don't feel the same.
I actually bought a new stereo system recent, which initially I though it has a VFD display.
On closer inspection, I discovered it’s really just a LED display with a color filter, but it looks very convincing from afar.
If I haven’t discovered it was a LED display, I would not give a second though but now it just feel abit… weird that it looks like VFD but it isn’t!
Man, I miss VFD. I absolutely love that aesthetic. Things with LED / LCD displays just look low-budget compared to proper VF displays.
Though modern lcd and oled displays are starting to have enough pixel density that you could emulate a very convincing VFD with them, and get the best of both worlds.
My new stereo receiver still has a VFD. They're disappearing but aren't gone yet!
I’m always in awe of the atmosphere you manage to create, incredible work as always
Thank almighty youtube algorithm for leading me to this channel. Just the perfect blend of visual perfectionism, asmr audio and geek content.
Как же это прекрасно!
Так жаль, что ушла эпоха таких дисплеев.
There is something great about the era where you could visually dissect things and see how they worked, teachings the mind to interrogate the world
Ничо, Тёма Кашканов воскресит :)
Posy is such an underrated CZcamsr, this is peak content
(Edit - why did this get so many likes??)
Agreed
Agreed
He's not underrated anymore. He gained more than 200k subs in Q3+Q4 2022.
Totally agree
@@graealex I saw him grow from 5k to 140k in like a bit more than a week, still i have no doubt a lot more people would really like these videos, so by that sense he's still underrated
I cringe to say it, but the Akai Yellow-Orange VFD reminds me so much of the Bladerunner movies, especially 2049. That retro-futuristic style where LEDs were uncommon, and VFDs were the way to make a beautiful user interface for anything, especially anything futuristic, I love it so much. It's such a shame that LED fake VFDs aren't used more for aesthetic things. Could give the customer different filters to customize the color palate, rather than using RGB LEDs and a convoluted programming system.
That's what I thought!!!
The switch between neon turquoise and yellow-orange was like switching between Tron: Legacy and BR2049.
Man thats exactly what it came to my mind, it feels great finding people that have same interest in thing.
Your videos feel like a calming journey to an earlier, better time - great as always and a gem on CZcams.
🎉 Hello to all watchers of the Dave's Garage channel who came here to see Posy's video of VFD displays.
If you liked this video don't forget to watch the one about segmented displays too, and subscribe to this and the Lazy Posy channel while you're at it. Thank you!
Ngl... I sleep when I watch Dave's video
I think everyone can agree that we could all use more macro photography of vintage displays in our lives set to the tune of your brilliant music!
If CZcams had an art gallery... a whole wing would be dedicated to Posy.
Love the visual style dude. And the music in this one exceptionally groovy!
I absolutely love the turquoise of old displays. I think it's because of the light-up sportswatches I used to wear as a child, the color feels so nostalgic.
This felt like watching a nature documentary, thank you.
7:20, try'na decipher what the electro-voice is singing.
"VFD - Vacuum Fluorescent Display
_(Don't you think we're lucky that)_ they're still working today"
Ahh, I couldn't quite figure out what the center parts are; feel free to chime in.
This has been quite mesmerizing for me. It's a sin for me for not having subscribed to you since the time I watched your Segmented Displays video.
Thanks so much!
I had to search for this comment after listening to the soundtrack XD, your guess sounds likely to me
His Bandcamp has the lyrics
@@Antiblue643 Oh. Oohh, silly me, I didn't notice the clickable "lyrics" link beside its track title in Bandcamp before.
Thank you!
"VFD - Vacuum Flourescent Display
It's old technology that is still working today"
His voice and amazing visuals combine to make an amazing atmosphere in his videos that’s calming and wonderful
still think these are sooooo cool. Grew up with these VFDs on EVERYTHING lol. Stereos, VCRs, DVD Players, Automobiles, Microwaves, Stoves. Everywhere. I still have a 1994 Honda Prelude w/ a VFD Tach/Speedo/Fuel/Temp Gauges. I still think it looks awesome. And still, even 30yrs later it still works (most of the time :)
Oh, the technics and devices of this era is so incomparably beautiful, stylish, intriguing! So much more than modern ones. Can't express how much I miss it all, those little screens, colours, buttons! And VFD screens, of course - LED can't substitude that vibe.
