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Presentation, not an unfamiliar concept to a case-modder; in fact some
may argue it's the very foundation of our art. How many times have you
found yourself drooling over a truly astonishing mod only to find out
there's nothing more inside than your standard thrift-store e-machine.
That is the magic of presentation at its finest. You see, the manor in
which something is displayed is often more intriguing than the object
itself. The current amount of free swap space for example, or messages
in your inbox usually don't draw the attention of a passer by; but displayed
in the correct fashion these trivial bits of information can quickly
draw a crowd.
Today we're going to be looking at a way you too can become the center
of attention at your next LAN party; the MX512 from Matrix Orbital.
The MX512 is essentially the latest revision of the VK204-24-USB. A
larger, more versatile version of the LK202-24-USB I
reviewed quite a few months back. As the *204* denotes in the model number,
the 512 is a four line display. This however isn't the defining difference
between the two models. The MX512 is based off of a technology referred
to as VFD. Vacuum fluorescent displays. Referred to as VFD's no doubt
because both vacuum and fluorescent are quite hard to spell. They're
commonly used in home theatre equipment and medical monitors due to their
superior brightness and wide viewing angle. First introduced in 1967
the VFD is a variation of the triode vacuum tube consisting of a cathode,
grid, and anode sealed in a high- vacuum glass envelope. If you care
for a more in depth explanation on how they work I suggest you visit
Noritake's “ Guide
to VFD Operation ”. Speaking of Noritake, the MX512 is built upon
their CU20045SCPB-W5J display if you care to look it up.
Before we jump right in, I want to make it clear to all of our newer
readers that this is not the first display from Matrix Orbital that Gruntville
has reviewed. All the basic features of the display as well as most elements
of the controlling software LCDC have been previously explained
in earlier articles. In an attempt to keep this review relevant to the
defining features of the VFD series and included accessories, I'm simply
going to ask you first read the other three reviews. I'll wait. No really,
I've got all day…
MX212
MX-2
LK-204-25PC
LCD Display & LCDC Review
All done? Great! Let's keep moving.
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