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Great video. Seeing what it looks like inside with the phosphor and the mask was so enlightening. I also recently watched the one by Technology Connections, whi

by Sakos 2y ago

Great video. Seeing what it looks like inside with the phosphor and the mask was so enlightening. I also recently watched the one by Technology Connections, which was quite good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4UgZBs7ZGo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4UgZBs7ZGo I feel like I have a much better basic understanding of CRTs now. They felt like utter magic before. Now it just feels a bit like magic. The only thing that still confuses me is how the electron gun itself actually works. I don't really get how electrons are being shot at all and why we can shoot them in a beam.

emchammer 2y ago
Think of the electrons not as being shot, but as being boiled off a cathode where there are a lot of them, and then suddenly they find themselves attracted to an anode which has nothing blocking them from reaching it.
- willis936 2y ago
  Don't think of the bullet as being shot, but as being released and finding itself attracted to a low pressure space with nothing blocking it from reaching it. ;)
Cerium 2y ago
The basic idea is you have a source of electrons and a way to get at least some of them going where you want. A simple way to do this is to have a hot charged filament (source of electrons) and a plate with a hole to attract them. Check out a google image search for "electron gun schematic" to get a better idea.
- MisterTea 2y ago
  You can also build a glow discharge gun and use an aperture which is way simpler than a hot cathode.
Bluecobra 2y ago
One thing that I still find magical is vector graphics on a CRT, even when playing games like Asteroids or Lunar Lander. AFAIK there is no way for any other display to replicate the intensity of vector graphics, except on a real CRT. It would be a sad day when they eventually die off.
- drivers99 2y ago
  Maybe not the same thing but you could do something similar with a lasers and I'll let this random video I just looked up show how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsaYcX5aIac https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsaYcX5aIac Looks like there are some commercial products like that as well.

by Sakos 2y ago

emchammer 2y ago

Think of the electrons not as being shot, but as being boiled off a cathode where there are a lot of them, and then suddenly they find themselves attracted to an anode which has nothing blocking them from reaching it.

willis936 2y ago
Don't think of the bullet as being shot, but as being released and finding itself attracted to a low pressure space with nothing blocking it from reaching it. ;)

Cerium 2y ago

The basic idea is you have a source of electrons and a way to get at least some of them going where you want. A simple way to do this is to have a hot charged filament (source of electrons) and a plate with a hole to attract them. Check out a google image search for "electron gun schematic" to get a better idea.

MisterTea 2y ago
You can also build a glow discharge gun and use an aperture which is way simpler than a hot cathode.

Bluecobra 2y ago

One thing that I still find magical is vector graphics on a CRT, even when playing games like Asteroids or Lunar Lander. AFAIK there is no way for any other display to replicate the intensity of vector graphics, except on a real CRT. It would be a sad day when they eventually die off.

drivers99 2y ago
Maybe not the same thing but you could do something similar with a lasers and I'll let this random video I just looked up show how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsaYcX5aIac https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsaYcX5aIac Looks like there are some commercial products like that as well.