Xpantastic!

I think John was correct about difficulty in spacing if anything were put on top of what's already there, even if an adaptor board/new display replaced the old VFD glass envelope.  I'd have to really open my M12 up to speak any more intelligently about it, but electronically it may actually be EASIER to bypass the 4028->6118 VFD driver chips (then no HV involved).  It's a bigger replacement, but I think a form-factor-identical replacement board to the original display board would be no harder/easier to create than an adaptor board, and you'd have the most physical leeway because there would be no "squeezing" of space required.
 
The VFDs on ebay seemed to have a built-in electonics, including HV supply.  I wonder what would be better, another modern VFD or LEDs.  I've got to believe that the LEDs would last longer (another 50 years maybe? :)), but they'd have the "LED look"....

--- On Mon, 8/4/08, envia94 <akva@...> wrote:

From: envia94 <akva@...>
Subject: [xpantastic] Re: Noritake displays on ebay
To: xpantastic@yahoogroups.com
Date: Monday, August 4, 2008, 11:11 PM






... and, get all the signals from there where the current display pins. ... On the other hand, it 
might be wise to pass-by as many old components as possible in order to replace them 
completely with a new and thus more reliable (I hope) display driver system. The old displays 
might even be left untouched and feed the new display system from a connector on the back 
panel, for example.

--- In xpantastic@yahoogro ups.com, "envia94" <akva@...> wrote:
>
> Couldn't the new FPGA-based display board sit right on top, where the current display is. 
> Then, you'd just need to replace the display. I would not mind even removing the glass in 
> order to get more space for the new display.
>