Penguicon 2026

Before there were LEDs and TFTs, electronic devices through the 20th century required ingenious ways of delivering information to the users of radios, televisions and early computers. Think about what it would be like if you had a computer with no display screen of any kind.  For almost 70 years, this was a problem for all electronics. There are hundreds of interesting technologies that tried to address this problem. Some are very practical, and others are downright crazy. And when you add in the fact that all of them run at high voltages (higher than 100 volts in most cases), it adds to the mystique.  This interactive session will share this history from the 19th through the 20th century with some hands-on examples of all of the major innovations of that era: Vacuum tubes, Nixie tubes, Magic eyes, CRTs, and many others.