Mark - Option 001 for the HP-5803B GPSDO featured a 12-character (alphanumeric) Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD). It appears to have been a custom VFD for HP / Agilent (Colons used in time display). http://www.leapsecond.com/museum/hp58503a/097-58503-13-iss-1.pdf Noritake Itron Corp. (Ise Electronics Corp.) of Japan invented the VFD technology in 1967. Noritake, Newhaven, Futaba, Samsung, and a Chinese mfg. are the 5 major mfg. Three of these companies have their North American HQ offices here in Chicago area. Futaba in Schaumburg http://www.futaba.co.jp/en/display/vfd/lineup.html Noritake Itron Company in Arlington Heights https://www.noritake-elec.com/ Newhaven Display in Elgin Company is more of an East Asian importer, but handles custom runs. http://www.newhavendisplay.com/vfd-c-586.html VFD do have a finite life, and darken as they age. Samsung states 30,000 hours to reach it 80% level (brightness). You stated your unit has 83,000 hours. DOUBLE CHECK DC Power and electrolytic capacitors associated with circuit, this has been known issue with commercial consumer appliances with VFD. The mfg. date on your unit may have been during "bad caps" decade. greg w9gb == > I recently got in an HP-58503B GPSDO from a local equipment liquidation auction. > The unit has 83,000 hours of run time. I think it was last powered up in 2013. > > The display (VFD) is a bit dim and blotchy. > Does anybody have a replacement display that would look better? > - Mark -- Sent from iPad Air

On a (slightly) related note, I have a Futaba DRO on my milling machine. The VFD display, as you mention, had grown very dark from being left on constantly. As it was a simple display with 6 7 segment digits, conversion to LED was actually pretty easy. It took about 4 hours one Sunday afternoon. There are a couple of indicators on the display as well, but they are not used on my model, however, I could have replaced them with a single LED and silhouette easily enough. The process was pull the display, pull the display drivers, replace the drivers with some header plugs that pass input to output, send the output to a display board where they go to a pair of 74AHCxxx buffers (inverting iirc), which then directly drive a pair of three digit common cathode LED displays. Bob KI2L On Tue, May 9, 2017 at 3:42 PM, Gregory Beat <w9gb@icloud.com> wrote: > Mark - > > Option 001 for the HP-5803B GPSDO > featured a 12-character (alphanumeric) Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD). > It appears to have been a custom VFD for HP / Agilent (Colons used in time > display). > http://www.leapsecond.com/museum/hp58503a/097-58503-13-iss-1.pdf > > Noritake Itron Corp. (Ise Electronics Corp.) of Japan invented the VFD > technology in 1967. Noritake, Newhaven, Futaba, Samsung, and a Chinese > mfg. are the 5 major mfg. > Three of these companies have their North American HQ offices here in > Chicago area. > > Futaba in Schaumburg > http://www.futaba.co.jp/en/display/vfd/lineup.html > > Noritake Itron Company in Arlington Heights > https://www.noritake-elec.com/ > > Newhaven Display in Elgin > Company is more of an East Asian importer, but handles custom runs. > http://www.newhavendisplay.com/vfd-c-586.html > > VFD do have a finite life, and darken as they age. Samsung states 30,000 > hours to reach it 80% level (brightness). You stated your unit has 83,000 > hours. > DOUBLE CHECK DC Power and electrolytic capacitors associated with circuit, > this has been known issue with commercial consumer appliances with VFD. > The mfg. date on your unit may have been during "bad caps" decade. > > greg > w9gb > == > > I recently got in an HP-58503B GPSDO from a local equipment liquidation > auction. > > The unit has 83,000 hours of run time. I think it was last powered up > in 2013. > > > > The display (VFD) is a bit dim and blotchy. > > Does anybody have a replacement display that would look better? > > - Mark > -- > Sent from iPad Air > _______________________________________________ > time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/ > mailman/listinfo/time-nuts > and follow the instructions there. >

