CATHODE RAY TUBE (CRT)

The primary output device in a graphical system is the video monitor. The main element of a video monitor is the Cathode Ray Tube(CRT))The cathode-ray tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube that contains one or more electron guns and a phosphorescent screen and is used to display images. It modulates, accelerates, and deflects electron beam(s) onto the screen to create the images. The images may represent electrical waveforms (oscilloscope), pictures (television, computer monitor), radar targets, or other phenomena.

The operation of CRT is very simple −


• The electron gun emits a beam of electrons cathode rays.
• The electron beam passes through focusing and deflection systems that direct it towards specified positions on the phosphor-coated screen.
• When the beam hits the screen, the phosphor emits a small spot of light at each position contacted by the electron beam.
• It redraws the picture by directing the electron beam back over the same screen points quickly.

  It consists of a glass envelope made from a neck and cone. All air has been extracted so that it contains a vacuum. At the narrow end are pins which make connection with an internal ELECTRON GUN. Voltages are applied to this gun to produce a beam of electrons. This electron beam is projected towards the inside face of the screen.
The face is coated with a PHOSPHOR which PHOSPHORESCES (glows) when hit by the beam. This produces a spot of light on the centre of the face of the CRT. By varying the beam current, spot BRIGHTNESS can be controlled. Controlling the diameter of the beam controls FOCUS. Phosphors come in a range of colours.
On its way from the gun to the screen the beam passes between  2 sets of plates. They are called the X and Y plates (as in graphs). By applying voltages to these plates the beam can be deflected. This causes the spot to move from the centre of the screen to another position on the screen. The X plates plates deflect the spot horizontally, the Y plates vertically. Thus the spot can be deflected to any position on the screen. External deflection coils are often used instead of the internal deflection plates.

Display Devices

A display device or VDU (Video Display Unit) is an output device for presentation of information in visual. When the input information is supplied has an electrical signal, the display is called an electronic display.
Common applications for electronic visual displays are televisions or computer monitors.
All of the PCs that we use need to have some displays. Normally there are the standard monitors, but they now are available in various varieties like LCD, LED. The evolution of the displays has not just only made the space that they contain become less, but also has made them more efficient.

Common Terms

Pixel: In digital imaging, a pixel, pel, dots, or picture element is a physical point in a raster image, or the

smallest addressable element in an all points addressable display device; so it is the smallest controllable element of a picture represented on the screen. The address of a pixel corresponds to its physical coordinates. LCD pixels are manufactured in a two-dimensional grid, and are often represented using dots or squares, but CRT pixels correspond to their timing mechanisms .





Resolution: It Refers to the sharpness and clarity of an image. The term is most often used to describe monitors, printers, and bit-mapped graphic images. In the case of dot-matrix and laser printers, the resolution indicates the number of dots per inch. For example, a 300-dpi (dots per inch) printer is one that is capable of printing 300 distinct dots in a line 1 inch long. This means it can print 90,000 dots per square inch.
For graphics monitors, the screen resolution signifies the number of dots (pixels) on the entire screen. For example, a 640-by-480 pixel screen is capable of displaying 640 distinct dots on each of 480 lines, or about 300,000 pixels. This translates into different dpi measurements depending on the size of the screen.

 Aspect Ratio: The aspect ratio of an image describes the proportional relationship between its width and its height. It is commonly expressed as two numbers separated by a colon, as in 4:3 in display units.