Beautiful video)
I love, no, I LOVE VFDs. They are so beautiful... I consider them the most beautiful type of display along with Nixie Tubes. I love them so much that I gradually try to replace as many other displays as possible with VFDs in my home. When I saw that you released a video about them, I quit everything, turned on the speakers and enjoyed the relaxation. Thank you for the video.
Please, never stop showing us the fascinating world of electronic displays
I saw my first VFD when I was about 11 years old. I have loved them ever since.
Watching this makes me want to listen to tracker music and synthwave all night while watching the calming glow of the lights dance
Your content is like absolutely nothing else. The music, the crystal clean audio and video. The phenomenal macro shots. Thank you for making such amazing works of visual artistry!
This channel is just so authentic, while keeping high quality. Also exudes a giant wave of positive energy.
Thank you for allowing me to dive back into my childhood! Back then, a long time ago, I simply drowned in the pleasure of looking at a display like that of an old Soviet cassette player. It was a whole world to me, and I still love the different displays, dashboards, etc. Your content is an emerald in this day and age where the crazier the content, the better.
Started watching this video as a curiosity. I grew up with these displays and thought they were all some form of LCD. Brilliant explanations into the world of VFD displays. Loved the narration, the editing, the shots and the music.
I actually could always tell the difference from an LCD and both my dad and I thought they were LEDs until I realized I never saw LED elements as tiny as VFD pixels so I figured it was something different when I got older
I absolutely love the amount of obsession in every single video on this channel.
Always amazed of his works. I stumbled upon this channel with the video why he created his own mouse pointer. Who knew that he does stuff like this. Really an amazing content creator.
Definitely go through his other videos, they're fantastic. Especially 7 segment displays and all sound is sine.
@@jceggbert5 already watched it! It's really awesome.
Once every few years the CZcams algorithm manages to outdo itself and shows me something wonderful and magical. This is exactly the channel I realised I was craving the second it was served to me.
That tape mech that ejects a lunchbox sized chunk of the system behind one of the displays is just amazing.
I love your videos, please never stop making them
The amount of effort you put in is insane.
Bot
@@hypenheimer ??? That account has a 16 year old video, this comment is also completely normal, not trying to sell anything, i highly doubt that would be a bot, i fact you sound more like a bot, how ironic would that be, a bot going around calling random people a bot
@@MrTurbo_ Yeah, I get the stupid bot replys all the time, I have no idea why as I am not a bot. It is ridiclous.
@@MrTurbo_ They commented this only 1 minute after the video was uploaded
VFDs are my favorite displays. i remember as a kid closely watching them for what must have been houres. I loved the fine detail and the slightly uneven glow
I grew up playing Little Big Planet 2 and this video/soundtrack scratched that part of my brain again. Thanks.
My first into to VFD’s was building a clock from an Adafruit kit that used an old Soviet tube. I’ve probably spent hours just looking at all the connections and the shapes of the phosphors. Truly incredible technology.
the editing on these videos is insane! the music is great too, and the fact that posy made it himself is even better! I love seeing all of the intricacies of the different components in older technology and how they work, it's really fascinating to me. I personally think that there's something quite nice about how older technology and older displays operate, even though we have all these crazy modern technologies like mini LED, OLED, foldable OLED, transparent OLED, etc. Makes me appreciate older technology more :D
This is what peak CZcams looks like. Fresh, original and pleasant to watch. Better even than asmr!
I love how you just nonchalantly whack that VFD board at 2:40
it is quite musical too!
The music in the closing sequence is absolutely incredible. Thank you.
Great video! I always thoroughly enjoy your content. The macro shots were fantastic. I love VFDs, they have fabulous contrast and a analogue look that can't be replicated. I miss seeing them instead of the bland LCDs we have now. Fun fact: VFDs are effectively triodes.
