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Beautiful Display

A 9 segment hand-written font LED display based on the tube DG 1 2B

eduardoEduardo
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  • Description
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  • Components 3
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  • Logs 4
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  • Fran Blanch - The Most Beautiful Digital Display I
researching project
hardware
led display Segment DISPLAY tube DG 1 2B DG12B 9 segment BULB Valve

This project was created on 09/01/2021 and last updated 4 years ago.

Description

Just a Beautiful 9 segment hand-written font LED display based on the tube DG 1 2B.

The inspiration comes from Fran Blanch in a video about the Sharp Compet 18 calculator from 1969 on which can be seen this gorgeous displays.

No more displays with this design has been made since then... There is where start the idea of make a modern recreation of this design.

This is just a test board, are ideas about a watch face in a future.

Components

  • 11 × LED 0603 Ice Blue
  • 11 × Resistor 0603 1K
  • 1 × Header 12 Pin

Project Logs
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  • Assembly

    Eduardo • 10/31/2021 at 13:31 • 0 comments

  • Display Screen

    Eduardo • 09/02/2021 at 12:37 • 0 comments

  • PCB

    Eduardo • 09/02/2021 at 00:12 • 0 comments

  • Source images

    Eduardo • 09/01/2021 at 23:56 • 0 comments

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Ken Yap wrote 09/29/2021 at 11:58 • point

I think I understand where you are coming from. The title of your project indicates that you are attracted to the caligraphic font, whereas my goal was simply to show that 7 is not the minimum number of segments required. Here's a suggestion: Rather than making a small display, make your digits large, say 10 cm or more tall. A thermometer or clock with such huge digits would really catch attention and get people talking. So the skill required is probably woodworking, not 3D printing.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Eduardo wrote 09/29/2021 at 20:16 • point

Yhea, you are right, but not only the aesthetics, also that uses more segments for the same, even one its exclusive for a single number, its that use of all the resources that are needed and not only the cost-effectiveness.

My purpose at long term its made a bed clock, thats why I made it small, also most of the uses of this by other people gonna be substitute a standard 7 segment display. Also I don't like big displays, its not my style...

But at 10cm would be way easier for me print it...

  Are you sure? yes | no

Ken Yap wrote 09/27/2021 at 22:49 • point

That font was the inspiration for my reduced version in #6 segments suffice Looking forward to seeing your LED replica.

A pity about the half-height zero. Anyway the 7-segment font is entrenched now.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Eduardo wrote 09/28/2021 at 15:57 • point

Da fuck... Another human really cares about this!?

I need to say that I check up your project when I was making my initial research, but don't call my attention because I saw your idea as a lazy execution. Don't get me wrong, 29 projects and >100 folowers its something to be envious of.

Yhea, the zero dilemma... I read you smashing your brain with the character recognition problem. But when you analyse the font you realize that this was already think, its really art, its balanced in the best way possible, maybe not the one that you like but... 

Lets be clear, in that time they don't have typographic, or almost no was so extended, people on that time still write letters by hand, and calligraphy was a thing... When you write by hand its usual that all the characters have font variations, and those characters that are similar (like O and 0) was usually confused.

This problem leads to a variety of solutions, one of them is cross a bar in the zero: 0̷, but also was usual make a small zero: ໐, because in comparison with the caligrafic character "o" have a huge difference.

Not only that, the four slash zero digit on segments displays instead of the six one was already a thing before.

So thats the answer, this display was focused to make calculators, so gonna be continuously read while someone gonna handwriting the results on a paper, that's why the font its handwritten like, and why they chose that solution for the zero, because in their time was clear and still beautiful, and also explains why not was made big displays with this font.

If really brothers you, i can say you that I was already working for a neat modern solution on this problem, and find something that might work, but adding two extra segments only for one digit (not the most balanced solution...), and develop it really grind my gears with autocad and push to the limit any FDM 3D printer...

I have the prototype already working, but I have light leak issues, until I get rid of them doesn't worth explore that way (more segments, more leaks...).

Precisely what calls my attention its that I always see the 7 segment display as the limit of the human readable digit recognition, they was made to balance the cost-effectiveness and to be easily readable, but never was the most optimum solution.

I mean, they are just economically entrenched, their use its on decay, with other displays technologies getting extremely cheap this LED segment display technology only gonna survive with more expensive and higher quality variations.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Ken Yap wrote 09/28/2021 at 22:02 • point

Exactly, technology has already solved the issue of the number of segments. With high resolution matrix displays your can have any font you want, any size. Segment displays will only survive on basic equipment.

  Are you sure? yes | no

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