On Sep 16, 2023, at 11:52 AM, Shoppa, Tim via cctalk
<cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
Not quite computer tech but I figure this is the best place to ask:
Does anyone recognize the display tech that was used on the Concorde's in-cabin
display?
Examples:
https://samchui.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/CON15.jpg
https://samchui.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/CON16.jpg
The display had fully-formed digits and letters, and showed either Mach and Feet, or Temp
and MPH. Some pictures show the display in green and others show it in orange - which of
course were popular monochrome CRT colors, yet the display looks too "flat" to
be a couple CRT's. Those colors were also popular for Electroluminiscent displays
which matches the evident "flatness" but I'm not sure I've seen any
EL's with fully formed digits like this with no visible segmentation?
I want to guess it was individual digits back-projected - which was a popular
control-theater display tech at the end of the 20th century - but I can't rule out,
say, really well-done edge-lit character plates. In any event there doesn't seem to be
any visible jitter up and down between digits that I might expect with either of those
technologies.
I would make the same guess. They look a bit like the IEE "In line display"
numeric projection displays that were popular in the 1960s. I have a couple, they are
very nice high quality (very readable) numeric displays using a set of mini-projectors
each with its own incandescent lamp to project a digit onto a frosted glass (or plastic)
screen.
https://www.industrialalchemy.org/articleview.php?item=511
The Concorde displays are not those exact units but they may well use the same technology,
or perhaps even use a custom-made variant.
paul