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Display & Counting Circuits

Over the past 60 years, a truly staggering array of devices have been used to do one thing: convert computer information into a visual readout that's meaningful to a human operator. This section is a collection of various approaches to achieving that goal.

Beckman Neon Column Counter

Before the invention of the Nixie tube, manufacturers came up with various clumsy ways to display numeric data electronically. This Beckman counter module shows one popular solution, output is displayed on a row of ten neon bulbs behind a digit shaped mask. Counting is performed by four 5963 tubes wired into a binary counter circuit, which drives the individual neon bulbs. The 5963 tubes are not present in this example, but in normal operation would have been plugged into a row of sockets in the rear of the module. Though somewhat bulky in appearance, these modules have enjoyed modest popularity among modern day collectors as they can be used to build reasonably accurate all-tube counters with little effort, and are much better documented than the rather more attractive beam switching tube counters shown below. Beckman Counter Schematic (GIF) [View Detail]

Burroughs DC106A

The DC106A is an all-tube decade counter module manufactured by Burroughs. The core of the device is a BD-301 magnetic beam switching tube, which uses a hollow cylindrical magnet to guide an electron beam around a ring of target electrodes in a controlled sequence. The magnetic beam switching tube directly drives a B-5092 nixie tube, which displays the current value by ionizing number-shaped cathodes. The interface and control hardware consists of a 5963 and a 6189 (both computer-rated dual triodes), several neon bulbs, and a large matrix of resistors and capacitors. The entire module appears bulky to the point of being ridiculous; nonetheless it was a significant improvement, both in speed and readability, compared the 'dekatron' style glow transfer counters it was designed to replace. [View Detail]

Burroughs 101P479

The Burroughs 101P479 programmer is a fantastically rare Beam-X circuit which functions as the primary control and display unit in a Xerox 2400, the world's first high-volume photocopier. The 101P479 controls the number of copies being made, and calculates the billable cost on a sliding scale. The 101P479 dates from 1965, and is equipped with five Beam-X Switch magnetic beam switching tubes and several early transistors. Unfortunately, this device has seen better days. All of the Beam-X tubes have significant corrosion on their mu shields, and several other components show signs of significant exposure to the elements. Depsite this, the circuit board itself appears to be in perfect condition, and everything appears intact and likely functional. However, the interface in the rear of the device is somewhat daunting; it will take more examination before the programmer is seen in operation. [View Detail]

Burroughs BIP-8408

The Burroughs BIP-8408 is a solid state 8-line +12V BCD converter, designed to drive the popular B5991/8422 rectangular Nixie tube. The BIP-8408 features 10 GE 3N83 silicon-controlled bistable switches, which provide a latching memory function. Such devices were quickly superceded by the popular BIPCO line of integrated driver sockets, which have similar features in a package a fraction of the size. The display shown here is built from four BIP-8408 modules, four 8422 Nixie tubes, and a BEZ59-4 anodized aluminum bezel, a configuration which sold for $172.00 in 1968, when purchased in bulk quantities. [View Detail]

Burroughs 'BIPCO' BIP-8001
	This is a presumably early example of Burroughs' BIPCO line of integrated Nixie drivers, a series of latching decoders based around unusual glassivated silicon controlled switches. The vast majority of BIPCO devices are built directly into oversized socket packages, but the rare BIP-8001 features a stand-alone integrated device and a host of inversely mounted Motorola transistors. [View Detail]

Burroughs 'BIPCO' BIP-8xxx Series

Devices included in this entry: Burroughs BIP-8262P decoder/driver (13-pin hybrid piggyback socket) Burroughs BIP-8521P decoder/driver (13-pin hybrid piggyback socket) Burroughs BIP-8806-2 decoder/driver (13-pin hybrid piggyback socket; pictured in thumbnail) The Burroughs 'BIPCO' BIP-8xxx series is a family of compact, ruggedized hybrid integrated circuit modules which perform various flavors of BCD conversion for the Burroughs 8422 and B-59956 compact end-view rectangular Nixie tubes. The BIP-8xxx modules are noteworthy for their compactness and piggyback socket design. Burroughs BIP-8804-1 & BIP-8804-2 Datasheet Burroughs BIP-8806-1 & BIP-8806-2 Datasheet Burroughs BIP-8211P & BIP-8507P Datasheet Burroughs BIP-8224P & BIP-8229P Datasheet [View Detail]

Burroughs 'BIPCO' BIP-9203
	Unlike most BIPCO sockets, the rare BIP-9203 is designed for use with the ultra-miniature Burroughs B-4998 rectangular Nixie tube. [View Detail]

Hewlett-Packard Photoresistive BCD Counters
	The Series 648 is one of several similar display modules manufactured by HP for the 5245L electronic counter and other related instruments. HP's highly unique BCD decoder design consists of an arrangement of photoresistors and neon lamps, which drive a Burroughs 8422/B5991 nixie. [View Detail]

Hyde Park 3-Digit Display
	This is an 8422-based display which resembles the BIP-8404 display pictured above, but with Hyde Park decoder boards (7441 TTL) instead of transistor drivers like the Burroughs modules. Examples of this display may be equipped with Burroughs 8422 / B-5991 nixies, or with National 5991 equivalents. [View Detail]

Unknown Mfr. 8-Digit Display
	Modular TTL-driven display with Burroughs B5870 side-viewing nixies. Each nixie is mounted on its own removable card with an attached 7441 driver IC. [View Detail]

Dialco Single Digit LED Module (Unknown P/N)

Manufactured by Dialco, this archaic-looking device is an early example of a single digit LED display module using a tiny FND-10 LED display. An attached PCB includes a 7448 BCD to 7-segment decoder and current limiting resistors. FND-10 displays are so small as to be practically unreadable; in an attempt to counteract this, Dialco has mounted a large removable magnifier on the front of the module. [View Detail]

Monsanto MDA111 Display Module

A rare part indeed, the MDA111 is a first-generation fully alphanumeric LED display module. The heart of the MDA111 is the Mostek 2302, a six-bit character generator ROM in which all of the bitmaps for the ASCII characters have been encoded. The 2302 drives a Monsanto MAN-2 5x7 bitmapped LED display, which is generally considered to be the first 5x7 LED display made available to the public. A constellation of transistors interfaces the MAN-2 to the 2302, and several other integrated circuits provide clock and buffering logic. The market viability of such a complex device was short lived; within a few years displays like the HPDL-1414 became available, in which the complex driver electronics of the MDA111 have been condensed into a single die and incorporated into the diode package itself. [View Detail]

Burroughs 2709 1800
	Even Burroughs eventually succumbed to the silicon invasion, producing displays such as this 16-digit display with TI LEDs and TTL drivers. [View Detail]

Texas Instruments T10
	Unlike companies such as Burroughs who were forced to adapt to the LED onslaught, TI was solid state from the ground up and a significant contributor to the Nixie tube's downfall. This is a T10 (or is it a TI0?) two-digit display module with TIL-311 smart displays and some sort of integrated driver. [View Detail]

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