First of all, hi everyone, this is my first post on the forum, so if I inadvertently put my foot in it, I pre-emptively apologise. Now down to brass tacks.
I am fairly new to hobby electronics, having done some in high school physics, and played with Arduinos at uni, and have just started digging deeper. I'm finding it quite difficult to get used to all the lingo and ideas, particularly practical applications and uses for things. I figure the best way to learn is by doing though, and with that in mind, I've run into a bit of a roadblock.
My current project is to make little modular bits for a Kerbal Space Program type simpit/controller, and for a few dollars I couldn't turn down Jaycar's cheapo 11 digit VFDs. They seemed like the perfect choice for the retro design aesthetic I'm shooting for. Trouble is, they're a discrete part with no driver board, and incredibly poor documentation. That said, I could probably still get it going, except it seems the filament needs an AC current, and I wouldn't have the foggiest as how to provide it with one. Thus my question is twofold:
1) How do I get the AC power to drive this thing for breadboard testing? I don't have a bench supply readily available, or any such fancy doodas. Is there a magic trick with discrete parts I can try? 555 Timer chip and a couple of discrete transistors maybe? This can't be the first time anyone has ever run up against this problem, but I don't have the vocabulary to find the solution on my own.
2) How would you approach providing this AC power to the module? I don't know what best practice for this sort of thing is, but I was planning on wiring up a little board that could be told "Display 3798098.45" by a microcontroller, and would just do it. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Finally, if it's in any way relevant, it's a Futaba 11-ST-26ZA,
Jaycar Part No. ZD1880.