8 May
1998
8 May
'98
4:20 a.m.
On Fri, 8 May 1998 Philip.Belben(a)powertech.co.uk wrote:
Some years ago, when I was secondary school
(grade|high school), someone
donated two calculators which sat on a side table in the school computer
room. One was a nice but not that rare wind-the-handle Facit. The
other was more modern and electronic.
The electronic one was interesting mainly for its display. It was
fluorescent (greenish digits sealed in a long glass tube), but not
7-segment. Instead, there were (I think) nine segments, all of strange
curly shapes, which made up digits much easier to read than the angular,
blocky, 7-segment types. But I can no longer remember how these were
arranged, nor even any details like the manufacturer of the calculator.
These are called "Nixie Tubes". But don't ask me much more about it. I
just know what they're called. I have at least one nixie-tube calculator
(I think, gotta go check) and had a chance to get one the other day at a
thrift shop but it was priced too much for me. When I changed my mind and
went back to get it, it was gone :(
Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
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