--- woodelf <bfranchuk at jetnet.ab.ca> wrote: The picture tubes themselves aren't different from the raster scan monitors. The yokes and deflection circuits are what's different. I do believe that there are some aftermarket deflection boards available intended to repair the abysmal Ampliphone color vector monitors used in some Atari vector games. -Ian

Hi, Up until a few years ago I used to collect arcade machines too. Vector monitors weren't exactly scarce, but weren't *that* difficult to come by either. "Wells Gardner" (sp?) seem to be the main manufacturer of these, at least for Atari (and possibly Cinematronics?) machines. Depends how you do it. If you were to convert a raster monitor to a vector one by replacing the drive electronics there would be no problem at all (though it would be a pretty big job). But I personally wouldn't consider doing it any other way. Converting an LCD flat panel in this manner though would probably be nigh on impossible. TTFN - Pete.

--- der Mouse <mouse at rodents.montreal.qc.ca> wrote: Most (all?) larger screen vector displays are magnetically deflected, like the ones in video games, Vectrex game consoles, etc. Electrostatic tubes are common in 'scopes though. -Ian

No, not strictly. But when it comes to moving large distances fast, I'd rather be driving electrostatic than magnetic, partly because the capacitor formed by deflection plates stores less energy than the inductor formed by a deflection yoke, partly because I'd rather have to generate a current spike than a voltage spike. /~\ The ASCII der Mouse \ / Ribbon Campaign X Against HTML mouse at rodents.montreal.qc.ca / \ Email! 7D C8 61 52 5D E7 2D 39 4E F1 31 3E E8 B3 27 4B

Some vector displays use electrostatic deflection, some use magnetic. The DEC VR14 (and IIRC VR12, VR17) all use magnetic deflection. I think the HP1311 etc were electrostatic, but I would have to pull covers to check. Gettting down to smaller units, the Vectrex was certainly magnetic. The HP9100 calcualtor (if that counts) is electrostatic If you use magntic deflection, you need to drive the coils from a current source (since it's the current that determines the magnetic field, which in turn determines the deflection of the beam), and said current source needs to have a pretty high output voltage to overcome the back-emf from said coils when you rapidly change the position of the beam (==change the current through the coil). The problem with electrostatic deflection is that you need a special CRT (A TV tupe doesn't have the defleciton plates) and you have problems getting a large deflection angle if you want to keep the relationship between applied volatage and defleciton linear. That means your CRT will be very long from front to back (think of the typical old 'scope CRT, where linearity is obviously very important. It's perhaps 18" from base to screen for a 6" diameter screen). -tony

On Saturday 16 June 2007 10:08, der Mouse wrote: Puttin' em on the outside won't work, eh? -- Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and ablest -- form of life in this section of space, ?a critter that can be killed but can't be tamed. ?--Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters" - Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James M Dakin