Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics.
See articles from Radio-Electronics,
published 1930-1988. All copyrights hereby acknowledged.
CRT implosion initiated by flame rather than an impact, as
opposed to most being struck with a metallic object.
These two
electronics-themed comics appeared in a 1961 issue of Radio-Electronics
magazine. The one on page 59 over-dramatizes what happens when a television
picture tube (cathode ray tube, CRT) breaks. A vacuum exists inside the tube in
order to minimize the probability of electrons from the electron gun colliding
with ambient atoms or molecules in their paths. Doing so reduces the sharpness
(focus) of the picture by spreading the beam, and causes random phosphorous
emission across the screen. The
getter material
flashed during production of the tube captures an acceptable majority of
particles to improve the vacuum. Would you fear the explosion of a CRT with an
internal pressure 14.7 psi (standard at sea level) above atmospheric pressure?
Sure, it would scatter glass shards outward, but not like if there was maybe
35 psi such as in a car tire. Even with a perfect vacuum in the CRT, it cannot
be greater than -14.7 psi (or whatever ambient is at the location), and then the
glass shards blast inward (but some do bounce back outward). Unlike the comic, which
depicts the kind of decompression shown in commercial airliners flying at
30,000' with a huge volume of air escaping, an imploding CRT makes a startling
"poof" sound, but no perceptible air movement. No, you don't want to be standing next to one, but you won't get
sucked into it. Yes, I have seen a CRT implode (as a kid, after chucking a
rock at it). BTW, I colorized the comics.
Electronics-Themed Comics
"It's called implosion!" Page 59
"There it is! The latest in TV remote control! It lets the
sponsor turn the sound back on!" Page 81
Posted June 28, 2024
These Technically-Themed Comics Appeared in Vintage Electronics Magazines. I
personally scanned and posted every one from copies I own (and even colorized some).
272 pages as of 12/16/2025.
RF Cafe began life in 1996 as "RF Tools" in an AOL screen name web space totaling
2 MB. Its primary purpose was to provide me with ready access to commonly needed
formulas and reference material while performing my work as an RF system and circuit
design engineer. The World Wide Web (Internet) was largely an unknown entity at
the time and bandwidth was a scarce commodity. Dial-up modems blazed along at 14.4 kbps
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when a new message arrived...
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