strange remark about your collection?

numeric-only calcualtor? TGhey are _totally_ different. The Panaplex type are neon discharge units. You apply a high votlag e (around 150-200V) with a suitable limiting resisotr between the naonne and cathode, the cathode then effecveily glows. that's the simple version, in practice you sequenct the anodes, conenting each oen to HT+ i nturn (to selet each digit i nturn) and effectively ground the approriate cathodes (segmetns) to illuminate them. The VF displays are more like directly eacted triode valves and work at much lower votlages, around 30V. They are vacuum devices ,no gas to ionise. There's a filmanet across the fornt of the device, you power this by about 3V _AC_. If you use DC, the difference in votlage between the ends of the filmnet will mean some digits are brighter than others. For each digit there's a cotnrol grid. You use this to enable/disable each digit in turn. Often, it's run with+ve bias (unlike most valves) to acct as ann accellerators when the digit is enables. The segments are the anods, adn are phosphor-coated. Whe na digit is eelcted, you connect +30V (wet the centre tap of the AC supply to the filament) to those anodes you want ot glow. Most VCRs did, indeed, use VF displays. It apperas some DVD recorders still do (!). -tony