VFD Filament Driver Circuit

Don't give up! I spent the last 3 years troubleshooting this circuit with an LM4871 chip with the goal of supplying a low voltage alternating square wave current across the filament of vacuum fluorescent displays. Spoiler alert: it was the addition of a single 10Ω resistor to lower the voltage from ~5V down to ~3.3V.

Teensy-Controlled Vacuum Fluorescent Display: Step-by-step

I'm recording in pictures the steps I'm taking to power and control this Yamaha Futaba vfd I removed from an old entertainment system.

Several Vacuum Fluorescent Displays

I have found, scavenged, and lit up four vacuum fluorescent display now, and look forward to many more. I find them beautiful both in the quality of their light and the complexity and fragile appearance of their circuitry.

Vacuum Fluorescent Display Adventures

I found an old 1986 microwave up the street to take apart. My favorite part to salvage from microwaves is the turntable motor but this one had a very special numerical display. I could see it wasn't your usual LED display but is encased in glass and filled with interesting metal plates and fine filaments.