They seem to be triodes in a bit of a nonstandard configuration. Instead of varying the grid voltage to control the transconductance, they're varying the plate voltage. Essentially they're using the filament and the grid of a triode as an electron gun, and each of the fluorescent segments is turned on by applying a high positive voltage to attract those electrons. Pretty cool, I see now how closely related VFDs are to CRT displays.
I have listened to your album Flourescent almost nonstop since you published this video. I absolutely LOVE the songs. I don't have the words to explain how much I enjoy them.
This is an amazingly stylish and informative channel, I'm happy that I got it recommended by the algorithm, subscribed!
VFD screens are one of my favourite aesthetics, they work in pretty much every setting, retro, modern, cyberpunk etc.
Speaking of aesthetical displays, Nixie Tubes are pretty cool, have you ever had one? I think they're quite unique.
The dot-matrix VFDs and VFDs in general have a special place in my heart, to the point where I like to shoehorn them into my sci-fi projects. Between them, the very strange 3-color LCD you shared from that calculator, and color E-ink, I want to create the ultimate display esthetic at some point.
Man, you are the one. Combining such an art sensibility, such a capacity to blend what you want to comunicate in the way you do it, developing the visuals and the music...
This blow my mind. Congratulations.
Posy has mastered the art of B-roll footage. It is beyond pleasing to just look at the pretty pictures he takes, especially the up close PCB ones
You are an incredible videographer, musician and educator. I don't care about displays at all but I love learning about them if you talk about them. You make the topics interesting to listen to and especially watch, it's a pure bliss! Thank you for your work!
8:15 Holy hell, this really looks like a fantasy/sci-fi alien heartbeat or something! So cool
This is great. I have recently used two VFD displays in one of my videos; the look of those displays is impossible to replicate with modern LCDs and OLED displays. They are just beautiful.
And there's these car parking system's VFD HUD. I think wonderful things can be made out of these but I don't know anything about electronics. Can't even find this VFD as spare parts. There are some uncommon chiptune cartridges that brought displays as features and I honestly think that this VFD could be more than a feature.
I agree LCDs can't replace their look but I actually think with some adjustments OLEDs could look a lot like them. In 1999, Pioneer began releasing car stereos with displays known as OEL, which were basically early OLED displays, and let me tell you, many of them looked amazing. It's about implementation. OLEDs that don't look like how VFDs are don't have the glass-like covers VFDs often use in multiple layers and may not even have the same neutral density filters. Improvements in the outer design of OLEDs I think could potentially improve their looks a lot more
This man explores the most mundane technologies like he lives on a post apocalyptic world where it no longer exists
The topics, the music, the visuals, the narration. It al fits together incredibly well! Never change!
I miss 80's 90's aesthetic. Buttons, leds, flips, Everything was so unique.
I was today's years old to learn about fluctuating patterns in VFDs - *mind blown*
There is a very interesting VFD prototype of the "reverse design" mentioned of the in the December 1986 Issue of Information Display, a full-color RGB dot-trio VFD. "A 320 x 320 pixel color graphic front luminous vacuum fluorescent display (FL VFD) having a bright image that is observed from the phosphor-coated side. Display area is 7" x 48". RGB trios pitch is 0.56mm. By controlling light emitting time per dot. halftone images can be generated on the display- K. Morimoto and E. lmaizumi., Futaba Corp ., Mobara, Chiba"
That is all that's mentioned, really wish I could find a photo of it.
That would indeed be very cool! I wondered if any usable RGB matrix VFD was made. I guess not, else it would probably have been in some portable TV's at the time.
Very interesting, in Canada it's always been warm lighting until cold LEDs and CFLs became available so I've always known the VFDs to be light blue as well, never knew they were actually white!
randomly found this video and im so invested in ur whole channel now
I feel like a 6 year old boy sitting on the floor watching an educational video in class, and everything is cosy and everything is fine, and I’m looking forward to playing when I get home.
The display at 0:57 gives strong evangelion vibes.
