UNIVAC PLASMA GRAPHIC DISPLAY

TYPE 1562-00, SERIAL NUMBER 1

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This beautiful specimen, possibly the only one in existence as our research has never turned up anything remotely like it, represents a merging of the technological paradigm of UNIVAC with that of a plasma display, the latter certainly a very new technology at the time. It represents an effort to create a fast and geometrically precise display device suitable for the most advanced aplications at the time. A wise sage has suggested that this unit is a "blinkelights" similar in purpose to the array of CRTs employed with the ESDAC, and no documentation has ben found to confirm or deny. No expense was spared as evidenced by the gold plated pins of the computer I/O connections as well as the laboratory quality internal construction including the plasma display "tube" itself. Although there is a scratch on the front 'glass', this part is merely a protective, tinted, optical quality plastic cover. The display device is recessed comfortably behind it. Even though we have no knowledge of the interface, it would be very interesting to apply power to the unit in order to investigate the nature of the display device. This has not been done because the power requirement is 400Hz power as used in aircraft and military applications instead of commercially available 60Hz power. (400Hz equipment must never be connected to 60Hz power because 'bad things' will happen) The display device iself is composed of a series of vertically oriented wires arranged along the Z avix from a series of horizontally oriented wires. The row and columns are selected and a glow discharge takes place in the tiny space between crossed wires.