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What are these guys? (odd component pictures)

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Andy1845c

Active Member
Hey, I have a few components I thought were worth sharing and getting some comments on....

#1, this guy, what exactly is he? Is it a coil of some kind? It looks on the photo like it is wound, but thats just in the plastic, the inside is smooth silver, it has "2C" on the side, thats it. It came out of an old tape deck.

**broken link removed**

#2 These are in an old desktop calculator. They are pretty cool looking. ;) Are they good for anything? Is there a name for them?

**broken link removed**

**broken link removed**

#3 These are the weirdest switches I have seen yet. Also from the calculator. The picture dosn't show them too well, but there are two metal contacts in the glass tubes that touch when the buttons are pressed down. It appears the buttons have magnets on them that close the contacts. Is there a name for these?

**broken link removed**
 
#1: looks a bit odd - I've never seen any inductors like that, but it probably is just that. I've seen capacitors that are embedded in a similar way, but that's the first kind of inductor I've seen like that.

#2: **broken link removed**
Vacuum Flourescent Display
Hey, looks like a variant of:
**broken link removed**

#3: Reed switches - They're still available and are often used in reed relays.
 
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- polystyrene capacitor

- nixie tube display

- magnetic reed switches
 
- polystyrene capacitor
definately.

- nixie tube display ...... well, i would say small flourescent numicators,
they have small filaments above the indicators, don't know their proper
name, but i dont think they're called nixie tubes.

- magnetic reed switches
definately
 
Curiously ive never seen them with the extra middle leg ...
i wonder if its independant, i have some somewhere,
i think i will have a look at them, just in case mine have it too.
Interesting.

John :)
 
#2 is definitly not a nixie tube. As was first stated looks like an old Vacuum Florescant display.
 
A nixie tube has 10 cathodes, each in the shape of a digit. A nixie tube does not have the obvious 7 segments as can be seen in pics calc1 and calc2.
 
I had a look at my ones ....
they dont have an extra bit on the side, i feel a bit cheated now.
And mine are upside down, with only one filament wire.
But i have tried mine, and they work quite well, a nice green display.
The glowing parts are anodes.
The filament is also the cathode,
a separate cathode would be in the way visually.

I still haven't found their proper name.

John :)
 

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The 7 segment displys are pre the LED area and i think that these are the low voltage vacuum fluorescent displays.
These were common in the late 70's type calculators after the Nixie tube stage.
These have a type of heater element in them , similar displays were also used as VU meters on earlier type of tape decks.
These have a light bluish glow or apple green.

That silvery thing with the two legs is a capacitor, comes from older >20 Year appliances, don't know the exact type.

The green glass tubes are defenitely reed switches.
the magnet will close the contacts and the contact is closed.
 
I found this page: http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/calculator_displays.html

Which has a section on "Vacuum Flourescent Displays" (VFDs)
and that would appear to be the proper name for these devices.
The early ones had an extra short segment to make the fours look better.
Those ones with that extra bit were the first generation of that type,
i presume that the seven segment display became more familiar after a
while, and the extra bit was discontinued.

So they are called VFDs.
As has already been mentioned.
I had thought that term, VFD only referred to the multi function display
units like in old VCRs, but apparently it also refers to the individual
seven segment display devices.

John :)
 
Nixie tubes are only neon-red, with varrying shades of orange attributable to differing amounts of added mercury. If it's green it's an early VFD
 
I failed to notice the 7 segments, but heck I still say it's a Nixie tube no matter what. What I say goes and I have a big magnum rifle and lots of bullets to back that up. Wanna argue some more? :rolleyes: ;)
 
HiTech said:
I failed to notice the 7 segments, but heck I still say it's a Nixie tube no matter what. What I say goes and I have a big magnum rifle and lots of bullets to back that up. Wanna argue some more? :rolleyes: ;)

Need to be a LOT bigger than a Magnum to make it right over the Atlantic! :D
 
:D And watch out for the cowboys HiTech. . . Yee-Haw!;)
 
wait i minute--- I forgot that I don't need the magnum rifle when I can reach through this monitor and slap away!:D ;)
 
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