The sheer hard work and dedication in these videos is above and beyond anything else that I have ever seen. Every single video has a perfect combination of educational content, entertainment and absolutely beautiful b-roll shots. You manage to capture palpable feelings, emotions and somehow a sense of euphoria in your videos, I don't know how to describe it, but it's pure magic!
I just bought a CDP-CX210 recently, and now I really want to get behind that front panel to see if its white display is actually blue!! I've loved VFD displays ever since I was a kid, so this video was a delight :)
VFD displays are the heart of 80s outrun & cyberpunk aesthetic.
absolutely wonderful episode - the photography is great and I share your passion for these display technologies. If people liked this, definitely check out Posy's episode on 7-segment displays!
I get so exited every time you upload. Love listening to your music and watch your content! If there's only one youtuber I would be forced to watch for the rest of my life, this would be the one!
I remember when I was a kid staring at the displays on the stereo systems at the music stores... and my own stereo at home. This video brings back so many memories
4:23 I absolutely love how this looks. So clean
This channel is always fun to watch
Your content is always some of the highest quality stuff on this site. The fact that you use no stock footage is absolutely astonishing, and shows you're passionate about this.
This man's cinematography is legendary.
It's wild that these things are literally triode tubes as well as lovely displays. You can even make an amplifier out of one. All the elements glow at the same time _but_ they also flicker with the signal. NuTubes use the same tech and are pretty neat
The thing I love about this channel is the sheer production value. From the wonderful composition to the expert cinematography to the incredible music, every video I've seen of yours has been a treat.
In fact, VFDs have a timeless charm, to be quite honest, I have a Kenwood A7 myself, with just the main module and EQ (Needs repair unfortunately), and being quite honest? These old stereos have very good sound quality, even by today's terms.
I think the only problem with this channel is the fact that it encourages me to want to buy these devices knowing that I'll have difficulties finding repair parts, that Dual MN-8010 for that matter, in addition to not being able to find it here on Brazil, if I import one, but if it breaks down, I don't think I'll be able to find parts
"even by today's terms"
ESPECIALLY by today's terms. Everything on the market now is trying to beat physics with DSP. When you bought a stereo in the 80s or 90s, its size and gauge of wires were all an honest declaration of what it was capable of. DSP is nearly magic, but it will never, ever hold a candle to a device that can just do the thing.
Oh. My. God! Although i was just a little kid in 1995, i now remember the wonderous excitement every time i powered on our home Hi-Fi system! i forgot this feeling! I always wanted to take one of those displays apart
The cassette deck at 3:15 is a Sony TC-V7 from about 1983. It was part of a modular system that included a linear tracking record player that had a similar forward-sliding mechanism for loading vinyl. Beautiful design.
Another masterpiece. The macro slider shot at 7:50 is something to be proud of!
These videos really do satisfy my urge to take something apart to see how it works, the amount of effort you put into these videos always makes the experience otherworldly.
To me there is something so classic about these displays. I’m so glad to drive a car that utilizes them. So many vehicles with unfulfilling touchscreens and a UX that feels like a complete afterthought and will undoubtedly age like milk.
watching these videos have such a hypnotic effect on me, it's so immersive
Whoa, I had no idea the edges of the phosphor was so rough. They always look so sharp.
It really is a shame VFD's aren't as cheap and durable as modern display technologies because they just look so much better.
VFDs are a work of art - as are your videos! Really enjoyed all the macro shots.
Didn't know that the different colors are mostly achieved with color filters.
I have two DIY clocks using VFD-Tubes (IV-11 & IV-18) and the soundsystem I'm using on my PC also still has a VFD (japanese brand of course) so I can admire these beauties myself.
This VFD displays mean a lot (of memories and fun) for me. I just love this tech.
Wow! What a beauty VFDs are!
Some people already articulated this below. But these videos make me feel like a 6 year old watching a Seasme Street segment. It's fascinating, and informative, and fun. I love it. And that feeling is so extremely rare at my age. Way to go, Posy. Love this stuff