Low Cost Electronic Instrument Panel Systems Using Clip-On Type Vacuum Fluorescent Displays

The adoption of the newly developed self-standing grid construction allows a more flexible layout of the electrodes and location of the grids, while reducing the number of grid leads. These improvements make it possible to minimize the lead pitch and to increase the flexibility of the lead out position. For example, the leads of the new clip-on type displays will allow them to be condensed on one side of the display, while in the case of the ordinary Vacuum Fluorescent Displays (VFDs) the leads are located on both the top and the bottom. By connecting flat cables to the minimized leads, a clip-on VFD was successfully developed, which is excellent in terms of mounting flexibility, circuit maintenance, system cost and function. The manufacturing process and features of the clip-on VFD will be described later.