TV Cameras, displays, screens, applications

I had the opportunity to conduct a series of photographs when I participated in the fair Bourget in 1973. (A few days before the crash of the TU-144)

I propose to make the journey in 1973.

Some of the screen shots have been done in other occasions. Be forgiving on the quality of the documents, because at the time, I worked with the 25 ASA / ISO. And as we see many machines used for aerial surveillance, they were placed in the darkness. (Flicker decreases when the brightness / lighting decreases)


Some photos are blurred, but they can still be of interest ...

Keyboard and screen machines

You will see keyboards, B & W or color monitors , completes consoles connected to computers (Unitel, Schlumberger, ADDS, Sintra, Raytheon PTS-100, Thomson TVT) a Teletype, a gender sensitive tablet screen ...


to see keyboard-screen machines

Monitors (display)

To view the images (from cameras or computers), it was screens that used to be called at the time 'Monitor'. There were several types:
* 625 TV scan lines, 819 lines and 1029 lines (already in the HD)
* Scanning jumper or vectorial as can be seen in the 'radar' section. Basically black and white.

But it had just been put on the market 2 new technologies vector color: One was using special tubes with 2 guns (and thus 2 separate deviation blocks), the other uses the principle of penetration into 2 layers of different color phosphorus. For this was on the commutation of EHT ... And the deviation of electronic beams depend on the speed of electrons (hence their acceleration) should correct the deviation depending on the color. [Depending on the penetration of electron-due to the EHV-electrons incited a layer or the other. Hence color green-yellow-orange-red] A real gas plant!


See these monitors

See also 'radar' section

Cameras of the era 1973

Genre camera anytime, avionics, low-light LLL, or missiles. There is also a graphics memory 'slide projector coupled with a camera' which served to do color graphics on the computer (at the time graphics cards did not exist)


See these cameras.

Applications weather

To make this kind of computer images, we used a camera linked to a slide projector piloted by computer (Kodak carousel). A graphics card (kind of 40x25 pixels 4-bit) would change the graphic B & W given by the camera. It might as well mofidier the color of particular areas and to facilitate the monitoring of a situation. The 4th bit used to control the flashing. (Warning)


See images of weather (en 1973)

Examples of applications. Color screenshots.

That is a huge pile of clichés. We can see simulations of power stations, road traffic, the state of a ship, steering installation, test ... From time to time you will see a "ribbon reading" ... Remember, there was no floppy or hard drives! Everything depended on punch cards at a rate of 10 characters per second (or more with optical readers, but they were worth the price of a car!)


See these examples of application. (Photos from 1970 to 1973)
Many of these applications use the technique of pseudo-graphic characters which was subsequently resumed for the French Minitel and the first personal computers..

Images of radar displays (vectorial display or knight)

In that time, the radar screens were monochrome (orange P38 or P39) vector technology did a refresh than a dozen images per second. It was very persistent phosphor. And so as not to tire operators, it was decreasing the brightness of the screens (which also gave more detailed images) and put these screens in environments penumbra. Note the color displays.


See these images of radar screens (1973)

Some equipment

Some electronics bays, examples of machines made with wrapping, apps with laser (rare at the time), oscilloscopes ...


See these images of hardware (1973)

Satellites exposed

Well, they date back to 1973 ... The game is to find their names ... The man interviewed must be known. What is his name?


See these images of satellites (1973)