I've read about people making a replacement using a large LCD graphic screen. A micro controller reads the data lines going to the old display and draws characters on the modern screen. Not total rocket science to implement but still it would easier to buy try the easy fixes first (check cap, transistors and such or even buy a "for parts not working " unit from eBay. But the only units do look nice with a new cell phone screen On Tue, May 9, 2017 at 12:42 PM, Gregory Beat <w9gb@icloud.com> wrote: > Mark - > > Option 001 for the HP-5803B GPSDO > featured a 12-character (alphanumeric) Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD). > It appears to have been a custom VFD for HP / Agilent (Colons used in time > display). > http://www.leapsecond.com/museum/hp58503a/097-58503-13-iss-1.pdf > > Noritake Itron Corp. (Ise Electronics Corp.) of Japan invented the VFD > technology in 1967. Noritake, Newhaven, Futaba, Samsung, and a Chinese > mfg. are the 5 major mfg. > Three of these companies have their North American HQ offices here in > Chicago area. > > Futaba in Schaumburg > http://www.futaba.co.jp/en/display/vfd/lineup.html > > Noritake Itron Company in Arlington Heights > https://www.noritake-elec.com/ > > Newhaven Display in Elgin > Company is more of an East Asian importer, but handles custom runs. > http://www.newhavendisplay.com/vfd-c-586.html > > VFD do have a finite life, and darken as they age. Samsung states 30,000 > hours to reach it 80% level (brightness). You stated your unit has 83,000 > hours. > DOUBLE CHECK DC Power and electrolytic capacitors associated with circuit, > this has been known issue with commercial consumer appliances with VFD. > The mfg. date on your unit may have been during "bad caps" decade. > > greg > w9gb > == > > I recently got in an HP-58503B GPSDO from a local equipment liquidation > auction. > > The unit has 83,000 hours of run time. I think it was last powered up > in 2013. > > > > The display (VFD) is a bit dim and blotchy. > > Does anybody have a replacement display that would look better? > > - Mark > -- > Sent from iPad Air > _______________________________________________ > time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/ > mailman/listinfo/time-nuts > and follow the instructions there. > -- Chris Albertson Redondo Beach, California

If you're looking for a modern display screen that is easy to interface to and drop-dead beautiful, check out the OLED modules. But on-life is extremely limited, often after one or two years defects become visible - not for an always-on application. Tim N3QE Sent from my VAX-11/780 > On May 9, 2017, at 4:21 PM, Chris Albertson <albertson.chris@gmail.com> wrote: > > I've read about people making a replacement using a large LCD graphic > screen. A micro controller reads the data lines going to the old display > and draws characters on the modern screen. Not total rocket science to > implement but still it would easier to buy try the easy fixes first (check > cap, transistors and such or even buy a "for parts not working " unit from > eBay. But the only units do look nice with a new cell phone screen > >> On Tue, May 9, 2017 at 12:42 PM, Gregory Beat <w9gb@icloud.com> wrote: >> >> Mark - >> >> Option 001 for the HP-5803B GPSDO >> featured a 12-character (alphanumeric) Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD). >> It appears to have been a custom VFD for HP / Agilent (Colons used in time >> display). >> http://www.leapsecond.com/museum/hp58503a/097-58503-13-iss-1.pdf >> >> Noritake Itron Corp. (Ise Electronics Corp.) of Japan invented the VFD >> technology in 1967. Noritake, Newhaven, Futaba, Samsung, and a Chinese >> mfg. are the 5 major mfg. >> Three of these companies have their North American HQ offices here in >> Chicago area. >> >> Futaba in Schaumburg >> http://www.futaba.co.jp/en/display/vfd/lineup.html >> >> Noritake Itron Company in Arlington Heights >> https://www.noritake-elec.com/ >> >> Newhaven Display in Elgin >> Company is more of an East Asian importer, but handles custom runs. >> http://www.newhavendisplay.com/vfd-c-586.html >> >> VFD do have a finite life, and darken as they age. Samsung states 30,000 >> hours to reach it 80% level (brightness). You stated your unit has 83,000 >> hours. >> DOUBLE CHECK DC Power and electrolytic capacitors associated with circuit, >> this has been known issue with commercial consumer appliances with VFD. >> The mfg. date on your unit may have been during "bad caps" decade. >> >> greg >> w9gb >> == >>> I recently got in an HP-58503B GPSDO from a local equipment liquidation >> auction. >>> The unit has 83,000 hours of run time. I think it was last powered up >> in 2013. >>> >>> The display (VFD) is a bit dim and blotchy. >>> Does anybody have a replacement display that would look better? >>> - Mark >> -- >> Sent from iPad Air >> _______________________________________________ >> time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com >> To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/ >> mailman/listinfo/time-nuts >> and follow the instructions there. >> > > > > -- > > Chris Albertson > Redondo Beach, California > _______________________________________________ > time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts > and follow the instructions there.