Visually simulate operation inside a Cathode Ray Tube

Introduction:- Since the early 1900s, the Cathode-Ray Tube or CRT (sometimes called the
Braun Tube)
has played an important part in displaying images, movies, and information. A patent was
filed in 1938 for the CRT; however, this was a very simple implementation. Over time,
CRTs have advanced employing many different techniques to increase image precision
and quality.
While today's CRT displays are much more advanced than those of a decade ago, they
are much simpler than other display technologies. This gives the CRT several important
advantages: cheap to manufacture and the ability to display high quality images. Due to
the low cost, CRTs have a very high resolution to price ratio compared to other displays
[Sherman, 2000]. Another important trait is the ability to display colors with high fidelity.
CRT is a well-established technology, CRT’s are
relatively inexpensive and reliable.

Cathode ray tube: The Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun (a
source of electrons) and a fluorescent screen, with internal or external means to accelerate and deflect
the electron beam, used to create images in the form of light emitted from the fluorescent screen.

Working of crt: from book

Main components of crt: CRT's have three main elements: an electron

gun, a deflection system, and a screen. The electron gun provides an electron
beam, which is a highly concentrated stream of electrons. The deflection
system positions the electron beam on the screen, and the screen displays a
small spot of light at the point where the electron beam strikes it.

The electron gun: The ELECTRON GUN is roughly equivalent to the

cathodes of conventional tubes. The cathode of the electron gun in the CRT is
required not only to emit electrons, but also to concentrate emitted electrons
into a tight beam. In the electron tubes that you have studied, the cathode
was cylindrical and emitted electrons in all directions along its entire
length. This type of cathode is not suitable for producing a highly
concentrated electron-beam. The cathode of the CRT consists of a small
diameter nickel cap. The closed end of the cap is coated with emitting
material. This is shown in figure 2-18. Because of this type of construction,
electrons can only be emitted in one direction. Notice that the emitted
electrons shown in figure 2-18 are leaving the cathode at different angles. If
these electrons were allowed to strike the screen, the whole screen would
glow. Since the object of the electron gun is to concentrate the electrons
into a tight beam, a special grid must be used. This special grid is in the
form of a solid metal cap with a small hole in the center.
The control grid actually serves as an electron lens. It is this electronic
lens that you adjust when you turn up the brightness control on your TV set.
Notice that the effect of the grid is to focus the electron beam at point P in
figure 2-19.After passing point P, the electrons start to spread out, or
diverge, again. Therefore, it becomes necessary to provide some additional
focusing to force the electrons into a tight beam again.

The crt screen: The inside of the large end of a CRT is coated
with a fluorescent material that gives off light when struck by electrons.
This coating is necessary because the electron beam itself is invisible. The
material used to convert the electrons' energy into visible light is a
PHOSPHOR. Many different types of phosphor materials are used to provide
different colored displays.
Electrons are emitted from a specially constructed cathode and move toward the
front of the CRT. The number of electrons that leave the area of the cathode
is determined by the cap-shaped grid. In addition, the grid concentrates the
emitted electrons into a beam. The electron beam is focused and accelerated
toward the screen by two electrodes: the focusing anode and the acceleration
anode. The electron beam strikes the screen and causes a bright spot to appear
at the point of impact.

Deflection: At this point, you have a bright spot in the center of

the CRT screen as shown in figure 2-22. Having watched TV, you know that a TV
picture consists of more than just a bright spot in the center of the picture
tube. Obviously, something is necessary to produce the picture. That something
is called DEFLECTION. For the CRT to work properly, the spot must be moved to
various positions on the screen. In your TV set for example, the spot is moved
horizontally across the CRT face to form a series of tightly packed lines. As
each line is displayed, or traced, the electron beam is moved vertically to
trace the next line as shown in figure 2-23. This process starts at the top of
the tube and ends when the last line is traced at the bottom of the CRT
screen. Because the beam is swept very quickly across the CRT and the phosphor
continues to glow for a short time after the beam has moved on, you do not see
a series of lines, but a continuous picture.

Advantages of crt:
Resolution and Aspect Ratio
They operate at any resolution, geometry and aspect ratio without the need for rescaling the image.

2. Highest Resolutions
CRTs run at the highest pixel resolutions generally available.

Motion Artifacts
CRTs have fast response times and no motion artifacts. Best for rapidly moving or changing images.

6. Cost
CRTs are less expensive than comparable displays using other display technologies.

Disadvantages of crt:
Sharpness
The CRT's Gaussian beam profile produces images with softer edges that are not as sharp as an LCD at
its native resolution.
. Brightness
Relatively bright but not as bright as LCDs. Not suitable for very brightly lit environments.

5. Screen Shape
Some CRTs have a rounded spherical or cylindrical shape screen. Newer CRTs are flat.

Emissions
CRTs give off electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields.

7. Physical
They are large, heavy, and bulky. They consume a lot of electricity and produce a lot of heat.

Geometric Distortion
Subject to geometric distortion and screen regulation problems. Also affected by magnetic fields from
other equipment including other CRTs.

Conclusion: CRTs are gradually being replaced by other display technologies, such as
Liquid Crystal
Displays (LCDs). However, the CRT still has many uses. CRTs are easy and cheap to

produce because they use a simple design.

The two most

important ones are price and quality. They can also be used in a wide variety of
applications such as radars in addition to televisions. Finally, they can last a long time and are

fairly reliable because the technology is so mature.

References:
http://www.writing.ucsb.edu/faculty/holms/2E_CRT_report_2.pdf

http://www.tpub.com/content/neets/14178/css/14178_89.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_grid