Build an electroluminescent glass panel display -- an Apollo DSKY

TL;DR

The creator built custom electroluminescent displays for Apollo guidance computers using screen printing, high voltage drivers, and retro materials.

Transcript

today and Applied Science we're going to show you how I built these custom electroluminescent displays these are made from a pane of glass and the segments are defined by screen printing and then I have a high voltage driver to make the electroluminescent display work these happen to be a replica of the disc II the dsk Y from the Apollo program so ... Read More

Key Insights

• 💻 The project aimed to create custom electroluminescent displays for Apollo guidance computers.
• ⚡ The displays were made using screen printing and high voltage drivers, using materials from the time of the Apollo program.
• 😀 The project faced challenges with bugs, mechanical construction, and voltage undershoot.

Questions & Answers

Q: What materials were used to create the custom electroluminescent displays?

The displays were made from a pane of glass with segments defined by screen printing using conductive ink. The common electrode was created using conductive epoxy with a wire on top.

Q: Why did the creator choose to use materials from the time of the Apollo program?

The purpose of the project was to stay true to the materials used during the Apollo program, as there were no modern alternatives like LEDs or LCDs at that time.

Q: What was the most difficult part of the project?

The most difficult part was the board bring-up due to high voltages involved. However, the challenge was not in arcing, but in dealing with voltage undershoot and protecting the circuit from blowing out.

Q: How did the creator overcome the voltage undershoot problem?

The creator changed the drive pattern to drive the common and segment electrodes out of phase, ensuring that the voltage never crossed zero and avoided the undershoot issue.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The creator built custom electroluminescent displays for Apollo guidance computers using screen printing and high voltage drivers.

• The purpose of the project was to learn new techniques and use materials from the time of the Apollo program.

• The project faced challenges with bugs and mechanical construction, and the creator documented everything on Github.